Western Open Top Holsters, are they historically accurate?

[Gun Creek Phil]

Howdy,

I was looking at this double holsters.I've already a nice 1860 Army and plan to buy a 1858 Remington (C&B).
Are these holsters historically accurate?
My persona lives in 1866 1876 era.I would use these holsters for reenactement and Cow Boy action Shooting.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

http://cgi.cafr.ebay.ca/DOUBLE-WESTERN-OPEN-TOP-HOLSTERS-Cowboy-Outfit-for-Colt_W0QQitemZ160278709271QQihZ006QQcategoryZ73976QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

[panhead pete]

Howdy Phil,

The holsters appear to be made of a lesser grade leather.  The design is correct so they could be used for your impression.  You may wish to look at Carrico leathers and Walton & Taylor Merchantile.  Their quality is better and the designs are spot on.  Hope this helps,

Panhead Pete

[St. George]

Take a look through 'Packing Iron' - by Rattenbury.

In it, you'll see what original holsters actually look like, and you'll find that there are several styles for your particular era.

The holsters pictured don't reflect a lot of quality work or quality leather, though they'd be serviceable until you could get better ones, I suppose.

There are a number of excellent holster makers in C&WAS - two have been mentioned - so take a look at what Chuck Burrows does - www.wrtcleather.com - or the offerings of Trailrider, as well - www.gunfighter.com/trailrider, and those of Buck Stinson - www.oldwestreproductions.com - and you're sure to be impressed.

On the other hand - if cost is a factor, you'd do well to look at the products of 'Oklahoma Leather', since they replicate the type of leather you'd've found in a Dry Goods or Hardware store of the time - serviceable, Mexican Loop patterns, with light border stamping, as the factory-made products were for the Trade - www.fortwestern.com.

You can do a better job of fitting and decoration if you want, with the addition of nickel spots or a concho, and they'll do until you can find better gear.

During the era, double gun rigs weren't worn as they're seen in some aspects of C&WAS - having differently styled holsters would've been common for a cowboy who'd've bought as needed in the trail towns.

Good Luck!

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[piebiter]

Depending on your budget you might want to look here as well. http://chisholmstrailleather.com/ Its not the cheapest leather out there, but its sure some of the very best. Good luck.

[Major 2]

The style is simlar to Hunter line Cabela's carries but without the snaps, and it's less expencive at Caleba's
I noticed the site also carries Oklahoma Leather Products ,which Cabela's list for less...
Hunter's Cross Draw XX-22-2754 (Cabela's shooting cat.)  is not to bad for $34.
But you could not give me Oklahoma Leather Products 

I second David Carrico ...Great Quality & spot on historical and in the same price range.

Go to David Carrico's site found in the Venders section this BB

[Frenchie]

The ring snap fasteners on the back didn't exist before 1885, and I doubt they were used on holsters until well into the 20th century.

[St. George]

As an aside about those 'Oklahoma Leather' holsters...

Yes, they've got a spotty reputation, but if you wind up with one - look at it as a 'beginner' holster, and you can fix a lot of their problems by using unscented cat litter to remove the excess oil, and then dampening it and inserting your plastic-wrapped revolver to wet-form it a little.

You don't bone the leather, since the originals weren't wet-fitted like today's are, but you do hand-form it to better accomodate the cylinder and ejector rod and such.

Then, remove the weapon, oil it and wait for the leather to dry.

Once you've done that, you re-oil and look to see if nickel spots judiciously placed might 'help' the general design.

The original holsters that were sold from the retail shelf most closely resembled these - with deep pouches and hidden triggers and all, since the idea was to securely hold the weapon in place, and many of them would fit more than one manufacturer's weapon, so sizes can be on the 'generous' side, but gently forming it will often be all that's needed for a better overall fit.

Now - these suggestions will give you something 'better' - but there are excellent holster makers out there, and their products should be looked at carefully.

When you do - you'll see the universal use of high-quality leather and careful attention to detail in the holster's construction - with a lot of hand work, whereas the 'Oklahoma Leather' holsters are merely what the original Dry Goods store had on hand - machine stamped and sewn devices for carrying the weapon.

My advice would be to decide upon the style you want and buy the best quality that you can afford, since quality lasts, and you'll be happier in the long run, besides.

Good Luck!

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Deadeye Don]

I "third"  David Carrico.  He uses high quality leather and has really good prices.  He is a one man shop so you might have to wait a bit.  He will give you a fair estimate on how long the wait will be, but he wont charge your credit card until he is ready to ship. 

http://www.carricoleather.com/

[Gun Creek Phil]

Many thanks for all this answers.This helps very much.Links mentionned are very interesting and clothes by Walton and Taylor (never saw before) seems very  accurate and well made fo the era 1866 - 1876.I'll drop a line and photo when my old west gear will be more complete.

[St. George]

Please do.

And when you're putting together your outfit, be sure to read the 'back pages' here, and on the 'NCOWS Forum' - they'll give you some suggestions on how to create your Impression, and save you some money while you're doing it.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Daniel Nighteyes]

I've had good luck with these:

http://www.westernandwildlifewonders.com/shop/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=3_43&products_id=137

I've used them with Richards-Mason conversions and with Remington New Army Revolvers.  What's more, I wear them butt-forward and they STILL work great!