American Handgunner Nov/Dec 1981

Sequence, 'eff to right: in holster with hammer down; strap opened and gun pushed down; pistol.~ ,,~ -. - '.TEST REPORT:By Don ShumarCock your Coltin theJ:?:t~~innovative holsterOne reason more law enforcementagencies don't use Colt's GovernmentModel .45 or Browning High Powerpistols is they can't or won't tolerate thepiece in Condition One (chamber loaded,cocked & locked) and don't want theirpeople on the street with anything lessthan an instantly ready sidearm.From an institutional point of viewsafety is the overriding question. Improper. handling can result in a loud bangfollowedby lawsuits or worse.,The majorityof 1911 or P-35 pistol related accidentsfall into three categories: (1) when someoneincorrectly unloads, leaves a round in34el~.eenI t0 S erthe barrel, and then does somethingfoolish; (2) the gun goes off while beingcleared or loaded; and (3) the hammerslips from under the thumb while beinglowered.In addition, Public Information personnelmust calm uneasy citizens by explainingthat yes, it is O.K. for officers to carrycocked pistols, while Community Relationfunctionaries rush about trying to placateminority and sob sister groups out protestinghow "provocative" and "intimidative"those obviously prepared sidearms are. Nowonder some chiefs think "automatic" isjust another word for hassle.Organizations aren't the only ones thatget nervous about Condition One. Many'of the big auto's fans prefer to keep thehammer down and do a fast fumble whenit's time to shoot. Others, through gross'ignorance, wear the pistol half-cocked,which is totally unsafe.An alternative is Condition Three(empty chamber, 'loaded magazine, hammerdown). When a shellshucker is left inthis mode most of the accident potentialpreviously noted is sharply reduced. Butthen you may be too safe. What if you'recaught by surprise and have to shoot• quickly without time to jack back the slide?Fast "clicks" won't save your bacon, sothere you are. Either sacrifice some safetyin exchange for speed, or be completely (?)safe and hope that in an emergency there'splenty of time to get ready.Richard Seldeen, a Los Angeles DeputyDistrict Attorney and part time holstermaker, was well aware of all this and ~.decided to do something about it. Hisanswer is an excellent one-what he calls a"double action holster" for single actionautomatics.In this rig, the pistol is carried in ConditionThree, about as safe as you could ask.To draw, you thumb off the safety strap,grasp and push the grip down, then comeup and out. This f1ash-of-a-second movementcycles the slide, chambers a cartridge,and cocks the hammer. You'reready to go!Holster loading a .45 isn't new. Back inthe '50s Sgt. Tom Lougnhan, a USAFMilitary Policeman stationed in New YorkCity would demonstrate one way using hisstandard 1911-Al and G.1. holster, slightlymodified by removing the trigger guardAMERICAN HANDGUNNER· NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1981