Yaqui Slide

[BE Mike]

I'm considering an all leather Yaqui slide holster for an Officer's Model 1911. I figure that it would also double for a full size 1911. Anyone have any experience in wearing one day to day and have any pros and cons regarding the holster?

[K Frame Keith]

I have one from Galco. Fits 1911s and my BHP. Very comfortable but it doesn’t keep the butt tight to the body. I like it as a range holster and winter under the coat holster.

[dave1918a2]

I use a Milt Sparks slide. IWB or OWB. Holds tight to the body. Can wear IWB under a t shirt one size too big.

[Onomea]

Don't have experience, but my concern would be scratching wooden chairs (or the gun).

(While I don't typically carry at home, I once scratched one of my dining room chairs with a Colt DS in a pancake...)

[petepeterson]

Originally Posted by BE Mike

I'm considering an all leather Yaqui slide holster for an Officer's Model 1911. I figure that it would also double for a full size 1911. Anyone have any experience in wearing one day to day and have any pros and cons regarding the holster?

I like them, but only if you're not worried about dinging up the finish on your gun.

[k22fan]

I used a yaqui style for a while. My car's bucket seat pushed my revolver up when I sat down. When I stepped out of my car my S&W clanged on the ferry's steel deck then slid across the coarse sand they generously mix in deck paint. After retrieving it I looked around. The man in the car behind me was looking back and forth between me and the paper tablet he was furiously writing on. Fortunately cell phones had not been invented. I presume he made a full report to somebody but I never heard a word about it. I had a concealed pistol license. I shrugged it off and went up for an enjoyable ride with my S&W in my pocket, not in that yaqui.

Never again.

[biku324]

My last one was an early '80s model and it didn't fit snugly to the body. I also didn't like it when handling prisoners or heavy physical activity.

[03hemi]

Like everybody else say's, not really a good design for the long run.

[Llance]

I don't have a Yaqui slide but something like it. The one i have is made by JIT and depending on how i secure it to my belt it holds close to the body or loose enough to make drawing easy. It looks like a wedge with the bottom cut off and they have belt loops at either side and a belt spring clip for use in or out the waist band. I take the spring clip off and use the belt loops.

They come in two sizes and I use the larger size for my Colt Officers Model. It will fit in the smaller but I think it fits better in the larger.

[K Frame Keith]

Originally Posted by biku324

My last one was an early '80s model and it didn't fit snugly to the body. I also didn't like it when handling prisoners or heavy physical activity.

I agree. Not the most secure choice. Mine has tension screws but the exposed weapon is still liable to get dislodged from the holster easily when working.

[Iggy]

Catch the muzzle on the arm of an office chair as you sit down and watch your gun go rattling across the floor.

[old bear]

I like the yaqui slide holsters, and from time to time I carry my M-39 in one. Yet IMHO they are like shoulder holsters, look neat and sexy but far from the best all around carry option. If I remember Jeff Cooper made that style popular

[Rpg]

I use a custom Yaqui slide Matt Delfatti constructed for me when I couldn’t locate one from Milt Sparks.

Bianchi sells one, but it’s a vertical design without FBI cant that is unsatisfactory in my view: that’s the design that helps chair arms dump guns.

[Murdock]

Mine is the Galco version with the paddle that allows quick on and off the belt. I agree with most of the comments about this style of holster expressed above, and completely concur that it is not an all-around rig.

Cooper popularized this type of rig in the 1970s. He liked that when there was no pistol in the holster that it didn't look like a holster. I'm not sure why this was important to him. ("Just steppin' into the post office for a sec. Hold this for me, will ya?").

I would not purchase the paddle style of this rig in the future. Even with a good belt, it is not as secure as I would like. (As with any other holster ithe Yaqui needs a good pistol belt to support it).

Living in a rural area I have found it comforting to be able to casually access a sidearm on short notice, as when there is a knock on my door after dark, or when unknown people show up at any hour, or when an unknown vehicle pulls into my neighbor's drive when I know no one is at home there, and I want to check to ensure everthing is above board. Being discretely heeled is good, as law enforcement can be 30 minutes away. (Note: Being armed is to protect me, not property).

I originally felt a Yaqui slide would fit that need here. I have discovered (YMMV) that compared to Mexican carry at 4 o'clock with a good belt it is slower to put on, less tight to the body, less secure, less protective of the slide and muzzle and less concealable under a light garment. It is no easier to don an doff than an IWB paddle holster.

Pros:
Looks really martial artsy, Cooper liked them, paddle version is reasonably easy to put on, shows off the gun ("Say, is that a Wilson?"), fits any length of 1911 with or without a rail, the Browning HP and my CZ75. Good range accessory.

Cons: Expensive, slightly inferior (for me) to Mexican carry with a good belt, does not protect the slide and muzzle, can allow the gun to pop out with some types of seating. (It is my understanding that this is the specific reason that Milt Sparks in Idaho no longer produces this design, despite its popularity).

Does look good, though.

Edit: For the role you want I highly recommend the Milt Sparks 55BN. It has been the perfect all-around rig for my 3-inch Kimber, with about as little leather involved as the original YS. It does everything the Yaqui Slide can do except accommodate multiple barrel lengths, and does it better.

[lonestar57]

I like them. I wore one while in plain clothes up until our department went to a minimum Level II Retention Holster requirement.

[crazyphil]

I had this Yaqui Slide made by Aker, but gave it to my Granddaughter
along with my Glock model 22 .40 caliber. Two different tension adjustment screws is a nice touch.

[Chubbs103]

I've told this story here before, but...

I few years ago (when I was active duty), I was doing an advising job with a foreign military. I was sitting on the concrete surface of a rooftop with my counterpart. We were eating lunch and watching a training exercise. He was carrying a Glock 17 in a Yaqui style holster. At on point he slid back while seated and I heard the front end of the side and muzzle drag across the concrete surface.

I have always thought they made for a good looking holster, but after that event I was never interested in owning one.

[GF]

Originally Posted by Iggy

Catch the muzzle on the arm of an office chair as you sit down and watch your gun go rattling across the floor.

Or something hooking the grip and the same thing happens.

[turnerriver]

I’d like to say that an old Yaqui Indian made this holster for me but that would be a lie. I wish the maker had stamped their mark on it as it’s a nice looking older holster. It hasn’t occurred to me to wear it although it holds my Government model in close. As usual, no practical information to add but it’s pretty.



Regards,

[crazyphil]

That is a very pretty Yaqui John. I have one for my Govt. Model too.
Nowhere near as pretty as yours, but it works.

[muzzleblast]

Turnerriver, that really is a nicely carved holster and belt. The construction reminds me of this 1948 patent:



Not sure it is a Yaqui, tho.

[crazyphil]

If I remember right, Jeff Cooper "discovered" the Yaqui slide in Mexico,
then had it made when he returned by Milt Sparks.

[Marshal tom]

I had one made LH by Andy's Leather several years ago. Looks to be about as close to the original Milt Sparks as you could get. All of the above statements are true. Andy's Leather no longer lists one either, probably for the same reason. They look cool but beyond that, not the best. Don't wish to ding up my custom 1911 or custom BHP and sure don't wish to drop them on the floor!

[smoothshooter]

Bad for CCW if that is your planned use for it.
If your covering garment pulls up a little too high, the gun is easily spotted for what it is. In a more conventional holster that covers the slide or barrel, what you have hanging from your belt is not nearly so obvious.

[Puller]

I borrowed one from a friend and tried it out for a few weeks. It has it's attributes but I decided that as active as I am when I'm carrying I prefer something that is more protective of the firearm by fully covering it.

[CZU]

I was looking at the Yaqui but didn't like the way that they rode, not close enough to the body. I then found the Galco JAK and that solved the problem. I like all of my carry leather to ride close to the body and the JAK does just that. There is no falling out of the holster with this one. And yes, this is for a lefty.

[Leatherman-Cowboy]

Sent you a message with item nr to bring up my whole inventory.

Thank you,

Henry

[John Patrick]

I have a couple. Like another member wrote, the paddle version is a disappointment. But the belt slot mounted version works fine. I used to use the belt slide for quick on and off for carrying either a Sig P226 or a CZ SP01 Phantom around the hunting club. Worked well, never had any issues.

[kilroy2721]

Many years ago, I had a couple different variations of them. At that time I was working on a ranch. I liked them, but they don't really hold the gun close to the body for easy concealment. And while I never had any of my guns come loose and pop out of the holsters, I never did think they were the most secure way to carry them.