Changing of the Guard

[Acmemfg]

Sadly, there is a new “theme” (for lack of a better term) on the firearms horizon. After shooting for nearly 5 decades I have become a creature of habit you might say. I have only so-so levels of interest in many of the new products on todays market. Unfortunately, a whole bunch of the “old school“ gear seems to be working itself into becoming obsolete. As a result, one’s ability to acquire stuff which is more “traditional“ is getting tougher.
Firearms? polymer striker pistols (and some revolvers even) are the order of the day. Holsters? Yep, we have anything you need….in Kydex. Or if you gotta have leather, best of luck. Hope you’re patient.
Glocks? Hellcats? PX4s? No….
I‘ll go with the 1911, Hi-Power, P220R and their ilk every time.
I‘ll pass on the polymer revolvers too. Just too odd. Show me a plastic revolver that is on par with my S&W 66 or Colt Python? I think not.
I have had to audition new leather vendors too. R. Grizzle is 20 weeks out, Milt Sparks-26 weeks. Sam Andrews and Ritchie Bros.? Can’t really say what they’re up to. Patience can only go so far.
Hence, we’re gonna look at some options.
Kirkpatrick leather is looking good. Hanks belts are also on the legit list.
Colt‘s reintroduction of the Snake Guns is a positive (albeit spendy) offering.
Indeed, life can be an adventure.
My Colt Delta Elite 10mm is in the wings. I guess some things you just gotta wait on…

 

[jkingrph]

Like a physician met years ago said, "pretty guns shoot better" I like my rifles and shotguns with nice wood and blued steel, pistols also for the most part, I did break down and get a Sig P365 for the magazine capacity and they way it feels in the hand. It also helps the way it shoots.

 

[MarkM10431]

I feel ya, OP. my shooting partner got one of those itty bitty Taurus G2Cs. my itty bitty is the Sig 938.. not REALLY a 1911, more of a colt Mustang, but an old school design. I picked up a DA SA 10mm, the EAA witness, but the thing has a feed problem, so I'm back to carrying a 1911. If I can find a P220 in 10mm and DA SA then I might try carrying that but i think that would be a bit too big.

 

[Nick Weepers]

Sadly, there is a new “theme” (for lack of a better term) on the firearms horizon. After shooting for nearly 5 decades I have become a creature of habit you might say. I have only so-so levels of interest in many of the new products on todays market. Unfortunately, a whole bunch of the “old school“ gear seems to be working itself into becoming obsolete. As a result, one’s ability to acquire stuff which is more “traditional“ is getting tougher.
Firearms? polymer striker pistols (and some revolvers even) are the order of the day. Holsters? Yep, we have anything you need….in Kydex. Or if you gotta have leather, best of luck. Hope you’re patient.
Glocks? Hellcats? PX4s? No….
I‘ll go with the 1911, Hi-Power, P220R and their ilk every time.
I‘ll pass on the polymer revolvers too. Just too odd. Show me a plastic revolver that is on par with my S&W 66 or Colt Python? I think not.
I have had to audition new leather vendors too. R. Grizzle is 20 weeks out, Milt Sparks-26 weeks. Sam Andrews and Ritchie Bros.? Can’t really say what they’re up to. Patience can only go so far.
Hence, we’re gonna look at some options.
Kirkpatrick leather is looking good. Hanks belts are also on the legit list.
Colt‘s reintroduction of the Snake Guns is a positive (albeit spendy) offering.
Indeed, life can be an adventure.
My Colt Delta Elite 10mm is in the wings. I guess some things you just gotta wait on…

Check out TT Gunleather. High quality, reasonable price and 5-6 week wait:

Gun Holsters

TTGunLeather - The Best Leather Gun Holsters and Gun Belts for Conceal Carry and Law Enforcement Professionals.

www.ttgunleather.com

 

[Bob L.]

It's not just the guns and accessories. At 67 I'm in the middle of my club's Bullseye League. I've got several men in their mid-to-late seventies and eighties above me. I've got a small handful of late-forty and fifty year-olds below me. All of us use old school target pistols because they were designed for this type of shooting.

Youngsters, I really love calling teens, twenty, and thirty year-olds youngsters, don't have much interest in bullseye shooting. When they join in it's to learn and practice the basics. Once they gain "enough" improvement, most drop out. The sport isn't fast enough for them.

Form follows function is a design process. My hunting rifle was a bolt action and I went out with three rounds. I was expected to come back with two. My first target pistol was a revolver. They worked fine for their intended purposes.

Here are two questions. Did firearm design change as shooting sports became faster moving? Or, did shooting sports change as firearm design allowed faster rates of effective fire? IMHO I think the second statement is closer to the truth. I am purposely leaving conflict out of this.

 

[Rob72]

"Practical Shooting" nominally evolved to address the needs/desires of those who wanted to practice in more realistic scenarios with firearms they actually carried. As with many wonderful ideas, it devolved into legalistic fantasy, as bullseye had before, e.g., no one was dueling in the 1940s-'50s.

There is s distinct difference between strictly entertainment activities and activities which put food on the table or preserve life & limb. Sighting in your .30-30/.270/etc., from the bench before going hunting has a different purpose than the BR shooter with their 42 pound .22LR.

I know a few fellows who have run in IPSC matches using their carry gear (AIWB, 1-2 extra mags) in non-511 clothing, who were treated with wonder because surely, "you can't win a match with THAT!!" I plan to win the only match that would ever matter...

 

[Rob72]

Short list:

Kore belts
Side Guard Holsters (mine was 10 day TAT)
Aker

Leather may offer better retention than kydex. I am not above epoxying a sheet of glove leather to the inside of a kydex holster, for a bit of added pull resistance.

OWB, it matters little whether you choose leather or kydex, if the holster is well designed for retention. IWB/AIWB, you are generally (IME) better off with something fitting the "pistol bucket" description, as your belt & body should be providing some of the hold for these.

Rosen, Sparks, et.al., earned their reputations by providing holsters that held the gun securely, kept their forms, and were inconspicuous. They became "pretty" after designing holsters that worked. Many modern leather makers have gone more towards style than function, resulting in pricey, overly heavy, very ornate pieces.

 

[Climb14er]

I remember when Milt Sparks was a three week wait. Same with Alessi. Honestly, I’m done waiting, haven’t needed to buy a holster from a maker in a long time. Thankfully! Oh, I did buy an IWB, kydex, first one ever, Tulster, high quality, super thin, comfortable, sweet, for the Sig P365 that my girlfriend, the Cardiac RN from Medford, OR bought me as a gift last year. The Sig is now my EDC, appendix or 3:30 carry, disappears, lightweight. My DW 1911 in Milt Sparks IWB and OWB, sometimes is my EDC, mainly bedside pistol. I’m looking for a Sparks leather IWB and OWB for the Sig P365. If I can find one on the forums, I’m a buyer. Keeping it simple!

Oh… btw… Glenda moved to live with me here in Denver in September 2021. Built a large custom Tuff Shed to accompany all her stuff and mine from the garage and house to make room for her. Now we can go shooting together here and no more plane flights to visit. We’re doing fine together! Both on similar wavelengths.

 

[OkieStubble]

Oh snap.

 

[jar_]

About a year ago I posted a thread comparing my Winchester Model 12 20 gauge to a modern Winchester SXP 20 gauge.

There's just something that simply feels right to me about my more experienced guns and holsters compared to what is popular and more readily available today.

One of these things is not like the others.

 

[jar_]

My hunting rifle was a bolt action and I went out with three rounds. I was expected to come back with two.

and dinner.

 

[ColtRevolver]

I own one polymer gun. It was a parting retirement gift. I own no centerfire semi auto rifles.

I do own a lot of blue and walnut. Most of my guns are decades old, with a lot of them being out of production models. Matter of fact, there's not really a new production gun on my wish list.

 

[simon1]

Unfortunately, a whole bunch of the “old school“ gear seems to be working itself into becoming obsolete.

"As long as there is one cowboy taking care of one cow, it ain't dead."​

Monte Walsh

 

[GreggoryD502]

I have had holsters made from ttgunleather.com. He does great work and offers exotic skins too. His website says hes only about 5 weeks out. Which is about the same is some of the big name kydex guys.

 

[dojpros]

If immediate availability is driving the train for leather holsters, I offer the following re Milt Sparks and Ritchie:

Gun Holsters for Sale Glock 43, Sig Sauer, 1911, HK - Top Gun Supply

Top Gun Supply is a gun dealer providing the best leather handgun and pistol holsters for sale online. Shop for the best holsters and prices online.

www.topgunsupply.com

eBay often has any number of quality leather holsters for sale from Milt Sparks, Kramer, Mitch Rosen etc.

Finally, I have found Don Hume to be reasonable well stocked and generally exceeding the intersection of quality/value and can often serve as a proof of concept holster while you wait for something a bit more "hand made."

DonHume.com - Premium Don Hume Leathergoods

Don Hume Leather Goods has long been regarded as one of the finest leathergoods manufacturers in the world, consistently supplying the law enforcement community with gun holsters, belts, handcuff cases and related leather equipment.

www.donhume.com

 

[5whiskey]

Are hand made leather holsters that en vogue? I need for get back to sewing and forming!!! My name ismt sparks or Hume though... so sad face at the lack of demand for my stuff.

Seriously though, OP I'm with you. At 41, I'm old enough to have grown up with wood and steel, but young enough to have been introduced to polymer high caps when I was a young man and open minded. The old soul in me won out. I don't go gaga over an lcr, p365, or a shield. Give me a wood and steel 1911, a classic official Police colt or pre model 10 Smith, or pretty much any ww2 Era rifle (absent carcano, the Chinese and Spaniards probably did firearms better during that Era than the Italians, he'll maybe even the kypher pass did). Sure I have polymer pistols. They are utilitarian only. If a SD shooting scenario is forced on me, I'd rather have a kahr cw9 seized than a 1911. I'm not excited with plastic guns, but I understand and treat them for what they are... inexpensive but very capable tools. Some of them, at least.

 

[OkieStubble]

Are hand made leather holsters that en vogue? I need for get back to sewing and forming!!! My name ismt sparks or Hume though... so sad face at the lack of demand for my stuff.

Seriously though, OP I'm with you. At 41, I'm old enough to have grown up with wood and steel, but young enough to have been introduced to polymer high caps when I was a young man and open minded. The old soul in me won out. I don't go gaga over an lcr, p365, or a shield. Give me a wood and steel 1911, a classic official Police colt or pre model 10 Smith, or pretty much any ww2 Era rifle (absent carcano, the Chinese and Spaniards probably did firearms better during that Era than the Italians, he'll maybe even the kypher pass did). Sure I have polymer pistols. They are utilitarian only. If a SD shooting scenario is forced on me, I'd rather have a kahr cw9 seized than a 1911. I'm not excited with plastic guns, but I understand and treat them for what they are... inexpensive but very capable tools. Some of them, at least.

I dunno, 5Whiskey Holsters has a nice ring to it?

 

[Wishoot]

I admit that I have a few tupperware guns including a G19, LCP and Shield. They all serve a practical (bot not aesthetic) purpose. They shoot fine and make for great CC weapons.

At the range they leave me cold. There's no fun factor.

My old revolvers and pistols are actually fun to shoot however. They're heavy and somewhat clunky to carry as a sidearm. But the weight, balance and quality just can't be beat by most modern guns. I get tremendous satisfaction from blasting away with my Security Six or Model 10 made sometime back in the 1940's or S&W 22/32 or BHP or 1911.

The oldies will be the last to leave my possession.