Vintage holster library

[St. George]

Indeed...

An earlier excursion through a flea market yielded a 'Biffar' (Chicago) Mexican Loop with border-stamping for a Colt Single Action Army with a 5 1/2" barrel.

My 1907 5 1/2" .45 Colt routinely rides proudly in a floral-carved R.T. Frazier crossdraw (you can see a similar example in 'Packing Iron' on page 137 - mine is for the left hip and is nicer...)

These are high-quality, well-made holsters of Oak-Tanned leather and are as supple today as they were when they rode on the hip of their original owner.

Matter of fact - Heiser's ads said:

"No Man Ever Lived Long Enough To Wear Out A Heiser Holster" - and another stated: "Life Is Short To Take Chances".

I have more tales like these...

This is one of the best arguments for buying a copy of Rattenbury's 'Packing Iron' and reviewing the entire book a few times.

Doing so will 'hone' your eyesight a bit and allow for more discoveries in your travels.

Hope so.

Good Luck!

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Dalton Masterson]

Amen to that statement. I have seen several goodies, and missed out on a few at auctions lately. The book does get you tuned in as to what to look for.
DM

[Shotgun Steve]

CALIFORNIA STYLE "SLIM JIM" HOLSTER MADE FOR A COLT 1861 NAVY MODEL CAP AND BALL

Very well cared for example with fabulous tooling perfect stitching and muzzle plug and as supple as the day it was made. It would be hard to improve on this piece and while there is no maker the acanthus scrolls on the border are indicative of work done in "Texas" or by someone from that area.

[Dalton Masterson]

Awesome! Thank you Steve!
DM

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

    Steve, thank you for sharing this with us, what a great specimen of period gun leather.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

This slim jim is a very nice example. I really like the design work on it. Thanks for the pics.