US2819830A

US2819830A - Universal hand gun holster and harness

Info

Publication number: US2819830A
Application number: US569950A
Authority: US
Inventors: Norris N Murray
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-03-06
Filing date: 1956-03-06
Publication date: 1958-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 1975-01-14

Description

Jan. 14, 1958 N Y 2,819,83Q

UNIVERSAL HAND GUN HOLSTER AND HARNESS Filed March 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY UNIVERSAL HAND GUN HOLSTER AND HARNESS Filed March 6, 1956 Jan; 14, 1958 N. N. MURRAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR 116122;; MMzJrra United States Patent UNIVERSAL HAND GUN HOLSTER AND HARNESS Norris N. Murray, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Application March 6, 1956, Serial No. 569,950

3 Claims. (Cl. 224-2) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The invention relates to holsters and/or holster harnesses for hand guns, either pistols or revolvers, and is particularly concerned with a holster which is capable of being worn in a variety of positions.

The usual holster for a hand gun is either a shoulder holster wherein the same is worn beneath the armpit and above the waist belt; a belt-line holster wherein the holster is mounted on the waist belt; or a low slung holster wherein the same is suspended from the belt below the same. Thus, if a user wishes to be able to carry his gun in all three positions he must have available not only three different holsters but also a shoulder harness for the shoulder holster and usually a special belt for the low slung holster. The objections are obvious.

The current trend is to belt line or shoulder holsters because the low slung holster is impractical when seated in an automobile or the like. However, for military use, it is highly desirable to provide a single holster and harness which is capable of being worn in all three of the usual positions noted plus being adaptable for wear in additional and unobvious positions as will be apparent hereinafter. Such a holster and harness according to the invention eliminates the need for multiple holsters and harnesses for a single weapon at a substantial saving of money, material and storage space.

With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved holster for a hand gun.

A further object is to provide an improved hand gun holster and harness which enables the holster to be Worn as a shoulder holster, a waist belt or belt-line holster or as a low slung holster.

A further object is to provide a novel harness for a hand gun holster which is capable of supporting the holster either above, at or below the waist line.

A further object is to provide a novel belt loop for a holster.

A further object is to provide a holster which is readily attached to or detached from a supporting belt or strap without unfastening such belt or strap.

Other objects and advantages reside in the particular structure of the holster and/ or the harness, the structure of the elements thereof, combinations and sub-combinations of such elements, all of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the attached drawing in connection with the following specification wherein the invention is shown, described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure l is an exploded view of a holster and harness according to the invention, the former being arranged for the low slung position;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the holster apart from the harness, the holster being arranged for a beltline or shoulder position;

7 2,819,830 Patented Jan. 14, 1958 Figure 3 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 3--3 of Figure 2; and

Figures 4 to 12 inclusive are perspective views showing various ways and positions for wearing the holster and/ or harness.

Referring specifically to the drawing wherein like reference characters designate like parts in all views, and referring at first to Figures l-3, 12 designates generally a holster according to the invention which comprises a holster body or sheath 13 which is suitably shaped to receive therein any suitable hand gun 14. The body 13 preferably is of one-piece folded construction and includes the usual integral flap 15 which overlies the butt of the gun 14 to hold the same in the holster. The flap 15 may be readily detachably secured to the front of the body 13 in any suitable manner as by the button studs 16 on the body and button holes 17 in the flap. Holster body 13 has the usual lower end 18 of reduced size. As so far described, the structure is conventional and forms no part of the invention apart from any combinations or subcombinations in which it appears.

To mount the holster 12 on a belt or harness, there has been provided a second flap or holster hanger 20 which has a tethered end 21 hingedly or swingably secured to the rear surface of the holster body in any suitable and well known manner as by the stitching 22. The holster hanger 20 has a free end 23 which at times is readily detachably secured to the lower end 18 of the holster body below the stitching 22 to provide a belt loop- 24 as best seen in Figure 3. As will appear later, when the parts are in this position, the holster 12 is adapted to be supported from any suitable belt or strap which may be run through the belt loop 24.

To secure the free end 23 of the holster hanger 20 to the lower end 18 of the holster body, there has been provided laterally directed portions or tabs 25 which at times at least partially encircle the lower end 18 of the holster body. Such laterally directed tabs 25 mount fastener elements 26 which readily detachably engage mating fastener elements 27 on the front surface of the lower end 18 of the holster body. This is a particularly desirable arrangement because only a pull directly on the free ends of each tab 25 can unsnap the fastener elements 26, 27 as the normal strains to which the holster may be subjected cannot be transmitted to the fasteners in directions tending to separate them. By the arrangement whereby the laterally directed portions or tabs 25 partially encircle the lower end 18 'of the holster, all stresses on the belt loop 24 are necessarily transmitted to the fasteners 26, 27 in lateral or shearing directions rather than in axial or separating directions.

When the fastener elements 26 are disengaged from the elements 27 the holster hanger may be swung to an upwardly extending position which has been illustrated in Figures 1, 7 and 8. It is then arranged for connection in V, a low slung position to a belt or strap or to the holster harness 30 now to be described.

The holster harness 30 comprises a relatively broad center section 31 of any suitable flexible material such as leather, cloth or plastic. It has a front face on which are fixed a pair of laterally spaced separable fastener elements 32 which correspond to the elements 27 of the holster body 13 and which are complementary to the mating fastener elements 26 on the hanger 20 and are similarly spaced for engagement therewith. As is apparent from Figure 2, when the hanger 20 is extended upwardly, its fastener elements 26 may be secured to the complementary elements 32 on the center section 31 of the harness 30 to support the holster 12 in the low slung position illustrated in Figures 7 and 8.

The center section 31 of the harness has hingedly secured to the opposite ends thereof in any suitable manner, as by the D-rings 33, two short and narrow flexible elements or straps 34. In the embodiment illustrated, the free ends of the straps 34 mount any suitable securing means such as the buckles 35 for readily detachably connecting the same to an elongated, body-encircling flexible member or strap 36. The short and

long straps

34 and 36 may be of the same width as shown and are preferably narrower than the center section 31. The latter is sized to have a free sliding fit in the belt loop 24 which is formed when the hanger 29 is secured to the lower end 18 of the holster, Figures 2 and 3.

Preferably, the lower end 18 of the holster body is formed with any suitable means such as the hole 37 for detachably connecting the usualflexible tie down or cord 38 to the holster.

it follows from the foregoing that when the holster hanger 29 is in the loop-forming position the holster may be attached to any suporting belt or strap by disconnecting the fasteners 26, 27 and passing the hanger around such belt and without unbuckling the latter.

Figures 4-11 inclusive illustrate some of the ways in which the holster l2 and its harness 30 may be used. For instance, Figures 4, 5 and 11 show three ways by which the assembly may be used by a paratrooper. Figures 6 and illustrate two ways of mounting the holster on the Waistline. Figures 7 and 8 show two ways of using the low slung or below the waistline position. Figures 9 and 12 show two ways to wear the assembly in an underarm or shoulder holster position.

Referring to these views specifically and in more or less the above order, Figures 4 and 11 show the holster 12 without the harness 30 and with the holster hanger provid ing the loop 24. In Figure 4- the loop 24 encircles the parachute diagonal baclr strap 3? while in Figure ll it engages one of the parachute leg straps 40. This enables the holster and weapon to be donned and dotted with the parachute harness. At the same time, the holster and gun may be salvaged from the discarded parachute harness by unsnapping the fasteners 26, 27 and pulling the holster free of the parachute harness strap involved.

Where it is desirable to retain the holster and weapon after cloning the parachute harness, Figure 5 shows the holster harness 3d passed through loop 24 and the assembly strapped to the front of the wearer s thigh so that the weapon is not taken oil with the parachute harness. Note too that this position is a desirable one for a rider of a vehicle as the weapon is readily accessible yet out of the way. Of course, the holster is shifted to a more conventional position when it is necessary to walk around.

In Figures 6 and 10 two waistline positions are illustrated. in Figure 6 the holster harness 39 is passed through the loop 24 and secured about the wearers waist by the

straps

34, 36 and the buckles 35. The free ends of strap 36 are passed through the D-rings 33 so as to be concealed below the center section 31. lo Figure 10, the holster harness 39 is omitted and the holster is supported on the usual waist belt 41 by the belt loop 24.

In Figures 7 and 8, the holster harness 30 is again utilized as a waistbelt. Here however, the holster hanger 20 is uncoupled from the lower end of the holster and extended upwardly thereof. The fastener elements 26 and 32 are connected together so that the holster is supported in the low slung or below the belt position. Whenever the holster is worn without a coat, the lower end 18 of the holster may be anchored to the adjacent leg of the wearer .by the tie down 38, Figures 8 and 10.

In Figures 9 and 12, the holster is worn above the waist in the underarm or shoulder position. In Figure 9, the holster harness is threaded through the belt loop 24, slung over one shoulder and adjusted until the holster 12 is snugly positioned in the armpit of the opposite shoulder. In Figure 12, the holster is located similarly but somewhat lower down so that the waist belt 41 passes through the lower portion of the loop 24 and provides an anchor or tie down for the lower end 13 of the holster. In both of these positions the usual tie down 38 may be removed.

It is obvious from the foregoing that the holster of the invention is readily adapted to multi-positioning and multiuse either with or without the holster harness and that the positions and uses shown in Figures 4l2 are merely illustrative of many other positions and uses of the same. Also while there has been shown and described what are now considered to be the preferred embodiments of the holster and holster harness, it should be understood that the same are susceptible of other forms and expressions. Consequently, the invention should not be considered as being limited to the precise structures shown and described hereinabove except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. In a hand gun holster including a downwardly tapering holster body, a belt loop for said body, said belt loop having a tethered end fixed to said body rearwardly thereof, said loop having a free end having two laterally spaced portions extending partially around said tapering holster body in opposite directions and in fiat engagement therewith below said tethered end of said loop, securing means on said holster body forwardly thereof, and means connecting said spaced portions of said belt loop to said securing means so as to prevent relative movement of said belt loop and holster body.

2. A holster according to claim 1, wherein said laterally spaced portions of said belt loop comprise tabs integral with said loop and extending therefrom in downwardly diverging directions, there being two spaced securing means on said holster body and said securing means being located to cause said tabs to engage said tapered body flatly as they extend therearound.

3. A holster according to claim 2, wherein said securing means comprises complementary separable fastener elements on said tabs and said holster body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,109,161 Chindgren Sept. 1, 1914 1,696,708 Brauer Dec. 25, 1928 1,844,603 Sarson Feb. 9, 1932 2,213,472 Myres Sept. 3, 1940