American Handgunner May/June 1978

7 .can be just as damning as a gunthat's not supposed to be there., The handiest method of attaching anankle rig is through the use of ~elcroy themale hook-female pyle arrangement usedinitially in braces and used so successfullyby Safariland as belt fasteners and withsome holsters and assorted gear. Thoughother ankle rigs are available and Safariland,mentioned above is to my knowledgescheduled to come out with one aswell, the four makers whose rigs were inspectedand tested are Bianchi LeatherProducts (100 Calle Cortez, Temecula,Calif. 92390), Jackass Leather (920Waukegan Rd., Glenview, 111. 60025),Universal Leather Products (Drawer35747, Tulsa, OK. 74115) and Old WestLeather (2244-2 Main St., Chula-Vista,Calif. 92011).The Bianchi rig is constructed of a slickfinished, durable smooth cowhide, flexibleand sturdy in appearance and utility.The holster and ankle strap are lockstitchedtogether. The ankle strap is paddedwith a sheeps-wool material, apparentlya high grade synthetic. It cushionsthe holster well and provides no irritationto skin. Ankle holsters tend to get -a bit warm on the leg, especially in summermonths, but by their very nature thiscan't-much be helped. The holster portionof the rig features a thumbsnap retainer.Best of all, the thumbsnap is metal reinforced-afeature vital to consistent heavyduty reliabillity. The holster is partiallymolded and available for most sensibleankle holster guns. The strap is secured tothe leg by means of two Velcro strips, thusproviding easy adjustment and a quickon/off feature.Old West's ankle hftlster is nearlyidentical to the Bianchi model. Made inMexico of American materials, the OldWest line offers quality in finish and constructionwhich is not to be ignored. I ownseveral Old West belts and an Old Westfield holster, all of which I am enormouslyrf '...,. .,, . . . -.-, ,.....,.,., -... . ,..*:., ... ..,,.... , ,~.,;.-,.'È'%;¥^wt >;?,- .:,-,, ';' ' ." 6. . .. .. . ,. . . , . -A*,::.'. ,.A.!.,,,,; ,,,., . . .:-.. .. . . - .,. . .. .- ' ....* ..- , "'. , . ',< ,!, . , ...,.ha~ov with in terms of aooearance . and inch rise. For small eunsI., ,.serviceability. the-pants holsters with spring steel clips, ;The Jackass ankle rig is a true two part such as those from Bucheimer-Clark, 'system. It consists of an elastic bandage Safariland, Bianchi and others work acwhichis secured to the lower calf with Vel- ceptably. The Bianchi Defender series,cro retainers and Velcro pile strips run- saddle leather holsters meant to be wornning vertically spaced along the entireouter surface of the bandage. The wetmoldedthumbsnap holster is attached toa tape of Velcro hooks. One takes the holster,positions it where-desired on the leg,then wraps the Velcro hook tape around gun will ride properly, butt rearward.the elastic bandage, thus attaching to the But, ankle holsters and boot-top carryVelcro pile strips. The system works reli- aside, one other method of leg carry is ofablyand offers a great deal of flexibility in fered, this, to my knowledge, only by Bipositioning.Also, additional tape strip anchi at this time. It is the Bianchi # 11equipped holsters can be purchased for Leg Holster. This is an ingenious device,different guns and used with the same recommended to be worn with high topbandage.boots but suitable for use without bootsThe Universal Leather holster is per- with the right sized gun and flaredhaps the most uniquely constructed ankle trousers. The leg holster is made of a suprigof the lot. The ankle bandage features ple leather, two pieces sewn together, thea fleece lining and has perforations in the top piece made with a slit. The gun is inleatherto allow for skin ventilation. The serted into the slit and the tension of theholster attaches to the bandage by means holster itself molds the leather over theof one-way paratroop style snaps. The gun making a safety strap unnecessary.same holster can be attached to a Coupled with this, the gun rides deep inshoulder holster harness or used as a belt the leather.holster. The holster itself features a The # 11 Leg Holster is designed to bethumbsnap and both the holster and ban- worn on the off-gunhand leg, the upperdageare constructed of soft, durable, at- most of the two thick surgical elastictractive black bull llama leather. It is not straps encircling the leg above the calfcowhide. but actually bull llama hide. It muscle, the lower strap just below it, thehas an attractive grain and texture, great gun riding against the calf muscle andflexibility and the black dye is waterproof. shin bone. The straps are secured byIt also has a lifetime guarantee to the orig- means of multiple sets of paired snaps toinal purchaser under normal conditions. allow for adjustment The rig is comfort-For leg carry, the second most popular able, easy to put on and take off and conmethodwhen a holster is used involves ceals my J-frame revolver well. Withsewing or otherwise securing a holster in- something like a Bauer .25, the gunside a boot top. Knives like the superlative should be virtually invisible when wornGerber MKI survival knife work well this properly. In fairness, it takes slightly longwayand so can small, flat handguns. A er to raise your trouser leg to get the gungeneral rule of thumb is the higher and than to snatch it from an ankle rig. Howtighterthe boot, the thinner the ordnance. ever, no leg carry-except perhaps theA cylinder gun can carry well in a Welling- boot-top arrangement-should be usedton style boot, a flat midframe or small for anything other thanframe auto in something with an eighteen- a back-up gun.''-1outside the pants but featuring a spring , ' 'i 1steel belt clip, would make superlative 4 ~ ,boot holsters. But, with this latter type ofleather envelope, a right-handed personshould order a left-handed holster so theiI>I,t - .',+:; , ACOMPLETE GUIDE TO UNmLOADING ,By GORDON R. STARKIFconfession is good for the soul, the years, I had a rather solid feeling of con- your own loads:condition of my soul should be en- tentment. My mistakes were few and gen- 1. Never begin with maximum loadshanced immensely before this piece is erally of a minor nature; i.e., failing to bell regardless of how often tested byconcluded. No one enjoys admitting mis- sufficiently, seating a bullet too deeply or other shooters.takes, but by so doing, we can often help spilling a mite of powder on my humble 2. Never assemble more than 5 or 6others avoid making them, especially bench. Nothing of a serious consequence rounds of an untried load.when their lives are concerned. Thus, my had transpired whatever. Then, one fine Let's explore the logic of the aboconfessing a colossal boner might well be day, I blew it and blew it big. First of all, what is maximum to onin order in this day of increasing activity in By way of background, I'd-like to em- may not be maximum to another.handloading. phasize the two cardinal tenets that should this admonition carefully as it is a twHaving reloaded pistol cartridg g up street Thousands of modern pistols are60 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1978. .