Leave Hollywood In the Holster: Cock Later, Reload Early
- Jul 21
- 5 min read
Jim Wilson
Some of you may remember back to the days when one or two different western series were on the television each night. And they were all good and entertaining, though some were more gooder and more entertaining than others. The common element in just about every show was that, sooner or later, the good guy was going to face the bad guy to see who was the fastest with his sixgun. Fast-draw was a Hollywood thing, and they rode it for all it was worth.
One of the things that facilitated this whole concept was the invention of the Hollywood fast-draw holster. I truly don’t know who first came up with the idea, but it appears to me that Arvo Ojala was right there when it happened. The main feature of the concept was that the holster had metal in the area that held the gun’s cylinder. Sandwiched between two pieces of leather, this metal lining held the gun very loosely and allowed it to be cocked and the cylinder to begin turning while the gun was still in the holster.
