Defensive Carry banner

The Defensive Carry Vintage Holster Thread

79K views 261 replies 48 participants last post by  msgt/ret 
#1 ·
How about a classic, vintage holster thread for all of us to share?

I was cleaning up in the gun room a couple years ago, properly putting away all the stuff that inevitably stacks up on one's reloading bench. I was replacing some holsters in the holster bin and got to looking at the bin's contents. There were a lot of holsters in there. A lot of cows died for those holsters! Over the years holsters had accumulated: acquired with some handgun purchase, picked up out of a used holster bin on a gun show exhibitor's table, been given me, or occasionally purchased for cheap just because I liked the artistic carving or basket weave adornment. There were holsters enough to stack on shelves, several deep with three large paper grocery sacks full in the bin at the bottom of the metal locker where they are kept. Something clearly had to be done so I began sorting them into a keeper pile and a white elephant pile.

I was having a good time poking through this menagerie of leather. The more I looked through the holsters, the more I was liking a lot of them, just for what they were: Obsolete defunct manufacturers, bygone designs, trends from long ago yet many exhibited really outstanding materials and workmanship. Sure, some were a bit clumsy, not too cutting edge for concealment, and just generally out of style but then they were from another time. Yep, something clearly had to be done so, rather than divest myself of the holsters, I kept nearly all of them and then added the odd one along the way.

The inspiration hit me that it might be fun to feature old holsters in a Forum thread. That way everyone could pronounce judgement on them and we could just generally chew the fat on old holsters. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. I went insane in summer of 2013 and came back out of retirement to bite off more than I can chew as a one-person compliance department in a local bank so never seemed to get "a round tuit" on beginning a Forum holster thread.

So now, over two years later, we're going to give this a try. I'm going to try to resurrect this thread on occasion to add new photos of old holsters as time allows for photographing. Am hoping that y'all all will add photos and narrative of your own about holsters you have. We can all remark about each others' leather.

Rules (which are made to be broken)

Y'all be sure and participate in this as well by featuring photos of your vintage holsters. Any holster can be featured as long as its genu-wine leather.

Nasty ol' materials like Kydex, canvas, whether tacti-cool black or OD camo, don't really belong in this thread unless they hold special meaning to the member, in which case, stick 'em up too along with the tales to go with 'em. I'm sure that sometime later on, I'll get around to photographing some neato British WWII canvas Webley holsters and putting them up.

With such an astute membership, we're bound to cover some ground looking in from time to time on old holsters. I'm hoping some of y'all can help me figure out what I've got, help with holster maker history and lore and all for fun and frolic.

With all that introduction, here's the first holster I'm going to stick up here.
 
See less See more
#76 ·
I'm going to show my holster ignorance. Until yesterday I didn't know those type of holsters were called "avenger" style. In another thread someone mentioned avenger holsters so I looked them up. I like the looks of them. I actually was looking at several of those last night.


As not to hijack the tread I'll start a new thread with some questions on them.
 
#79 ·
I'm doing the San Angelo gun show this weekend. The fellow who dabbles in vintage holsters and had the two expensive Brills didn't have a table at this show.

I'm like you, 336A. I'm not a true connoisseur of vintage holsters but only an accumulator on the cheap. If I'm going to spend that kind of hard-earned money, there are too many guns or other hobby items that it could be earmarked for to spend it on rare holsters that realistically won't see actual use.
 
#83 ·
Indeed it would have been wet moulded, in a method called "blocking" that was the standard until Gaylord's "boning" of the 1950s. In fact I received a newly-made holster the other day that was blocked (mould or block inserted into wet holster to open it up and give it shape).
 
#84 ·
Text Font Close-up Metal Macro photography
Gun Revolver Starting pistol Handgun holster Gun accessory


I found that Buchheimer, and it's still stuffed with a pristine S&W M12-2 round butt snubbie. BTW, I've still got the factory grips in my original revolver box. (*special thanks to my VERY special Pappy!)
 
#85 ·
Ah, I see. The interior fits snugly against the contour of the gun without showing all the small details you get from "boning".
Kind of leaves a more "flat" outer surface, amenable to some fine tooling.
I like the look of that Brill very much indeed.
 
#86 ·
Yea rednichols!!!

Many thanks for taking the time to label that photo so effectively. That can come in handy for future holster discussion, both in this thread and on others.

I found out I missed "muzzle" and had no clue what the "fender" was.

That's a particularly effective Bucheimer holster. Looks like it accomplishes the same thing as that Triple K that appears earlier in this thread. Yours is good-looking too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: drmordo
#87 ·
Still have a few older photos to go before needing to break out the camera. This hoary old veteran below has seen some duty with 1911 guns over the years as a field holster. It's also been carried for gun show security duty under long military jacket. Photo from a few years back, taken upon the return of a trip with my brother-in-law to Sanderson, Texas and a friend's ranch right on the border.



Got it out just now to refresh my memory on its maker. I thought it was a Safariland but it's a "No-name Special." It can be said to be the subjective "sturdily made" and has a nice heavy-duty brass snap. It was acquired as a used holster at Donn Heath gun shop in Fort Worth in the very early 1980s, replacing the M1916 shown earlier. It stays black by being polished at the same time I'm polishing my black shoes.
 
#91 ·
Easily forgiven because it's a copy of John Bianchi's #2 holster, which was produced by his Protector Brand in 63, then by his and Neale's Safari Ltd in 64, then by Neale's succeeding Safariland in 65, then by John's Bianchi Holster in 66 and thereafter (Neale had changed to his Sight Track design for it by 66). Many companies have made copies of it until this day.
 
#88 ·
Found this in the process of looking up something else.

Apparently, Bucheimer is still in business. Notice how their website's history carefully avoids to mention their once extensive holster trade. Odd, isn't it? The holster production ended years ago, perhaps spun off of the company.

I'm wondering if this link takes us to some sort of "reconstituted" Bucheimer.

Bucheimer US Mail Bag


 
#90 ·
Went home to take pics this weekend and Totally forgot my flash drive drive today.
Well, these will have to do for now. I don't have much, I just look for utilitarian holsters I can use.

Top Left; Can't remember the name, not collectible and I really don't like it. The front tension spring that presses against the gun frame is very tight.
Top Right; Bucheimer-Clark (Jordan style?)
Center; old Don Hume paddle holster.




Here is one of the Dan Wessons inserted in the Bucheimer. A Safariland riding on the belt.
Another Dan Wesson in a Galco Combat Master.
Bottom Left; is a Don Hume basket weave for a 'K' frame. Then a Don Hume 721 belt holster. And a ubiquitous Uncle Mikes.



A little bit better closeup shot. The Don Hume has a leather paddle with no stiffener/support. Requires use of the belt loop to keep it in.


I'll try to remember the flashdrive with better (front & back) pics tonight.
 
#92 ·
Looks like really good photos of useful gear to me, Brady.

Thanks for identifying an origin design for that holster, RedNichols. You mention that Safariland did a version of this model. Would they not have marked some of their holsters?

There are a few holsters around here unmarked with either maker's mark or model number. Can't know their origins. Mexico, possibly?
 
#93 ·
I've about to decide that my favorite thing about this thread is that it's a FINE excuse to "show-off" holsters that we spent previous YEARS trying to figure-out what to ...DO WITH THEM!
Well Done, Friends! :hand10:
 
#101 ·
I like leather too Eric. Was so hide-bound that I wouldn't seriously consider a Kydex holster until 2014 when I took delivery on a couple of SHTF's, their ACI 1 Gen 2 holsters. Got one for the Smith & Wesson Shield I also picked up during 2014 and of course one for 1911 guns. They are good modern equipment.

I do like leather though, new and old.



Adding another Heiser holster, this time an older one. This holster probably dates to the period between 1900 and the mid-1920s, judging from the earlier style of maker's mark that Heiser applied. To see the familiar Heiser marking from the mid 1920s forward until Heiser merged with Keyston in the late 1950s refer to post No. 2 of this thread. This holster is an an early type of inside-the-waistband holster, made for the 4-inch K-Frame Smith & Wesson revolver which is a perfect fit. It's likely not a very common holster but also probably not as likely to generate much interest among real holster collectors which is why it ended up in my holster bin for cheap.



This holster shows a good bit of wear so obviously provided someone with a means to conceal the protection they deemed necessary.





It's difficult to imagine that the leather belt loops held up to long use but despite the holster's age and obviously worn condition, the leather of the loops, as well as the rest of the holster, is still supple. The draw from this holster is effortless yet the gun is carried well secured, being positioned deep within the holster.



I've been wearing it around in the house this evening and it's a very comfortable holster and this despite wearing jeans that are too tight with the intrusion of an IWB holster in the waistband. I had Mrs Bmc snap a quick photo. Some vintage gabardine trousers, tailored to fit with room for this holster, would have worked fine.

This 4-inch round butt Smith & Wesson Military & Police revolver shows a serial number of 296XXX so was produced sometime in the 1917-1919 period. The round butt is a nice touch for concealment and feels really good in the hand when grasped. The somewhat less common round butt K-Frame Smith & Wesson revolver of the 1910-1920 period, when equipped with the checkered walnut stock panels, lends itself to good shooting with excellent ergonomics which has to be experienced to be appreciated. The plain clothes lawman wearing this revolver in this holster would have been well-equipped back in the day.
 
#103 ·
Looks like a 1920s version best I can tell. Photo's very dark but it doesn't appear to have medallion stocks so that would indicate 1920s production. Thanks for posting that one. I'd love to see more photos of it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: msgt/ret and OD*
#107 ·
Yep, 1920s, with those stocks and the small S&W logo on the left side of the frame.

You might procure some RIG for the surfaces of your good ol' Smith & Wesson. I'm sitting here just now, greasing down the revolver used earlier today in the photographs of the Heiser IWB holster before putting it away.
 
  • Like
Reactions: OD*
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top