HH Heiser Silver Mounted #753 Buscadero & #62 Belt

[ColourSergeant]

A while back I was given this beautiful Heiser 753 Holster & 62 Belt rig, and I'm finally starting to research it. I see there are some true Heiser experts on here, so any help or info would be very welcome.

The holster fits a SAA with a 7-½" barrel, but there is no marking I can find actually indicating what model it was designed for. There are 12 loops for .38 cal rds on the belt.

The metal fittings and conchos are all sterling silver and engraved. There are five large silver conchos on the belt and two smaller conchos on the holster loops. The silver belt tip is particularly nice looking and is marked sterling on the reverse side.

The overall condition seems superb, but unfortunately the belt buckle is missing. I'd love to know what the original buckle looked like.

I've not yet come across another Heiser Mexican carved rig in this lite tan coloring, so I'm wondering how unusual that is.

 

[s&wchad]

Wow... Fabulous rig! That’s one heck of a gift!

I suspect you are correct; it was probably made for a 7-1/2” Colt SAA. Check the back of the holster carefully in good light. Heiser typically marked their holsters with a scribe to designate the intended gun.

I don’t know what buckle it came with, but I’d look for an engraved silver one that comes close to matching the silver tip.

 

[crazyphil]

That lite tan is quite unusual for Heiser, but very beautiful.
For the 753 I know 7 means floral carved, 5 means for a revolver,
but no idea what the 3 means. Maybe laced?

turnerriver will be along shortly and then we will know the rest
of the story. There are silversmiths who can probably make a
matching buckle for you. Try googling custom silversmith.

BTW I agree with Chad. Pull that pouch up out of the two loops
and examine the back in good light. You very well may find a
cryptic code such as MP4 or OP5 for example.

 

[ColourSergeant]

That lite tan is quite unusual for Heiser, but very beautiful.
For the 753 I know 7 means floral carved, 5 means for a revolver,
but no idea what the 3 means. Maybe laced?

turnerriver will be along shortly and then we will know the rest
of the story. There are silversmiths who can probably make a
matching buckle for you. Try googling custom silversmith.

BTW I agree with Chad. Pull that pouch up out of the two loops
and examine the back in good light. You very well may find a
cryptic code such as MP4 or OP5 for example.

Great idea about a custom made buckle, thank you! That's probably the only way to ever get anything truly appropriate to match.

I did try to remove the pouch in order to examine the back, but the lower loop is very tight, and I felt like there was a real danger of damaging the lacing if I forced it, so I've let that go for now.

 

[boykinlp]

I've not yet come across another Heiser Mexican carved rig in this lite tan coloring, so I'm wondering how unusual that is.

That is definitely a nice gift. I will be interested to see what John says about the coloring. I have never seen a Heiser item with that light coloring. I have always thought that Heiser had very few variations of their brown color (russet). In contrast, I thought Myres had many more variations. But, I have never seen anything that light from either maker. Maybe it is a "one-off" special order. It seems like it was not dyed at all. This is actually the lightest finish I have ever seen, and it is on a Myres holster, and I always considered it "natural" colored:

 

[gwpercle]

Wow !
That is just an Awesome rig .
Gary

 

[Lee's Landing Billy]

A treasure!!!!

 

[italiansport]

Perhaps this isn't the best place to ask but I have a Heiser holster marked either 7 1 8 or 7 1 B on the back. It came with a Colt O M T in 38 spl. Can anyone tell me what these markings mean? Thanks in advance.
Jim

 

[rednichols]

Let's see how John works out why it's that colour .

 

[crazyphil]

Perhaps this isn't the best place to ask but I have a Heiser holster marked either 7 1 8 or 7 1 B on the back. It came with a Colt O M T in 38 spl. Can anyone tell me what these markings mean? Thanks in advance.
Jim

7 indicates floral carving 1 is for revolver. Revolvers get odd
numbers, semi-autos get even numbers. It is an 8 not B and
again, I don't know what it means. Study the back of the
holster under a good light. You may find a code for the
gun it was made for.

 

[rustythread]

YOou might also check eBay for sterling belt buckles

 

[ColourSergeant]

YOou might also check eBay for sterling belt buckles

I actually found this buckle below from a silversmith that's the right size, and seems like an almost perfect match for the style of the other silver fittings on the belt, with the same zig-zag around the edges and very similar swirls.

The downside is that they want $350 for it!

I'm not sure if I can bring myself to pop that much for a buckle no matter how perfect.

 

[ColourSergeant]

At first I thought this rig wanted a garrison type buckle like the clipped corner buckle I showed in an earlier post. But after looking at the layout I realized that with the silver keeper loop so close to the buckle attachment point, there really isn't room for a garrison buckle. I think this must have had the type of buckle that I believe is referred to as a "Ranger" buckle? with the attachment at one side instead of the middle.

I really need to get some Heiser catalogs to look thru the silver fittings they offered and see if anything matches.

Initially I had only intended to do enough research to sell it, but now I have come to appreciate it and the history of HH Heiser so much that I have made room to put it on display, and can't imagine parting with it!

 

[turnerriver]

That’s a beautiful and unusual Heiser rig you have there, if you don’t have to sell it I wouldn’t.
I’m away from home at the moment so I don’t have my catalogs and don’t have a photo of at least one Heiser holster I have that is finished like yours. I’ve seen that finish referred to as Natural or Unoiled. Some shoulder holsters or undercover belt holsters were provided like that to protect clothing and the custom makers would provide holsters like that if ordered. I believe your rig is a later one, made in the 1950’s or even ‘60’s. Heiser did have conchos, I’ll check my catalogs when I return home and let you know what I find. Thanks for posting it.
Regards,
turnerriver

 

[rednichols]

I actually found this buckle below from a silversmith that's the right size, and seems like an almost perfect match for the style of the other silver fittings on the belt, with the same zig-zag around the edges and very similar swirls.

The downside is that they want $350 for it!

I'm not sure if I can bring myself to pop that much for a buckle no matter how perfect.

The essence of buckle choice, comes down to 'with or without keeper'. A centrebar buckle like the one you're showing, is meant to supplant the keeper; that's why these buckles exist. For a belt with a keeper, one uses the familiar 'D' buckle. So, as nice as your buckles is, it's not the appropriate choice.

Heiser, with centrebar buckle and no keeper

Heiser, with D buckle and keeper

That the keeper of yours is captured inside the stitching of its billet indeed indicates it is a 'factory' installation.

Turnerriver is right as always about the colour (I have a 1950 American Rifleman magazine with a Heiser 'Pale Rider' as its cover). It stayed that colour because it has been stored all its life, out of the light. I've a capgun set of the same era that is as pale as the day it was made .

 

[ColourSergeant]

Turnerriver is right as always about the colour (I have a 1950 American Rifleman magazine with a Heiser 'Pale Rider' as its cover). It stayed that colour because it has been stored all its life, out of the light. I've a capgun set of the same era that is as pale as the day it was made .

Thank for the tip about the 1950 American Rifleman cover. I picked up a copy after seeing your comment. In the pic below you can see the two holsters side-by-side.

The magazine credits the Colt Frontier revolver shown to the collection of a photographer from Georgia, but doesn't mention the holster.

Has anyone ever seen the same pattern carving designs as my holster on another Heiser? Everything I come across has floral carving more like the magazine holster.