Meeting A Legend: John Bianchi

posted on September 28, 2010
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
2010617144117-hopkins-bianchi-main.jpg

His stride is confident, his handshake firm. He wears a Western sports jacket and a black bandana caught in a silver bolo instead of a tie. He looks you in the eye and calls you sir because he’s a gentleman, a perfect gentleman. His name is John Bianchi and he’s quite literally a legend in the shooting industry.

John was a California Highway Patrolman who started making holsters in his garage for fellow lawmen. An avid student of the American West, John also built hand-tooled Western rigs as a hobby. In keeping with the American Dream, John’s garage business blossomed into one of the largest and most successful leather holster companies in the world—Bianchi Gunleather.

Today retired from his eponymous business (which was acquired by BAE Systems and is part of their family of police-related companies), John now runs Frontier Gunleather where he offers handmade Western rigs just as he did in his old garage.

John is not only famous for his holster company and its many patents and innovations, particularly in the field of police duty holsters, but also for his collection of Western memorabilia, which is displayed at the Gene Autry Museum in Los Angeles. Back in the day, John appeared in ads for the Bianchi company dressed as an Old West gun slinger, complete with black stubble and a steely-eyed stare.

I caught up with John at the recent NRA Annual Meetings and we chatted about his new book.

Read the American Rifleman story John Bianchi: An American Legend, and watch theIndustry Insider video interview withBianchi.

Latest

Father-and-son team Jeffrey and Jordan Low
Father-and-son team Jeffrey and Jordan Low

First Breach Ammunition Factory Tour

An ambitious and technically savvy startup embarks on the goal to bring match-grade cartridges to the market at an enviable price—all made in America.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 27, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

The Development of MIM Cartridge Cases

We recently caught up with Concurrent Technologies to learn more about its latest advancements in metal injection molding (MIM) as it pertains to cartridge case manufacturing.

Preview: VACA Beef Jerky

Touted as the “unjerky,” VACA Jerky is made using marbled beef and double-dehydrated to produce thin, crisp pieces that are enhanced with intense flavors.

T/C Rebirth: Thompson/Center Brings Back The Triumph Muzzleloader

Thompson/Center Arms has reintroduced its famous Triumph muzzleloader, an in-line design that uses 209 shotgun primers and is designed for easy cleaning and loading.

Preview: Competition Electronics ProChrono LTD

A more economical alternative to Competition Electronics’ Bluetooth-enabled DLX model, the ProChrono LTD is a ballistic chronograph ...

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.