American Handgunner May/June 1978

~~ ~right side. Several pairs noted were madefrom crown stag using the natural crownfor the bell-bottom.Another innovation used by various fastdraw shooters has been to take a .22 cali-.her Ruger Single Six or Colt FrontierScout and install a .38 caliber barrel andthen bore the front end of the cylinder to.38 approximately half way, which leavesthe back end of the cylinder still a .22. It isthen loaded cap & ball style with .38 RedSets in the face of the cylinder: .22 Win-chester blanks are used for Thissame method has been used to create thefollowing combinations 22/38, 22/9MM,22/45, & .357/45.Holsters were gradually modified tokeep pace with the changing techniques offast draw. Without a doubt, Arvo Ojala,whose name is noteworthy in fast draw history,made the first steel lined holsterswhich made fast draw truly fast. His holsterrigs were made for the traditionalists;Andy Anderson, another California holstermaker improved and modified theOjala type. He was one of the originatorsof the "walk & draw" type holster whichwas worn higher on the hip. Still anothernoted Californian holstermaker for fastdraw is Alfonso Pineda who has kept upwith the constant changes of fast draw. Hismost popular holster now is the Alfonso#2 or "Improved No. 2" or, what he callsthe "Black Cat." It is worn higher aroundrALL WEATHERDEPENDABILITYThe stainless steel .22and .25 caliber pocketautomaticsoffer the bestprotection against thecorrosive influences ofwater, humidity, and evenhand perspiration. Thesepistols are accurate,well-balanced. comoact andsimple to clean. ~astactionthumb safeties andcycolac grips are standard.Also available in nickeland blue finishes.Mag. Size WeightCapacity in inches6 4% x 3% 13 oz.At all fine sporting goodstores and gun shops. Or forcatalogue, please send $.25s sterling armsSterling Arms Corporation4436 Prospect StreetGasport, New York 14067the waist and the holster sets out almoston a fender away from the body giving thefanner more clearance to draw.A few of the shooters who are handywith leather have created their own holsters.One such "Top Gun," Bob Arganbrightof St. Louis, Missouri, who is ahighly competitive shooter, has madesome fine "JayHawker" fast draw holsterswhich are in demand by many of the fastdraw fans.Common to all sports are the gadget accessoriesthat "needed," some are good,and others so so. One of the early items offeredwas a metal deflector that attachedto the bottom of the holster. It flared out. .'effective and only cost $2.89. -*iThere is no doubt that fast draw advancedrapidly as a highly competitivesport and the guns, holsters, and equipmentused are as sophisticatedas in any other shooting sport.NOTE: Grateful thanks to two fine sportsmen,Gil Guerra, Sr. and Bob Arganbrightfor their cooperation and assistance withthis article. Anyone interested in FastDraw and/or the equipment may contacteither Gil Guerra, Sr., 1192 E. 13th St.,Upland, Calif. 91786 or Bob Arganbright,4704 Upshaw St., Northwoods, Mo.63121.from the holster and the prime purposewas to deflect the wax bullet or blank awayfrom the lee if the gun is fired in the hol- fister, whichdoes happen. This is a goodsafety item and still being used.The cylinders seem to be the main ob-jective for gadgets. One such unique itemwas called "Pistol-lite Cylinder" for singleaction handguns. This was a plastic fullsize cylinder that contains batteries and abulb and when used registered on a tar-get-with the same accuracy and swiftnessas a bullet-a 1" dot at 15 feet. It was supposedlygreat for practice but it never becamepopular. Still another gadget was ametal adapter plate that fit over the backof the cylinder and allowed the use of .22blanks in a large caliber cylinder. It wasI resist corrosionCLEANS, LUBRICATES &PROTECTS ALL LEATHERORDER TODAY!!8 oz. CAN $2.00 PPD16 oz. CAN $3.00 PPDCALIF. RES. ADD 6% TAXZIP AEROSOL PRODUCTS21320 DEERING COURTCANOGA PARK, CA. 91304 *- *MERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1978 57