Just came in today. Had ordered it on a couple weeks ago, don't even think it was 3 weeks.
Quality is outstanding!
I really love this holster.
http://
http://
http://
http://

__________________
Paul

That's a beautiful rig you have there.

Agree it is finely made. The basketweave is exceptionally well done :-). Ideally on a Threepersons the welt stack is applying enough friction to the frame that the strap is an afterthought.

__________________
Red Nichols The Holstorian

Thank you sir 🙏

__________________
Paul

Thank you 😊

__________________
Paul

They are great holsters, I have several for different frame sizes. They're more aptly called the 120 after Lawrences model 120.

__________________
Sheriff Russell Cottle. ret

Yes sir. & they do say that on the web page. The 120.
I probably should've said the 120 Tom Threepersons in my thread.

__________________
Paul

Pure green with envy!

Congrats!

,

__________________
Death? Smile back...

Handsome holster!

Here is a photo of the famous Lawrence Model 120 "Keith" holster,
in basketweave with a retention strap. Made for Colt's Single Action Army
model with 7.5" barrel. Shown with a replica.

Attached Images

SAM_1516.jpg (80.2 KB, 155 views)

__________________
In Omnia Paratus

Good looking holster!

What are the differences between the Three Persons and the "famous Lawrence 120?" (To my eye, the 120 above looks a bit blockier, but I have not seen a side-by-side comparison.) Also why is the 120 called the "Keith" holster. Did Elmer design it? If so, was he trying to improve on the Three Persons?

Or, is the 120 simply one of many Three Persons style holsters by various holster shops?

Thank you, sir 🙏
I was wondering the same as well.

__________________
Paul

The Tom Threepersons holster was designed and produced by the actual
Tom Threepersons. I believe the Lawrence "Keith" was basically a copy
of the Threepersons. Lawrence, Myres, and probably others made their
renditions of the "Keith" model. The story is that Elmer Keith contributed
to the design.

__________________
In Omnia Paratus

OMG! The trigger is exposed! You'll shoot your foot off. ;-)

Very nice.

Here’s a brief outline of the Threepersons & Keith holsters. S.D. Myres first cataloged the Threepersons holster in a 1931 dated holster catalog. Red has many details about Tom Threepersons and his holster design in the 3rd edition of Holstory, I don’t think there is anybody who has done better research on the subject. The first Lawrence catalog in my collection that lists the model 120 Keith holster is dated 1940-a 1938 catalog does not have it listed. A 1947 or 8 catalog offers the model for Frontier Model only, later catalogs state for 4” or longer revolvers only. I’ve included a cut from the 1952 catalog showing a blurb by Elmer himself and a piece of page 151 from my copy of Sixguns giving Elmer’s explanation of the differences. I think he may have confused the Threepersons with a couple of early Myres Threepersons designs as shown, the cuffed holsters were sewn at the bottom of the full loop but the design we think of as a Threepersons today wasn’t.
1940 Lawrence catalog cut.

1947-8 Lawrence catalog cut.

1952 Lawrence catalog cut. Note the information regarding Smith & Wesson revolvers, Lawrence was a distributor at the time.

Finally a piece of page 151 from Sixguns by Keith.

Myres early Threepersons labeled styles. I think Elmer is referring to the skirted almost Brill design.



Typical Threepersons.


Finally, a Lawrence model 120 Keith holster I ordered for my .41 Magnum Blackhawk.

Regards,

__________________
turnerriver

Both the Keith design and the Treepersons design look pretty close to the same to my uneducated eye. Both are great holsters for everyday use. The floral carved ones are gorgeous.

Here is modern El Paso Saddlery rendition. Bottom one.

The story of the Threepersons holster begins with what we know of as the Brill and not with Tom Threepersons. The real Three Persons was a Canadian (fun fact: the surname is English and not Indian) and our Texan confiscated the name and reputation of the rodeo cowboy for publicity purposes (read: money).

The holster we call a Threepersons is the Brill with the latter's skirt and cuff removed. The Texan endorsed the Myres holster in exchange for a royalty when Sam Myres' business was suffering mightily on the saddlery side, beginning 1930.

It is said that the pattern work for the Myres was done by Arno Brill, son of August the founder of Brill. In 1935 the pattern was changed to the familiar one and is thought to be a result of the switch from serving the Texas Rangers' single actions (straight frame) to the FBI's double actions to use the .357 Mag in '35 (notched frame).

The Keith, then, is the Myres version for the FBI with two further changes: the extra long strap wanted by Keith as laid out in turnerriver's quotation from Elmer, so that it c/b tucked behind the belt; and for some reason, the extra long belt loop end was trimmed to the minimum. Made great sense for Lawrence because all that extra length on the loop of the OP's holster adds nothing to function.

So it is not correct for Elmer to have claimed to have 'designed' the 120 (in Hell I Was There). Instead he endorsed it and his endorsements were worth lots to Lawrence, to Berns-Martin, to S&W for the .44 Magnum, and etc. Just as Tom Threepersons had endorsed Myres' version.

Attached Images

	threepersons (2).jpg (70.6 KB, 62 views)
	threepersons-keith (8).jpg (67.8 KB, 67 views)

__________________
Red Nichols The Holstorian

Thanks, Turnerriver and Red. That's good stuff!

I have long wondered about the long retention strap, thinking surely it interferes with the draw. Elmer's explanation that one tucks it behind the belt when not working cattle or riding a bucking horse makes sense. Presumably, that is the way one normally wore/wears the holster — strap tucked — when there is little chance of it falling out. (Well, if one were Elmer anyway!)

Yes! Thank you both..very good stuff indeed!
Ya know when I first holstered I thought "wow" it really doesn't need this strap. It's very sturdy and the gun is very secure w/out the strap.
But, it does look neat imo

__________________
Paul

Here's what Simply Rugged says about their 120/Threepersons:

Lol, I've actually already heard that today 😅
& thank you 😊

__________________
Paul

Well, I've been able to get a little time with this holster & I can say that it's my favorite.
From now on, it's gonna be this style
I like it that well.
http://

__________________
Paul

Very good. Tom's own holster rode straight and low, contrary to popular belief after the fact. The revolver with his holster is also his, one of two Colt SAs in that barrel length:

Attached Images

1909 taken Jun 2020 (2).jpg (120.3 KB, 55 views)

__________________
Red Nichols The Holstorian

Yes sir, I really love the way it rides - its awesome
& wow! Thank you for the pic & info, that is so cool.

__________________
Paul

I once carried a 4” K-Frame Revolver in a Tom Three Person designed holster as a Police Officer. I found it not to be very satisfactory for uniform carry as it does little to protect the gun from the weather and from be bumped into things such as car doors and walls. As Keith says it is a speed holster.

Keith was a hunter, guide, wrangler and later a gun writer so I don’t understand why a speed draw was important to him.

Congratulations on your fine holster! Rob and his team do amazing work.

__________________
Even older, even crankier....

Oh, no doubt. When I was in law enforcement, my holster was a Gould & Goodrich ASTRO retention holster. No way in hell would I wear a 120/Threepersons on the job..
But, God I love it for everything else.

__________________
Paul

Thank you, sir 🙏
I really appreciate that & they sure do!

__________________
Paul

Appreciation to everyone who has posted in this educational thread.

I note in post #1 there is a line of parallel stitching a couple of inches below the fold over the belt. Also saw mention in #17 by Mr. Nichols, that there might be no use for the long fold-over, sewn further down the holster body, as shown in photo.

Just a thought, but it occurs to me that that such lower stitching would allow, in a pinch, for the holster to be used as a crossdraw. Only have one Threepersons type, a 4” N EPS from El Paso; just tried on 1 1/2” belt and crossdraw would work.

Thanks again.

That's a beautiful holster. Simply Rugged is my favorite holster maker. I frequently use a four wheeler to get around our farm. Sometimes things get bumpy and I frequently carry a decent sized revolver. The safety strap is very comforting

He had them add the extra long strap extending way past the snap , that's all.

__________________
Grumpy Old Man With a Gun

As explained by Elmer in Turnerriver's post 15 and Simply Rugged in post 20 above.

But in post 20, what does "This allows you to chop up and release the strap while the hand continues to grasp the gun" mean?

I have a hard time envisioning the action described. Chop up and release strap, okay. But how to do that while continuing to grasp the gun?

I think what Rob must mean is that one can chop up with the thumb side of the hand to release the strap, and then grasp the gun and draw.

Elmer's explanation in Turnerriver's post 15 above makes more sense to me: When the strap is not needed for retention — say, when swaggering into the outlaw infested saloon to order a sarsaparilla — just fold the strap back and tuck it behind the belt.

It's hard to pick the right words when writing or even speaking. I reckon Keith thought he was clearly stating "continues on its way to grasp the gun". Knowing as much as we do about gunleather I reckon we can safely make the deduction as fact.

The real difficulty with the design is that it was opimized around the SAA of the Texas Rangers, as the Brill. Lots of surface area for the welt stack against the long tapering frame of the SA Colt. But for the FBI, and that very short, straight bit of frame ahead of the guard on the big DA Smiths, not so good. Elmer himself had big trouble with his weltless Gaylord allowing his big 44 Smiths to fall from it. Chic was not a trained holster maker and called welts 'dividers' so did not use them.

It was lost knowledge by the time I joined JB at his company that the welts were (we used two for the Python vs one for the K frames, to make the same pattern fit both) there for retention. He did not ever so state to me, instead saying they were there to stiffen the main seam and fight the tearing out of the saddle stitching there (both of which they do accomplish) by hiding the knot inside the welt stack.

__________________
Red Nichols The Holstorian

Makes sense, Red, but note I was quoting Simply Rugged's explanation as problematic, not Keith's, which makes perfect sense to me.

Can't tell yall just how much I love wearing this holster! After a while of Pancake style holsters I can say this 120 is far & away the best feeling holster I've ever worn. It's just a Joy to wear.
I don't mean to keep harpin about this fellas but, I really do enjoy it just that much, lol

__________________
Paul

The George Lawrence holsters were made in Portland, Oregon’. I have one for my Ruger Police Service Special. Portland sure was different back then. My grandfather and uncles all had Lawrence holsters growing up.

O.P.,
What kind of activity are you wearing it for?

Bout anything I want to be quite honest
It's super secure - it's a joy to wear.

__________________
Paul

One thing for sure, this holster makes me wanna wear it all the time lol, been shooting more lately haha!
I dunno, this holster is just pure bliss.....& when ya look good & feel good, ya shoots good 2! 👍 😎
(7 yards 4 rounds -threw the last 2! - .38 spc hind legs, single action)
http://
http://

__________________
Paul

I don’t know how I’ve missed this thread until now, but it’s a great read! Thanks for sharing, all.
Larry

__________________
Miss My Buddy crsides!!

Thanks Larry ☺️
It's a Jim Dandy for sure!
http://image uploading site

__________________
Paul

I recently picked up a .32 Ruger Single Six and need leather for it. I was planning on Barranti (long wait, but I have been very happy with his work).

This thread convinced me to go with the same Simply Rugged 120 except in tan. I even got the order in in time to get the Memorial Day sale price.

Fantastic! Keep us posted.

__________________
Paul

Well, PaulD, I think ya got a lot of us reaching for our hip pockets and considering. Me anyway, for sure.

But, the question about what activities is it a appropriate for, deserves a more specific answer than any and all.

(Hey, I like that 120, too, by the pix and your enthusiasm, but I am thinking, not for concealed. At least not without a long, kinda loose jacket. Looks to me like the ideal holster for open carry, BBQ or woods walk. All holsters, I think we have learned from Lobo and the other gun leather gurus here, and, by our own drawers full of not quite what we wanted holsters, are a compromise. )

Lovely holster there, for sure, for a favored revolver, no question.

Sorry for the delay! 😃
Hey, I agree..it does deserve a better answer than I gave. Sometimes (most times actually &#128518 I'm just too lazy to write out a detailed response/answer to a question. Alas, you're right as 🌧- some questions deserve a detailed answer.
Fortunately for me, (as im feeling lazy again)I believe you nailed it! But, I would say that in winter it would be possible to conceal. Especially with a 2.5" or 4" gun. It's just so damn comfortable. And like I said before, it feels good and looks good!
I really hope this explains just how nice the 120 is.
And, again, for me I feel that I can about anything with this 120. It's not falling out. That's for sure.
So, walks in the woods, bbq's, hunting - although not in thickets as a lot of the gun is exposed and will get scratches- so will the holster but, if you didn't care about all that it could definitely do thickets and even small gorges. I'm too old and fat for small gorges now a days. Also good to ride in the car or truck. It rides very well to be honest. And, keep.in mind, I have a 6" Full Target Model 27-2
I would also wear for self defense situations as it draws super nice. Lemme think.....what else.....I would also feel comfy wearing it around the house too of course. It's just a really nice, secure, comfortable holster.

__________________
Paul

Recently, wanting a really "nice" holster for a new "optic" pistol, visited a small holster maker in my town, makes some of the holsters for one of the expensive custom "big names" in handguns. Keeps a low profile, but will accept personal requests.

When I talked with this shop, he asked me many questions about what I wanted, and mostly I went with his suggestions for my particular custom order (I wanted a fast drawing holster for IDPA).

It was nice to work with someone who had so many questions and suggestions and then options for my gorgeous holster, (SIG 229).

Since then, took another of my carry pistols for his suggestions and work. I can barely sew a button back on a shirt, and to see his exquisite sewing and forming shows a phenomenal talent.

Basically, his first question was "...what do you want to do with your pistol", and then "....then this is what I suggest for you."

Like fitting for a Saville Row suit in London. Which , by the way, I don't have. Really interesting thread, thanks.

SF VET

You can't go wrong with either maker. Doc and Rob are friends and frequently recommend each others work!

__________________
Even older, even crankier....

Very nice looking holster, I always use Simply Rugged these days