Originally posted by charlie44:
I'm a retired police captain, with over 30 years of experience. I bought my first Dirty Harry holster for my S & W Model 29 44 Mag. 6 1/2 inch, over thirty years ago, and still have that same holster.Its still in great shape. The craftsmanship has always been superb, and is indeed, the best holster that I have ever purchased.
We in the law enforcement community, should be proud of the work, and professionalism of Lawman Leather. They are by far, the greatest, and I as a former law enforcement officer salute them for the fine work that they have dedicated to us, after all these decades.
Thank you for all that you have done, and will do for us in the future. Your Dirty Harry holster is the best and finest holster in the world, not only said by me, but a host of other law enforcment police and military professionals throughout the world also.
Best always,
Charlie44
With all due respect, you do not say whether you have ever worn the holster, how often and under what circumstances. As a retired officer, I doubt you carried the Model 29 in that holster as a duty or off duty gun on a daily basis.
In addition, the quality of a holster made almost 30 years ago does not speak to the quality of the current product, or the speed of delivery or the customer service/customer satisfaction of this current operation.
Not to mention the fact that the holster made by Lawman is merely a copy of the original J.M. Bucheimer holster.
Thus, I would say that we should wait and see what experiences people report from this new company (if anyone here buys from them after the troubling posts that have now been deleted).
UPDATE: As I said in another post in a different thread, I "put my money where my mouth is." I had a most enjoyable talk with Mr. Ardolino on the phone (he returned my call in his "off hours" and we chatted for over 30 minutes). He personally took my order, explained the price and the fact that my card would be charged at that time. He said I would receive my holster by December 7, which was about a 3 month or so wait.
Today, December 7, I received a priority USPS box from Lawman with my holster for the 6 1/2 inch Model 29. The holster smells great, is excellent quality and, in my opinion, just a better product than another maker mentioned here that was also offering a reproduction of the holster.
The neatest thing is that when I spoke to Mr. Ardolino, I explained my height and weight and expressed my concern about comfort (5'11" 207, and wear size 48 regular jacket). He said they had someone there about my size and would fit it to him. Now, I do not know if they in fact did that, but the holster required absolutely NO adjustment. I put it on and it fit perfectly. I am happy to report that Mr. Ardolino delivered exactly as promised, and I feel it is my duty to report such. I would NOT hesitate to order from Lawman again, and am sorry that some of you had reported negative experiences here. I had a positive experience, and would happily order from this company again.