Holsters have been around for so long that they are commonplace for many items. The main job of holsters is to hold something at the waist or close to it for easy access. Everything from guns, knives, ammo, magazines, hot sauces, you name it I’m sure there is someone who made it. But this blog is mainly focusing on gun holsters.
Gun holsters have been around since the invention of pistols. Notably, pirates made holsters or shoving a flintlock pistol in your sash or pants popular and later holsters to securely hold your flintlock pistol. The earliest records of holsters are a drawing of a black beard who was known to have at least six pistols on him when going into battle.
Later holsters became popular with the western expansion with more civilians carrying revolvers. Before this, it was more common for the military to carry a pistol. A federal contract with the Colt 1851/1860 during the civil war, era made a large boom of holsters available after the war.
The next big boom of pistol holsters would be during WW1 and WW2 when service members would come home-keeping issued pistol holsters from their time overseas.
After WW2 holsters became much more common and started to grow in popularity. One of the biggest changes was going from an open carry holster to more concealed holsters. Some of the concealed holsters that became popular were the shoulder carry, and strap type holsters, mainly carrying 1911 from their popularity in WW2.
From the 1950s till now holsters come in every shape and size you can think of. With more pistol options comes more holster options. To name just a few types of holsters there are
· Outside the waistband (OWB)
· Inside the waistband (IWB)
· Appendix rigs
· Shoulder holsters
· Below the waistband (Urban carry)
· Sling holsters
· Belly band Holsters
· Pocket holsters
· Thigh Holsters
· Ankle or Boot Holsters
· Chest holsters
· Pancake holsters
· Cross Draw Holster
I’m sure there are more but those are the most common types of holsters out there. We have come a long way from holsters being made solely because they couldn’t fit in our pockets and were too bulky for concealment and protection. Some of the advancements we have added are solid trigger guards to protect against negligent discharges. Other safety advancements we have added are retention mechanisms, whether they are friction or mechanical. But when you select a holster for your new firearm, remember to have a safe reliable holster that is comfortable for you.