Regional Differences

[Petrol & Powder]

In today's world of internet marketing, FedEx, UPS and Amazon - the regional differences in equipment are becoming diluted.
There was a time, not that long ago, when you would see a law enforcement officer with a DeSantis holster and know he was from the northeast.
A street cop from the west coast would have a Bianchi or Tex Shoemaker rig and someone from the southeast would often be seen with Don Hume gear.
A Jaypee holster was almost an absolute indicator of an NYPD cop.

In the world of competitive shooting sports, Safariland gear was a bit more prevalent on the west coast and Galco was seen a bit more on the east coast (that trend has completely disappeared)

In the realm of concealed carry you would see Mitch Rosen gear by people from New England and El Paso Saddlery gear in the southwest. For some reason. Milt Sparks gear was not regional. Hard core users of the 1911 platform would be seen with Milt Sparks gear regardless of their region.

A hunter in New York or Pennsylvania would often be seen with a Remington 760 or 7600 pump action rifle but those rifles were not as common in the southeast.

Does anyone else recall regional differences in gear that were once common?

 

[StrawHat]

SxS shotguns were usually south of the Mason Dixon line.

Kevin

 

[RicinYakima]

Growing up in Appalachia, handguns were almost always .38's or smaller with lots of .32 Longs and NP's. There were a few Model 1917's in 45 AR. Some of the ex-GI's had M1911's and want to be cowboys .45 SAA's. I never saw a 44 special growing up and my dad was a gun trader.

Moving to the PNW in 1973, it was almost the reverse; lot's of Model 1917's and Ruger 44 magnums, and used 44/40's and 38/40's usually in New Service revolvers. Pawn shops had lots of 41 Long Colts in New Army. Washington State Patrol had converted from 44 Specials to 357 Highway Patrolman and LE was just beginning that here. My wife's cousin wore two nickeled Colt SAA's in uniform and a 1911A1 in nickel in soft clothes as the chief civil deputy for the county.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I don't recall exactly when the Taurus model 85 appeared but I remember a time when you almost never saw them in the northeast. People in the northeast that wanted an inexpensive snubnose in 38 Special would generally turn to the Charter Arms Undercover.
I don't know if that was an allegiance to American products or a regional preference (Charter Arms was located in Connecticut).
Most people that wanted a snubnose preferred a S&W or Colt but not everyone could afford one, particularly young police officers. The alternatives were the Taurus Model 85 or the Charter Arms Undercover and the Undercover had that market in the northeast.

 

[RicinYakima]

Same here in the PNW, Charter Arms by far especially in 44 Special Bulldog and the small gripped .38's. Never saw any Taurus revolvers here until the mid-1980's when the state was over run with "greatest generation" retirees from CA. Our liberal Concealed Weapons Permit for handguns, blackjacks, bowie knives, etc. excited the new comers. Within a couple of years Taurus and Rossi 38 were here by the truck loads.

 

[RBHarter]

You couldn't give a guy a 30-30 or a lever gun at all in the far west much farther south than Portland or more than a 100 miles inland until the BLR came along . Mostly the only cartridge in a 308 case was a 308 , 257 Roberts was a minimum cartridge when loaded to the top . 7×57 was mostly accepted but was in the same school with the 257 . 6mms any of them were too much for little stuff and not enough for the big stuff . If it was in an 06' case it was ok ,25s of 100 gr + , 270, 280 , 30 were Kings . The 300 WM was shunned for it's bark and minimal gains over the 06' (probably more for the necessarily heavier rifles) . For some reason I can't grasp the 7 RM had quite a following .

700 BDLs , 98's and M70s ruled the fields , autos were some alien thing and a slide was just plain odd .

Being capable at 300 yd was a matter of big hunting due to the wide open spaces and lack of cover . Killed my first mulie at 350 yd across a granite flag stone saddle at 9,000 about 400' above where the pinion pine and mtn mohog stopped growing for the lack of 50°+ days . I killed 6 , only 2 were inside 100 yd .

Sometime in the 1990s all that changed and Weatherby Mags were everywhere and BARs were in racks next to 7400s .

Only clay snobs shot doubles , and Brownings were too pretty for the field . There were probably as many M11 Rem as A5s , only pass shooting goose hunters had 1100s or 11-87s . M37s were love/hate . Model 12s and Wingmasters were the Kings of everything else with 28" barrels .

Now that I've gone east and south I think the 358 , 30-30 and 45-70 will be just fine . I ended up with a 26" BPS , 28" O/U for all of the small game and birds . I still have a lust for a 280 but I'd be just as happy with a well loved 9×57 in a 98' .

 

[RicinYakima]

You couldn't give a guy a 30-30 or a lever gun at all in the far west much farther south than Portland or more than a 100 miles inland until the BLR came along .

The only two exceptions I saw were real cowboys on horses who liked the 94's and 336's and the Native Americans who had no seasons, no rules and could hunt anywhere in the state from their pick up window. The latter liked the 32/20 until the SKS's came out at $99 and case of ammo for $99.

 

[Bill]

Lots of 30-30s in Oklahoma, down in the south eastern part they are referred to as "30s" the more bare metal the better

Bill

 

[Glaciers]

Most of my hunting was in the west"s open ground, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. 30-06 and faster/bigger. Speed goats and mule deer. RBHarter has a accurate description as to my "western experience"
Came to Alaska in the mid 70's and big stuff was the norm. 30-06 was the light gun with 338' 375, 35 Whelen and bigger being the norm. 30-30's were cheap if you could find one. I went to a gun show in Wisconsin about 1980 and was amazed at the quantity of Colt Lighting's, small, medium, and large frames on the tables. In Alaska they are rare as hen's teeth. Go down to Arizona and Vegas shows and you find collector Colts and Winchester's by the bushel baskets. Model 71 Winchesters are fairly common in Alaska. You take a 71 from Alaska to California and the price doubles. Of course that was a while back. Have not keep up with the gun trading since the 90's.

 

[JWFilips]

Northeastern Pennsylvania Deer hunting when I started in the 1960's was ruled by the Lever actions Savage 99's and Marlin 336's and Winchesters
300 Savage, 30-30 and 35 Remington and the 32 Win Sp. were what you mostly saw in the thick brush Laurel hunting. By the 1980's you stated to see more longer range guns used on the farm lands that were being bought up by the NY & NJ folks with money

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I have a friend that grew up in Ulster County, New York. (west side of the Hudson near Kingston & Poughkeepsie)
He said that when he was growing up you hunted with a Remington long gun or you didn't hunt. That was probably due to the relative proximity to Ilion, New York; the home of Remington.

 

[Rockydoc]

When I first started hunting deer at age 10 in the late 1940's all the deer hunts in west central Alabama were drive hunts where the drivers walked through the woods more or less in a line, hooting and hollerin', jumping the deer and driving them toward the standers(the shooters). For obvious safety reason rifles were frowned upon or not permitted, or if you insisted on using one you would be placed in a stand at the end of the line where you would be less likely to get a shot.
My first deer was taken with a 12ga Remington M11. Later my first rifle was a Savage 99 in 300 Savage. In those days and location 30-30 and 300 Savage were considered "High Powered Rifles".

Later when I was in dental school I had a couple of custom rifles made. One was made by PO Ackley in 6.5x06AI.
You might say I was way ahead of the time regarding 6.5mm guns. I now own three 6.5s.

 

[Rally]

Wool pants and coats.Seems like they were always present in the northern states, but also the areas with lots of woods. Might be a logger thing too.

 

[RicinYakima]

Out here it is still Pendleton wool shirts, Filson tin pants and coats with White boots. We were a major logging state until Clinton and the spotted owl.

 

[Rick H]

I still wear wool shirts, still own an old set of LL Bean heavy wool red checked Riding breaches style pants and Mackinaw jacket too. Not sure I could still fit in them. I quit wearing them when better (lighter weight) all weather gear came out. That outfit would gain 40 lbs in our typical drizzly wet snow hunting weather.