Semi-front opening holster

A semi-front opening holster comprising a body of leather or leatherlike material formed to define a handgun carrying pouch;

• means secured to said body for securing the holster to a belt;
• said body defining a top opening for the insertion of a handgun into the holster from the top;
• said body at the upper rear thereof defining a pouch region for at least partially enclosing the trigger guard of a handgun when positioned within the holster;
• said pouch region including means extending above and over the trigger guard of the handgun whereby a handgun within said holster may not be withdrawn directly upward;
• and strap means extendable from one side of the holster to the opposite over the hammer region of the handgun when in position within said pouch, said strap normally urging the handgun rearward in said pouch beneath said last means,
• said strap means being partly disengageable to allow the handgun to move forward;
• said holster body defining an extension of said top opening along a portion only of the front edge thereof, thereby defining a partial front opening;
• whereby a handgun contained within said holster may be removed by tilting forward to clear the trigger guard from said pouch region disengaging said strap means and thereafter removing the handgun entirely from said holster by an upward or upward-forward movement but said handgun may not be removed by merely an upward or frontward movement including spring means secured to said body biasing the portions of said body defining said extension of the top opening together whereby withdrawal of the handgun requires the overcoming of the spring resistance of said spring means, wherein said spring means comprises a generally U-shaped wire spring with the opening of the U in the region intersection of the top opening and the extension thereof.