Alamo Fast Draw

Due to the fact the American Cowboy can trace his roots to Mexico. This led pieces of his gear to have a Spanish name. His gear needed to be rugged do to the dry,hot and rugged terrain, in the Lone Star State that the American Cowboy grew out of. It was inevitable that the Texas Cowboy counterparts from other territories would come into contact with these Texan's.

The Chaparejos later shortened to the name "Chaps"  where an item the cowpuncher needed for protection of his legs during a normal day's work. The typical work pants of the day's before Levis where not known for their ruggedness. The original design of the Chaps wrapped around a cowboy's leg and left the back  side open  for  other business.  The simple function and construction took hold quickly and modifications were made for specific chores.

The Tejano sombrero with its wide brim and its tall crown may not have been suitable for the cowboy from other areas but the general design was adopted and modified for other regions.

Back to the Chaps! The basic Chaps with its design similarities of a batwing, was refered to as Bat Wing Chaps. They were constructed by  two large sections  of leather  with a  leather  belt  on top,  and  two or more straps that connected behind to secure it behind the cowboys leg. They were designed to leave the rear with no coverage do to the fact there was really no need and a full wrap of leather would have been very uncomfortable due to heat.

A shorter version called  Chinks were used by the cowboy that was looking for a break from the heat. Chinks usually designed to ride from waist to about the knee to ankle range. Some of the function of these type Chaps were  shoeing ,branding, and to protect from rope burns.

The third and final style i will cover is the Shotgun Chaps. These Chaps resemble the look of a double barrel side by side shotgun. The basic design was that of the full-length leather pants minus the seat area. This design could protect a cowboy from most everything his job might entail. I suspect though most cowboy's avoided shotgun Chap's whenever the temperature rose.

Yes i know this article is not about Fast Draw or single action pistols and there is nothing about gunfighters in it either but it does have a western theme and i enjoyed the article.