Fifty years ago, Richard Gallagher designed a horizontal shoulder-holster system along with a harness for a Chicago street cop. Roughly a decade later, that same shoulder-holster system and harness wound up on television on the torso of larger-than-life fictional vice cop Sonny Crocket from Michael Mann’s Miami Vice TV series. The rest is history, and in honor of the 40th anniversary of Miami Vice, Galco is selling a limited run of 40 special edition Miami Classic 40th Anniversary Shoulder Holster Systems.
During the heyday of this TV series four decades ago, viewers noticed how Miami Vice Cop Sonny Crocket (played by actor Don Johnson) had the ability to easily conceal a full-size Bren Ten 10mm pistol without much effort under a light sports coat and without needing a waist belt in each episode of the series. As a result, real-life demand for the Galco Miami Classic grew. The shoulder holster’s success is probably one of the rare occurrences where product placement in a fictional show let the product speak for itself and helped Galco Gunleather reach national success.
The Bren Ten pistol has been out of production since the mid 1980s, so the Galco Miami Classic 40th Anniversary Limited Edition Shoulder System is designed to fit full-size 5 inch government 1911 pistol including the 10mm Colt Delta Elite, another shooting star from the 1980s. Although the special 40th edition shoulder holster harness system differs from the standard catalog Miami Classic rig available today, the former is faithfully done to the “old school” way including the use of rivets to join pieces of leather while also orienting the gun’s holster diagonally instead of horizontally. The diagonal orientation aids in concealment under a sports coat for most adult men of normal proportions without having the muzzle of the pistol print against the fabric of the coat. The premium leather is aged at the factory, providing a distressed look to match Sonny Crockett’s well-worn original. The 1-inch shoulder straps are easy to conceal, even while wearing a classic Armani suit jacket.
Please visit galcogunleather.com to learn more.
