Heiser Help

45Wheelgun · #1 04-28-2015, 02:22 PM

I picked this up over the weekend. It was price tag label it for a Colt Woodsman, but who knows for sure? It seems like an older snap but I don't know enough about the Heiser brand to identify the vintage based on the logo or the snap. It has been modified at some time in it's life. I first thought it was a black leather, but when looked at in direct sunlight it is actually a brown leather.

It is stamped "420" under the "HEISER (HHH) DENVER" logo on the back. Sorry the pictures are not better...

So does anyone know how old it is and what it is for?

-db- · #2 04-28-2015, 02:41 PM

That triple-H stamp dates it to 1910-1925 according to vintagegunleather.com.

420 is the holster style, not a fit code. It appears there is something penciled or inked in handwriting above the maker's mark, which is common with these. Decypher that and it will likely tell you what the holster fits.

turnerriver · #3 04-28-2015, 06:13 PM

The Heiser elongated stamp on your holster was used more frequently on older holsters but I have holsters with that stamp- for example this model 557-that weren't cataloged until the mid 1930's. I have a post-war model with that stamp as well but can't lay my hands on it at the moment. The snaps are I think more reliable to date a holster- the three H brass and black snaps were pre WW II and the brown enamel Heiser Denver snaps first appeared in 1940's catalogs and were used after WW II.
It looks like "Wood" and "6 1/2" are etched on the back of your holster which does indicate it was made for an early Woodsman. Your holster was made prior to WW II in my opinion.
Regards,
turnerriver

[/URL]

45Wheelgun · #4 05-02-2015, 07:10 AM

Thanks guys. Your eyes are better than mine. I assumed that the impressions in the leather were added by the purchaser. Was the "wood 6 1/2" added at the time of manufacture?

fat tom · #5 05-02-2015, 07:53 AM

More than likely,the worker who actually made the holster marked it upon completion.
f.t.

30-30remchester · #6 05-02-2015, 09:52 AM

I can not see the modification you mentioned. Maybe its time for me to get new glasses. This holster has character in spades. Like most on these forums, mint condition is the goal. For me, well used guns, knives, and holsters are what warms the cockles of my heart. You need one accessories with this holster. A well used pre war Colt Woodsman would be right at home nestled inside.

crazyphil · #7 05-23-2015, 06:51 AM

Question for Turnerriver: I have an old Heiser with the elongated tripple H logo but no model number. However it is identical to my model 457. Do you happen to know when Heiser started using the 3 digit model numbers?

turnerriver · #8 05-23-2015, 07:15 AM

The model numbers were used throughout the 20th Century but I have a number of Heisers that don't have model numbers on them. The 457 FBI holster was introduced in the 1930's and could have been produced any time from then up into the 1950's or even '60's.
Regards,
turnerriver