With the acquisition of a new to me Ruger Bearcat, I got to thinking what kind of holster I might be wanting should I decide to carry it around the homestead. I had it with me when I stopped by for a quick visit with my 79 year old dad today and was showing him my latest gun buy. As he was looking at it he said for me to follow him out to his shop attached to his barn, and once inside he reached up on a shelf and pulled down a cardboard box, blew off the dust, and rummaged inside. A moment later he pulled out the holster pictured below, and the Bearcat slipped inside like it was made for it.

He handed it to me and said I could have it and that it had belonged to my grandfather. He said he used to carry a Colt .38 in it back in the day. I asked him could he be more specific about back in the day and he said he thought he had a picture of him wearing it with the Colt from about 1965, so back at least 55 years ago. He said the holster, sans the Colt, was in a box of stuff he'd brought back from when they sold off my grandparents farm when they passed on about 30 years ago.

It has markings on it which indicate it's a "Viking Holster made in Mexico" with a number "62" stamped on the back. What little I've been able to find out with an on-line search is that Viking Leather was Located in the Los Angeles area, near Glendale. All their stuff was made in Mexico and shipped to the US. They obviously produced a lot of holsters because I found a number of vintage Viking Holsters for sale all over the internet.

This one seems to be a sturdy built holster. Needs a little TLC but not bad shape for half a century old. Wondering if anyone else has any further background on Viking Leather?

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I can't offer any further information on Viking leather, but I can show you pictures of an old Viking holster I have. I do not remember when or where I got it.

I used to use it to carry my old High Standard .22 pistol. I sold that pistol, but kept the holster. About 1995 I bought a stainless steel Ruger MK.II pistol, and it fit the holster perfectly.

On the back is stamped "HAND MADE BY VIKING MEXICO 79".

Pics:

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The stamping on mine is the same except says 62. I wonder if that is a model number or indication of year made?

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^^^ I think it is the model number, but I am not sure.

I don't know any more about Viking than has been noted already above.
I have had a few of them over the years and believe that the 62 is a model
number. Here, on the left, is a floral carved field style model #75. I sold
it several years ago, but kept the picture. On the right is another example
of Viking's beautiful carving. It is a model #55M crossdraw.
The #75 is shown with my Colt Gold Cup, and the #55M with my model 29.

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In Omnia Paratus

Pretty much what has been said . Made in Mexico copies of most of the popular holster styles of the day , sometimes slightly simplified . Sold new for about 1/2 to 2/3 the price of the name brand US mfg holsters they copied . The materials and workmanship somewhat variable ,

Remember seeing them new into the '80s . As nylon holsters replaced value priced leather holsters in the marketplace, they went away .

Absolutely not the year it was made. It's the model number of course. Not sure I can think of a single maker who marked its year in gunleather (beyond the non-gunleather maker Safariland on its 21st century Kydex stuff).

My recollection of Viking is that it doesn't seem like something your grandfather would've had so early in holstory. I found a thread on another forum that thought his Viking pancake holster was 1940s-1960s; but the pancake holster didn't exist until the 1970s! Lots of wishful thinking on forums; my personal favorite malaprop was "I don't know, but I think Berns-Martin was an English company" (it wasn't/isn't).

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

I will add that mine is well made of very sturdy leather.

Does anybody know of a size/model chart anywhere?

Here is my Viking. Good solid holster holding my M&P Snubby.

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Here you go- from a 1972 Liberty Organization catalog. First page states
“ We started Viking Leather Specialties, a division of Liberty Organization, in 1964 in an effort to once again achieve real hand made craftsmanship in leather products.”
Regards,
turnerriver

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turnerriver

Well done John, gunleather guru :-). Welcome information indeed.

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

I seem to recall reading or hearing that Viking made a few holsters for the Browning Label in the 60s and 70s, and I recall seeing Browning labeled holsters that certainly looked like Viking Holsters, to my non-expert eyes.

I have a few Viking holsters and they are well made sturdy utilitarian holsters.

Anyone care to offer tips on helping to bring an old holster (like in the OP) back to life?

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

I have posted my procedure ad nauseum, but I will do it again
just for you.

If I inherited a holster like the OPs, here is what I would do.

Put a few drops of Dawn dishwasher soap in a pan with warm
water. Use a kitchen sponge and the mixture to scrub the
holster real good. Rinse it off, towel dry it, and let it
continue to dry overnight.

When completely dry, massage Black Rock Leather 'N' Rich in to
the holster with your finger tips. Rub it in real good and get all
of the nooks and crannies. Then wipe all the excess of, and again,
let it dry overnight.

When completely dry, buff the holster with your shoe brush.
If you want a little extra shine, wipe some Fiebings Tan-Kote
on, and again, let it dry.

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In Omnia Paratus

I have this one that fits a 5" M&P. it is also marked "62". lee

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VFW, NRA, VVA, S&WCA 1758

I believe the Browning marked holsters were in fact made by Viking. They seem to be good quality. Here is my Browning Challenger in a Browning holster that is marked Made In Mexico on the toe, and my Model 63 Kit Gun in another Viking holster. I like them.
Thank you to Mr. Witty for posting the size chart. I also have a copy of that chart and have found it to be immensely helpful when searching ebay. Most sellers have no idea what the Viking holsters fit and the model numbers stamped upon them offer little clue.

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Many thanks. I asked figuring it might be of interest to more than myself. Perhaps one of the moderators would consider making this information into a stickie?

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

I did crazyphil's procedure ad nauseum for cleaning holster's and I think it made an improvement on this 50+ year old holster. Before picture in the OP.

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It will never look new again, but that is a great improvement.

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Kevin in Oregon

I'm almost certain that Viking made the Browning holsters.

I am certain that Viking made at least some of the Browning holsters. The ones I owned were well made and nicely finished. They bring good money at auction!

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"I also cook."

Here's another interesting Viking western rig marked "Wald's, Dallas Texas". I assume this was actually Wald's Police Supply, which was incorporated in 1987 and now defunct. The quality wasn't quite the same as the Browning branded holsters, but it was still pretty nice. This was made for a full size SAA, but the belt loops were made for .22 LR's. It fit a Great Western .22 perfectly. It's not the type of rig I would expect to find in a police supply company, but you do what you gotta do to make a buck!

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"I also cook."

My grandfather use to be a police officer and I have read that there are alot of '62' on them. On the belt it has 8215M it, he said that it was his dads mind you my grandfather was born in 1941. After hours of trying to locate any information about Viking, I stumbled across this thread, as Ive read theres not much info besides what was collected or is there a website that I havent found yet that could give me more info. Please help. I added pictures. Thank You

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CP, I really have always been fond of that model Viking holster. I watched one for weeks that was a BIN set up. I keep thinking it was overpriced, hoping the seller would reduce his price after some time. I watched too long and it sold. I can't remember what gun the holster fit, but I do remember the carving was fantastic.
Larry

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