when I was a ,kid growing up here it was 357 mag country! All the way Colt Lawman, troopers "357s M28, 27 (rarely) and the almost ubiquitous M19 (Blue and nickle) Security sixes were around but mostly in the city cop's holsters. The County guys, heavily influenced by Cooper were by and large 1911 guys with some die hard M-27 and M19 guys...
We Moved back here in 2009, I saw a bunch of Hi Points in nylon bags and SIGMA/SW9s/40 in Leg drop nylon crap rigs, a few M09s and lots of glocks in Uncle Mikes or fobus injection molded plastic...Lately in the last 3 months or so, I have noticed a big shift to better guns and gear more gunleather and more 1911s, glocks and other quality guns...SR1911 and SR9 are very popular around here, as can be expected. Everybody that has any connection at all to Ruger has a nice modern Ruger auto or two. Davidsons West sells to all EMS/firefighters cops at below wholesale...very interesting to witness the upswing in quality of personal carry in the short term. In one local gun shop Had a long haired 20 something kid with 2" Mau mau hoops (gauges?) in his ears ask me if I could make a holster for his old Colt? I asked if he had with him. outm comes cheap "Ambi" brand nylon bag for a gun. From it he pulls a Colt New Service serial number 22 in 45 Colt used not abused... He says he likes these old big bores ...told him about Skeeter he knows about Elmer...made my day...

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Of the Troops & For the Troops