American Handgunner May/June 1977

By MASSAD F. AYOOBTESTING A STACK OF PANCAKESwhen we were talking to themanufacturers of the holsters yousee on these pages, all but one said sohethinglike: "You aren't going to call themall pancakes, are you?"Well ..."Pancake" is the name Roy Baker gaveto the unique holster that captured America'shandgunners by storm in '74. In fact,his is the only one that really is broad andflat enough to resemble a pancake, and hewas the first to build a holster on this concept,i.e., a close fitting, high-position righeld tightly in place because the belt goesthrough slots cut in the wide body of thescabbard.Are the others copies? John Bianchi,and Richard Gallagher of Jackass Leather,and a Bucheimer-Clark spokesman allsay they had their designs on the drawingboards or in prototype before Roy Bakerintroduced his leather flapjack. But evenif this is the case, there is no doubt that itwas Baker who paved the way for this typeof holser, commercially.Who buys 'em? Like Roy says in his ads:Everybody. Cops like them because theyride almost as concealably close as an inside-the-beltholster, yet they look nicearound the squadroom. A detectivespends a lot of time with his gun showing,and a lot of dicks think a gun jammed intothe waistband, even if it is wrapped inleather, looks kinda sloppy. Contrary tothe Columbo mystique, most plainclothescops make a point of looking sharp.Hunters like 'em, cause they ride highand comfortable, offering a quick drawwithout hanging out where the gun can getscarred up on brush. Many handgunningnimrods are also aware that a lot of peoplethink they look like cowboys when theywander about with big sixguns hangingdown their thighs. Shoulder holsters havebeen the traditional choice of hunters fordiscreet and protective carry, but lots ofgunners find shoulder rigs excruciatinglyuncomfortable. For many, the holster thatis generically becoming know as the Pancakeis the solution.Let's look over the different recipes forthe Pancakes and their competitors.ROY BAKER LEATHER GOODSP.O. Box 852, Magnolia, ARK 71753Roy has the biggest variety, includingholsters with belt loops sewn on the outside,and rigs for ultra long barrel sixguns,and for single actions as well as the DAwheelguns and autoloaders that everyonemakes 'em for.Roy's holsters are unique in that theyhave the patented triple-slot design thatgives one the choice of straight up or forwardtilt carry under the gunhand, or tiltlesscrossdraw.Roy says the reason nobody else makesthis style holster with three belt slots isthat his patents forbid it. The oppositionsays the reason they don't use the thirdslot is that their market research tellsthem the overwhelming number of purchaserswill carry the piece under theirgunhand anyway, and that by eliminatingthe third slot, they do away with a lot ofbulk.Both sides are right in their own hays. Ican't recall ever seeing anybody wearingtheir Pancake in any position but forwardtilt. While I'm usually not partial to crossdraw,I do favor that position when huntingwith a long barrelled revolver, or whenthe handgun is a backup to a rifle, sincethe long-gun's buttstock tends to bang ona strong-side holster when walking.I can also see crossdraw for social guns,at least in certain weather under certainclothes. One winter several years ago, I almostbought it in a darkened parking lotbecause my .38 was on my right hip undertwo buttoned coats. I saw trouble comingsoon enough to undo the buttons andthrow down on my two assailants in timeto prevent bloodshed, but I had learnedmy lesson, and when I dress against thecold nowadays, a cross-draw rig that I canget at through a buttoned topcoat is partof the ensemble. This winter I'll be wearinga standard Pancake with a .45 auto init.That argument about the extra bulk ofthe triple-shot design is right and wrong.It's right for the other manufacturers, whouse standard stiff leather. It's wrong forRoy, because he deliberately uses a softer,more flexible leather that bends aroundthe belt as the holster lies on your hip, andprevents the edges from bulging.Roy's optional model with the shellloops sewn in is ideal for hunters, thoughnot for lawmen since the rounds will com-1. Standard Pancake from Roy's. 2. An 8-318'; 44 Mag in large size Pancake fromRoy. 3. Bucheimer "Concealer." 4. S&W Hugger. 5. Haines Hi-Ride. 6. Roy'sPancake with shell loops. 7. The Bianchi Shadow.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977