Historical Basis For Huckleberry Rig and Tombstone Weaponry

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Mr. Mosin

Mr. Mosin

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In 1993's "Tombstone", Val Kilmer (Doc Holliday) wears what (from my understanding) has become known as a huckleberry rig. Is there any historical basis that the genuine Holliday (or anyone of his day) wore similar to this, or is it Hollywood improvisation that has caught on and became popular ?

On a similar note, is the weaponry portrayed in Tombstone what was actually used by the Earps/Holliday, or was it just "whatever the armorer had on hand" ?

Thank you in advance.


Admin/Mod unsure if this belongs in "Accessories/Holsters" or "Revolvers", so here it is. Please move it if necessary.
 
Seek the book

"Tombstone the Guns and the Gear" by Peter Sherayko, who
was the movie's armorer and also had a small part in it.

The guns were a mix of fairly new manufacture and also
ones dating to the 1800s. He also had a hand in the
costuming.

Although some new manufacture guns were used, they
all conformed to the historical period.

For instance, Ringo's nickeled Colt was a Frontier Six-Shooter
that started life with a 7.5 inch barrel but was cut to 4.75. And
as a Frontier Six-Shooter its caliber is .44-40.

Doc's shoulder rig is for a Colt 1877 Lightning and was designed
by Kevin Jarre, the principal writer/early director of the movie. But
apparently an 1873 SAA ended up being used.
 
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Doc carried many guns over the years, including a Colt Lightning.

Tombstone is one of my favorite movies. Kilmer is a big part of that. He was perfect for that role. If only Bruce Dern could have been Johnny Ringo...

I always felt the clothing worn was fairly accurate, as well as the firearms. Maybe not specific to each historical figure portrayed, but accurate to the times at least.

Doc Holliday was a known gambler, swindler, and cheat. In that kind of profession, a suave outfit concealing easy to draw holsters would have likely been part of his ensemble. He had to look sophisticated to outwit his opponents.
 
Howdy

There was brief interest in Huckleberry rigs in Cowboy Action Shooting shortly after the Tombstone movie came out back in 1993. They did not prove very practical for the sport so I cannot remember the last time I saw somebody wearing one.

I have looked at dozens of vintage photos of cowboys over the years and I have never seen anybody wearing a shoulder holster of any sort. Practically speaking, it is just easier and quicker to access a large frame revolver such as the Colt Single Action Army from a belt holster than from a shoulder rig. A shoulder rig by necessity is a cross draw rig, one has to pull the pistol with the hand on the opposite side of the body from where the holster is hanging. It is so much simpler to pull a large frame revolver on the strong side with the hand on the same side as the holster. I suspect that is why shoulder rigs were not very popular in the Old West, despite what was seen in the Tombstone movie.

A smaller, revolver would be practical to wear concealed under a coat or jacket in a shoulder rig, but a large frame revolver would not be very easily concealed under a coat or jacket.

There are shoulder holster rigs available from a few of the major leather makers today. Here is one offered by El Paso Saddlery. I hasten to add, that this rig would be completely illegal in Cowboy Action Shooting, because holsters may not depart from the vertical by more than 30 degrees, no matter what style they are. Perhaps another reason they never caught on in CAS.

https://epsaddlery.com/product/doc-holiday-holster/
 
For those really interested in old time shoulder holsters, I
suggest the book

"Packing Iron Gunleather of the Frontier West"

The examples shown date from around 1890 to 1920.
Quite a few examples are of the "clip" skeleton variety.

Designs are for pocket type pistols right up to the
SAA.

Doc's shoulder holster for the movie is pretty much in
keeping with the extant designs if not totally accurate.
 
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Driftwood Johnson said:
illegal in Cowboy Action Shooting, because holsters may not depart from the vertical by more than 30 degrees, no matter what style they are. Perhaps another reason they never caught on in CAS.
Click to expand...

Certainly not trying to disprove you or your knowledge, but in the pics above, the holster appears to be at or a bit less than 30° when he is standing upright.

Doc was a man of bravado. The chest rig certainly would have a mental effect at a card table. And potentially would be faster to draw while remaining seated. But again, I think a major part of him potentially wearing such a rig was concealment.

Either way, its a dang fine western. At least they didnt have Mexicans playing Natives... That always cracks me up in the old westerns. One the other day had a RUSSIAN playing a Mexican. I mean come on! Vladimir is not even close!
 
Colt Lightning and Thunderers were more popular for concealed carry in the golden years of the old West than you would think. Too bad the actions were notoriously weak and everyone I have found over the years were " broken" to some extent, including my great grandfather's.
The stud and slotted steel spring clip " holster" was also so popular, I forgot its name. My great grand father wore one in his grocery store in 19 th century. His .38 Colt Lightning was fitted with the nickel stud on its right side. The gun is slid forward off the hooked spring clip worn on the belt.
 
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Gordon said:
Colt Lightning and Thunderers were more popular for concealed carry in the golden years of the old West than you would think. Too bad the actions were notoriously weak and everyone I have found over the years were " broken" to some extent, including my great grandfather's.
The stud and slotted steel spring clip " holster" was also so popular, I forgot its name. My great grand father wore one in his grocery store in 19 th century.
Click to expand...

As a small town Kansas sheriff/vetrinarian east of Abilene, in the Cowboy days and slightly after, my great grandpa Otto 'Doc' carried some plowhandle 32-20 on his hip. Thats the only thing I can truly reference. Wish i knew what happened to it.
 
I think the rig makes sense for one sitting at a card table. Hands close to the gun etc, and "Doc" spent a lot of time at the card table.


But, frankly, I am a solid Porter Rockwell fan.
 
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For what it's worth from my reading it
is likely Wyatt Earp and others may
have carried six-shooters in leather
lined inner pockets of their suit
coats, which were fairly bulky.

The idea of parading around all the
time with a six-shooter strapped to
one's side was often frowned upon
within towns.
 
They assuredly did not just use what was on hand. Peter Sherayko was the principal armorer and also played Texas Jack. They went to a lot of trouble to use not only period correct guns but many originals.


Driftwood Johnson said:
Practically speaking, it is just easier and quicker to access a large frame revolver such as the Colt Single Action Army from a belt holster than from a shoulder rig. A shoulder rig by necessity is a cross draw rig, one has to pull the pistol with the hand on the opposite side of the body from where the holster is hanging. It is so much simpler to pull a large frame revolver on the strong side with the hand on the same side as the holster. I suspect that is why shoulder rigs were not very popular in the Old West, despite what was seen in the Tombstone movie.
Click to expand...
A modern vertical shoulder holster, sure but Doc's rig basically put the sixgun in the same position as a crossdraw holster on the belt. Practically speaking, a crossdraw holster is quicker and more accessible than a strong side. Especially with a 7½" or longer barrel. Even moreso with a heavy coat on. I've gone almost exclusively to crossdraw rigs for the field for these reasons.
 
CraigC said:
They assuredly did not just use what was on hand. Peter Sherayko was the principal armorer and also played Texas Jack. They went to a lot of trouble to use not only period correct guns but many originals.



A modern vertical shoulder holster, sure but Doc's rig basically put the sixgun in the same position as a crossdraw holster on the belt. Practically speaking, a crossdraw holster is quicker and more accessible than a strong side. Especially with a 7½" or longer barrel. Even morso with a heavy coat on. I've gone almost exclusively to crossdraw rigs for the field for these reasons.
Click to expand...
---
From most of the tin-plate photos I've seen, which admittedly isn't a whole lot, it seems the 1880's Buscadero holster was worn as a cross-draw, when worn at all. Commodore Owens' famous picture with the Springfield rifle and Colt's revolver shows the grip of the Colt in a cross-draw. That kind of makes sense if you're not a cow poke. On horseback, in a proper fit saddle for cantering, with the stirrups a little high so the knees bend into the cant, the butt of the revolver lifts a little, maybe even a lot to cross the rider's lap, putting the butt forward. Reaching down to grab a revolver grip is slower than grabbing it on the up-stroke. That's why I like a high-belt holster that puts the grip at my elbow or a little below. I can't find mention of whether Commodore Perry rode in an English-style or western-style saddle but I'm going to guess since he wasn't herding or wrangling cattle, it may have been a hornless saddle, maybe even an English-style saddle, with a higher lift to the knee. If you know how to mount one, they're pretty comfortable for a long ride. For those who don't' know how to sit one, that horn on a western-style saddle isn't for grabbing onto, it's for the lariat to secure a roped animal. Otherwise, you might find yourself getting snatched right off your horse onto the hard, hard ground, facing an angry critter. o_O
 
I knew I had seen the huckleberry rig and I couldn’t place it. No matter how hard I tried I could not remember where I had seen it, and now I feel really dumb. I intend to make something similar for myself in the near future. I can’t wear a belt much anymore as I have some sort of allergic reaction where the belt buckles sit. Even with suspenders I get red marks but I can move the clip location around frequently enough to not ever let one spot get too irritated. Historical accuracy be damned, the rig works. Whether Doc had one or not is the question but I feel certain that at the turn of the century, in a time when supplies were short, freight expensive, and an extremely fast industrial revolution on the east coast and in Europe, that people were constantly having to improvise to get by. Leather being easy to work, durable, and plentiful, would have been high on the list for things to improvise with. A few leather straps and some leather lacing gets you a pair of suspenders that many men would have worn with the pants available at that time. Sewing on a holster is a simple chore, so yes absolutely somebody somewhere has something very similar. I suspect pocket pistols to have been more popular for this type of rig, and my first will be exactly that. Most likely it will be a very simple holster for my Thuer type derringer. I may put a vertical sheath on the other side for a small fixed blade.
 
CraigC said:
A modern vertical shoulder holster, sure but Doc's rig basically put the sixgun in the same position as a crossdraw holster on the belt. Practically speaking, a crossdraw holster is quicker and more accessible than a strong side. Especially with a 7½" or longer barrel. Even moreso with a heavy coat on. I've gone almost exclusively to crossdraw rigs for the field for these reasons.
Click to expand...

I myself have been carrying more crossdraws on the farm and in the field.
 
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