Colt Country | Home of The Almighty Colt
General Black Powder => Leather => Topic started by: mike116 on March 25, 2024, 07:57:40 PM
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I had a request for this holster from a member here quite a while ago, I decided it was time to get it done.
The customer was very interested in getting it made as much like a holster designed by AW Brill who had a specific method of construction as possible. Brill worked around the turn of the century (1900 not 2000) and his design was made by several makers and favored by Law enforcement officers, especially the Texas Rangers. This style is called a Sunday Scabbard. It features a band around the middle, a specific welt construction and the apron is sewn to the back skirt at the toe. It is also made of 7 oz. in order to keep the weight down. The main seam, apron, and cuff are hand sewn but the liner is machine stitched just like the original holster were made.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53610710887_c39a8b0740_c.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53611797978_ed9bc10eb2_c.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53611795208_32a34b3706_c.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53612052075_25e589c021_c.jpg)
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Gorgeous, Mike! The Brill holsters are of my favorite designs. That one is outstanding. Very, very nice work. He should be very pleased with that.
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Very nice.
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Gorgeous work and kudos on the history lesson!
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Beautiful work Mike!
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Beautiful. Don't know how you could make a holster look much better than that.
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The tooling on that holster is fantastic. I used to tool leather years ago, even made my own tools, and never got anything to look that good.
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Duplicate post
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Some photos.
Overall,
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A view of the welt stack, note how the layers are skived to taper the stack.
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Back of the scabberd, showing the cuff stitch. Back in the day, each saddler had his own way of attaching the cuff. It is very much a signature and is used to identify the maker. I would encourage Mike to come up with his own signature.
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The fold, showing the belt tunnel. The cuff was always placed in the same position. The length of the leather needed to form the tunnel was determined by how wide a belt was used.
This is a very advanced design considering that previously scabbards were worn on a separate belt. The trousers belt was a relative new innovation at the time.
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This is the toe of the scabbard. Note how it is a closed muzzle. Also the toe of the holster is stitched to the fender. This helps hold the revolver tight to the wearer’s side.
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The scabbard with my revolver next to it. Notice, the holster is not significantly bigger than the revolver, making for a nice compact package.
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Here is a shot of the inside of the scabbard. It is half lined, not to protect the handgun but to prevent the rough leather from wearing on the cloths of the wearer. Mike dyed his liner so it is not easy to see where it stops. He also shoved the edge to allow for a smooth transition into the rougher leather.
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This is how a scabbard should fit a handgun! I can hold it like this until my arm gets tired! And yet a simple tug gets that revolver out of the holster. No need for a retreat strap.
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This is how individual a scabbard should be. This is the identical revolver EXCEPT for adjustable sights. Still an N frame, 4” barrel, and 45 ACP. Note how much higher in the scabbard it rides.
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Gorgeous, Mike! The Brill holsters are of my favorite designs. That one is outstanding. Very, very nice work…
It is even better in hand!
…He should be very pleased with that.
I am very pleased! Enough so I am considering a mirror image for when I need to carry on my off hip.
And one for a 6 1/2” Target revolver.
And one for a SAA.
And one for a Model 1917.
And one…
Kevin
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Thanks for those additional photos. That really shows the excellent work that Mike put into it. I would be very pleased, too. Like I mentioned before, the Brill is one of my favorite holster designs. It's as historically significant as any.
You mentioned the cuff attachment was an individual signature point. I'll have to start looking to see examples of how others did it.
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I just did a search to see different cuff attachments. You're right, I started to get a feel for which holsters were made by the same guy. I didn't know that before.
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Another signature noted is the stitching on the front of the holster in the corner just under where the triggerguard sits. Mike put his cuff just a smidge high and covered that area. (Not a complaint, merely an observation.).
Kevin
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The cuff is what determines the belt tunnel. For a 1 1/2 inch belt the cuff is attached appropriately. I thought about a narrower cuff but with the full carving on the band it looked better with a wider cuff.
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Thanks for the tutorial, Mike & Straw
There's more to a holster than meets the eye of a novice
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Thanks for the tutorial, Mike & Straw
There's more to a holster than meets the eye of a novice
There is a whole lot more! That holster is made from a laminate of thinner leathers and creates a stiffer holster that is lighter than any previous holster.
It was designed specifically for concealed carry work AND to be worn on a trouser belt. This scabbard is a lot of perfection rolled into one holster. I prefer it to any other.
It continued to evolve. Tom ThreePersons created a holster that bears his name. In his words, “…I took the existing holster and pared away everything that wasn’t needed to hold the gun securely…”. He retained the welt, and gave up the cuff, folded fender, half lining and stitched toe. He added a sewn on loop to attach the holster to the belt. In my opinion a much lesser holster but some like it.
Kevin
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Mike,
What weight leather did you use in the construction?
Kevin
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Mike,
What weight leather did you use in the construction?
Kevin
Seven oz. Herman Oak for the main body & cuff, 2oz. for the liner.
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It is light on the belt. Very secure.
Yeah, I like it, a lot!
Kevin
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Mike,
Do you have any moonclips for the 45 ACP cartridge?
Kevin
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Mike,
Do you have any moonclips for the 45 ACP cartridge?
Kevin
No Sir, I don't.
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I’ll send you a couple.
Put your thinking cap on, I need something to use to carry one or two loaded moonclips on my belt. Currently using my old duty speedloader cases to carry them. Would like something less ugly and less recognizable.
Kevin