Back in 1965 Bangor-Punta acquired Smith & Wesson. They added a holster division, between 1967 and 1969, by buying
the company started and previously owned by Wally Wolfram. Turnerriver has told us their first catalog came out in 1969.
Their Blazer model was probably their must successful. Blazers
were a Wally Wolfram product. S&W Blazers can be identified by model number 21, and/or 22 for the lined versions.
A 1980 holster catalog and fit chart said S&W offered three choices for their holsters: Cowhide, Wessonhide, or Clarino.
Clarino is a high gloss product that resembles patent leather. Used a lot for law enforcement and military products.
In 1981 S&W trademarked a product they called Wessonhide.
A synthetic imitation leather. Some call it "pleather", a term coined for fake leather.
Wessonhide holsters were called the Pioneer models. They can be identified by the model number 19. I have read that the way to tell the difference is the smell test. If it smells like leather it is probably leather. If it has a chemical smell it may be Wessonhide.
But S&W used a leather welt in the Wessonhides, so they kinda tricked us.
Wessonhide was only around for a couple of years, so I guess it didn't go over too well. If you are interested in adding a Wessonhide to your collection, here are a few common sizes:
Model 19 would be on the left for all Wessonhides and a 2 digit size code on the right.
2" J Frame size 62
2" K Frame size 32
4" Model 10 size 34 6" size 36
4" Model 15 size 44 6" size 46
4" Model 19 size 54 6" size 56
4" Model 29 size 24 6" size 26
If you need to find a fit code for one not listed above, there is
a 1978 S&W Catalog and Fit Chart here on the forum. The
sizes are the same for the Wessonhides as those listed on the
1978 fit chart.
I had read quite a bit about Wessonhide and looked at lots of pictures, but I had never actually got to see one. So I went shopping. It took a while, but I finally found this 19 32 that I would call a field style. It is made for the Model 10 with 2" barrel shown in the photo below.
Front view on the left.
Back view 2nd from left.
With my 2" model 10 3rd from left.
Get some Wessonhide before it's all gone. They don't make it
any more.
the company started and previously owned by Wally Wolfram. Turnerriver has told us their first catalog came out in 1969.
Their Blazer model was probably their must successful. Blazers
were a Wally Wolfram product. S&W Blazers can be identified by model number 21, and/or 22 for the lined versions.
A 1980 holster catalog and fit chart said S&W offered three choices for their holsters: Cowhide, Wessonhide, or Clarino.
Clarino is a high gloss product that resembles patent leather. Used a lot for law enforcement and military products.
In 1981 S&W trademarked a product they called Wessonhide.
A synthetic imitation leather. Some call it "pleather", a term coined for fake leather.
Wessonhide holsters were called the Pioneer models. They can be identified by the model number 19. I have read that the way to tell the difference is the smell test. If it smells like leather it is probably leather. If it has a chemical smell it may be Wessonhide.
But S&W used a leather welt in the Wessonhides, so they kinda tricked us.
Wessonhide was only around for a couple of years, so I guess it didn't go over too well. If you are interested in adding a Wessonhide to your collection, here are a few common sizes:
Model 19 would be on the left for all Wessonhides and a 2 digit size code on the right.
2" J Frame size 62
2" K Frame size 32
4" Model 10 size 34 6" size 36
4" Model 15 size 44 6" size 46
4" Model 19 size 54 6" size 56
4" Model 29 size 24 6" size 26
If you need to find a fit code for one not listed above, there is
a 1978 S&W Catalog and Fit Chart here on the forum. The
sizes are the same for the Wessonhides as those listed on the
1978 fit chart.
I had read quite a bit about Wessonhide and looked at lots of pictures, but I had never actually got to see one. So I went shopping. It took a while, but I finally found this 19 32 that I would call a field style. It is made for the Model 10 with 2" barrel shown in the photo below.
Front view on the left.
Back view 2nd from left.
With my 2" model 10 3rd from left.
Get some Wessonhide before it's all gone. They don't make it
any more.
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