Over the years, I’ve been partial to the Bianchi #105 Minimalist holster for belt carry. So when I purchased a Walther PPK from another forum member, I ordered a holster from Natchez Shooting Supply to go with it. It arrived yesterday, and when I opened the box, I found just what I expected; the holster was packaged in a clear plastic box with a printed insert. I had forgotten that Bianchi and Safariland were now the same company but with different product lines, and was reminded of this by both of the names and logos on the insert. I opened the box and inspected the holster, and was surprised to see the words, “Made in Mexico” stamped on the back of the holster along with the Bianchi name and model numbers. When I looked closely at the insert, I could see, in very small print, the same “Made in Mexico” on the back.



I carried Safariland leather exclusively for uniform duty wear, and still have a Bianchi #1 Lawman holster and matching belt for a Colt SAA that has to be at least 20 years old, and still going strong. However, now that their products are being produced in Mexico, I going to buy from companies that still manufacture their products in the US. I guess I’m naïve, but I never thought that two companies, both founded by cops, that produced some of the best law enforcement duty gear ever designed, would end up with “Made in Mexico” stamped on the back.

Neither of the companies mentioned are owned by the founders who were partners in the beginning.

That is true. It irritates the hell out of me to find more and more companies "outsource" across the creek.....and even further. Cheaper labor, lower operating costs, higher profits. American manufacturing seems doomed and the jobs lost.....well, we're paying the cost for that now. Very sad.

Lefty

Bad news. Was not aware that Bianchi had moved their production to Mexico. The first holster I ever bought was a Bianchi 10L Outdoorsman. It was the home of my beloved 6" 28-2. I am now currently looking for two 4" 10L holsters for my 21-4 and 686-1. Regrettably Bianchi no longer makes the 10L... so I have to look for used holsters. I never realized that it would be hard to find such simple high quality holsters.

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<><

Leather tanning in some cases in Mexico is not what you want to put a expensive fire-arm in......Some of the tanning solutions are mixes of some pretty nasty stuff....I am sure some of our members that are in the holster, leather business could explain a lot better than I can....Buy American when ever possible.....Get your Mexican leather wet and smell it...I will leave the rest to your imagination..

They're just holding the guns that American holsters won't touch.

I will buy either new or used American made holsters of the style I like. Sad about Bianchi and Safariland. Even sadder about all the workers who lost their jobs here.

Charlie

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SWCA # 2294

I know how you feel...I just checked the labels on my poncho, pinnate and jumping beans.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

All this bitching won't do any good, if you don't contact the companies and tell them....instead of us.

Or better yet, buy from this board's top notch custom holster makers who charge about the same as off the shelf Bianchi/Safariland.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

Sip nailed it. Why buy from foreign makers when we have GREAT holster makers right here on the forum. The products are first rate and the men making them are first class gentlemen!

+1 for the Forums holster makers.

The little holster that totes my town gun a 637-2 says Phoenix Arizona made by Galco. Maybe that is a company we could get behind. As well as the makers on the forum.

I only have one or two Bianchi's and they are older stuff, I am disappointed in that, but it seems to be the way this country is going. I'll have to stick with Simply Rugged or El Paso from pretty much now on.

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Vaya con Dios

Pretty sad to hear. Some of my favorite holsters are Bianchi. But I still buy based on a lot of criteria, and the next ones I see for sale I'll give a close inspection. It'll include looking for the country of origin.

Off on one of my rants:

OK, when I was young, mom would buy me a pair of shoes and the expectation was for them to last maybe 6 or so months. The fate that befell them was me wearing them out, or me outgrowing them. No matter how well constructed, none lasted a full year, ever. But now I'm old.

And my view of things have changed. First, my feet stopped growing decades ago, and I've long since lost the energy to wear a set of shoes or boots out. There are other leather items I own and wear. Belts last a long time, and rather than buy a new one, I'll go on a diet. Billfolds still last a good long time, and I've been known to buy a new one and put it in a drawer, waiting for its turn.

Now holsters are an interesting item. I love them. And I've got a few made by Bianchi and always considered them to be first quality. That rating is shared by several companies. I like Galco in some styles. Those last about forever, too.

But I was at a gunshow the past weekend. There I picked up 2 items made by a long since gone company, H H Heiser. One of the items was a holster, looking to me like the day it was made. The other was just a ratty old sheath knife made by Randall, halfway back the last century. They sure made fine items when they put their mind to it.

When I got home, I took my new holster down to the bowels of the earth where I store my related stuff. Just as I was getting ready to pitch it into the pile, I stopped and decided I should sort my way through the other ones. Yep, I didn't need to buy it. It was a great bargain to me. Very well constructed and all. But the company went out of business back in 1958! And here are a bunch of their products so well made they're still around and doing the job asked of them. Note here there is no indication when the holster was made, it only might have been produced in that last year.

So the conclusion of this mindless rant by me is that holsters, unless abused, last nearly forever. I sure wish I was in as good a condition as I was in 52 or more years ago. I like holsters, so I buy them.

I find them for N frames and K frames, long barrel or short barrel, it doesn't much matter. Even the ones that get used (if not abused) last a long time. My first line CCW holster is maybe 14 years old now. Its a Galco, and looking like its got more life left than I do.

So a confession is in order. I have very little pride left. I'm too old for that nonsense. When I see a "used" holster on some guy's table, I look at it. And I give it a judgment call as to how much life is left in it. All the good makers from the past built in so much quality I've got to guess something else bad happened to them, besides wear.

But I've only got one more problem I can't solve (OK, 2 I can't stop aging). Some of my better guns I just can't bring myself to shove into a holster. I look at the wear on some of the fine old RMs and Triple Locks, and the wear and tear are clearly not from "use", its from being carried in a holster.

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Dick Burg

Dick I must confess I am the same way, recently I have been on a buying spree with old holsters, and I saw one the other day that caught my eye. It was an old Lawrence, the only reason I didn't get it was I didn't have a gun for it.It was like new. But I have a whole slew of old Bianchi's, Tex Shoemakers, Don Hume's, and some S & W's. They all are like new, and I got them for next to nothing.

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Vaya con Dios

I've seen folks admit to a lot of stuff here on the open forum, but never anything like this! Use some foresight, man. Buy the holster and soon the problem will correct itself!

Next you'll tell us you haven't ever bought ammo for a caliber you don't own. Even if it was dirt cheap? I have a buddy who was loading up on 22-250 ammo a while back. He didn't own one, but after watching him for buy the stuff for a year or two, I just knew he was looking.

Down in my tub of old holsters, I've got a Safariland full flap holster, lined, for a 6" L frame. I passed on it one show for the flimsy reason I didn't have a gun to fit it. Then I agonized for a few weeks for not buying it (and at a good price.) But the next show I figured out it was a good price for a really good holster, besides, a 6" K would fit it easy.

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Dick Burg

I didn't know that about Bianchi holsters. I'm sorry to hear it. Just about everything is made somewhere else these days. Sad for the American worker. That's what happens when you have the highest stardard of living in the world and then go global. I don't remember the politicians explaining it that way.

Funniest thing I ever saw was some product that was labeled in Spanish.... and in Spanish it said "Made in China" !!!

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A closed mouth gathers no foot

An old thread, but the quality of the Made in Mexico Bianchis are no where close to the older USA made ones.

I made a thread about a holster ID just yesterday. I had run into a guy at the Slidell,La. gunshow with a box of NOS holsters and mag carriers. Every item in the box was $10.00 OTD. I looked at the stuff and decided I would buy this nice brown Galco. It can be worn on the right hip or crossdraw. I like Galco and I like cross draw for road trips because you don't get your CCW locked up by the seatbelt and it's also a wonderful surprise for a carjacker should you encounter one. At the time of purchase I didn't know what the holster was made for. There was a 1911 nearby that the owner let me see if it would fit. It almost did but the barrel and slide was too long. I'm now thinking commander size but I just let my brother Louisiana Joe have my Kimber Pro Carry II so I no longer have a commander size pistol. I bought it suspecting I had nothing it would fit because it was a Galco and I was sure I might need it one day. I checked most of the guns in my safe last night. Nothing fit so I popped the question about the holster on the forum. One of our learned members suggested a 39-2 might fit. I don't have one of those right this minute but I do have a 5906 of a similar size. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Perfect fit! Now I have a high cap 9 mm pointing toward the truck door instead of a five shot J frame that I had been carrying as my close by road trip gun since forever. I still keep a 10 mm Glock in the console as always, but now I have more instant firepower than I had before and riding in a well made Galco holster to boot. I've got some more very nice holsters that I've picked up cheap over the years. Some have been married and some not. I might need them someday though.

Lobo ---> Made in USA

BCO ---> Made in USA

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I'm with the banned ...

I had read where Bianchi was made in Mexico and I found a Bianchi 5BHL that was made for the S&W Chief Special on ebay and bought it. It is one that was made before the move across the border. A guy was selling his uncle's collection and it was listed as used but looks like it never had a gun in it. It has now.

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James

Safariland products have been made in Mexico for a number of years now. All the police "leather" is now made of a synthetic material.

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

As Lefty and Ray will attest to, all off the shelf leather involves the use of puppies and bunny rabbits in their production. Now I'm not saying under oath that puppies and bunnies are harmed in the non custom holster making process....but they don't say how these cute animals are used in the process. So it's your call....

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

You can add Levi, Carhartt, and Chippewa to the list if imports. Even the Chippewa boot line "made in USA" is of imported materials.

Have 3 tubs of these holsters, many for guns I no longer have, if I ever did. Maybe it is time to sort them out and find them a new home. A project for next year?

I bought a Bell Charter Oak holster for my CS45. It fits like a glove. I received great service and will buy more in the future. Why buy from Mexico when there are great holsters made in the USA.

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OHH NOOO!!!

Several years ago, I asked Bianchi if they could make me a 5BHL for my M-60-4, which has a full lug barrel and won't fit their normal version for these three-inch barrels. The girl on the phone told me to just stretch the holster.

El Paso Saddlery got that order. Their basketweave stamping is also superior.

From time to time, I've bought virtually unused holsters from the OLD Bianchi and Safariland lines, for good prices. In a few cases, I don't have guns for them, but that will hopefully change.

A shooting range has a box of old leather that provided a very nice Galco made in the late 1980's, for my Beretta 9mm. The $15 cost was a bargain.