Lou Alessi

[Onomea]

I was one of the many beneficiaries of CrazyPhil's recent Monumental Holster Extravaganza. Among holsters I acquired is this Alessi:





I bought it for a K-frame, and it does well with my M10 and M65. But it shines, is a perfect fit, for my Colt Three Fifty-Seven, a gun that I have been looking for a suitable CCW holster for quite a while.

With the 357, the sights and hammer, as well as the frame, fit into the holster perfectly. Zero wiggle. In fact, even if the pull through snaps aren't snapped, the holster, with the 357, passes the hold-upside-down-and-shake test.




Alessi was not first with the pull through approach — there is an earlier discussion of this here on the forum — but he sure executed it well. I read somewhere that the snaps are of a special design so as to only unsnap when pushed apart from one side, in this case when the hammer pushes up against them, seperating them during the draw. I think it would be difficult for someone to snatch your gun from this holster.



There is a bit of initial resistance if not pulling strongly, but during an intentional draw, I don't think most people would notice it.

While I don't know, I suspect it is made of horsehide. (The leather is similar to a Kramer pocket holster I have that I know is horsehide.) It is of excellent quality.

Thanks, Phil, My Three Fifty-Seven and I are very pleased with this holster:

 

[boykinlp]

That is what I call fitting like a proverbial glove!
Larry

 

[rednichols]

It is a very nice execution of the Seventrees styling in a holster type that hadn't been invented in Paris Theodore's time. Note especially the internal pocket next to the ejector rod shroud for the muzzle end of the barrel to move into while the revolver is being drawn; a Gaylord then Seventrees feature and not ever used again except by copies.

The snap is unlikely to be the type you're describing. These are called 'directional' and 'pull the dot' snaps; in which case the base of the 'stud' is hexagonal and the inside of the 'socket' has a metal tab extending from the inner edge into the socket. These were used by Seventrees on belt loops etc. But on a thumsnap? Vicious difficult to snap shut blindly and well known to both jam (deadly with a thumsnap) and for the socket to simply break off even while still in the factory (attachment hole has a ring of spikes around it inside the socket). The socket then is oriented, matched with a 'dot' imprinted into the cap to show the side that is locked, by the machine that sets the parts. And oriented to prevent a side grab one also would not be able to release the snap for the draw! But can be done on thumsnaps, with most Bianchi 27s made that way to tragic consequences for at least one copper when it didn't release.

Pull through straps were abandoned because of noise and scratching the pistols. Also the maker has to be very mindful during molding, with the strap, or the holster can end up refusing to open with a sharp tug on the pistol. But done properly is far better than a thumsnap on especially autos! Which require that the thumb be lifted far too high than intended (designed for revolvers) and on any auto with a thumb safety can switch the safety to 'off' when the snap is closed.

I have a large collection of images from the various NYC makers who started out using the pull through design (e.g, DeSantis) and the Seventrees styling; but soon (so same decade) changed over to the exact same design with thumsnaps instead.

 

[Bald1]

Lou Alessi makes great holsters and was a genuinely good guy. For those that don’t know his shop was in a suburb of Buffalo NY of all places. Not exactly a leather working Mecca. I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple times. He made me a holster for an SP101 back in the early nineties. His daughter now runs the shop.

 

[Onomea]

Thanks for the info, Red. Here are close ups of the snaps:





They look like normal snaps, sure enough, and not like the "directional" and "pull-the-dot" snaps you describe and that I read about. (Thank goodness!)

Thanks for the correction.

Re possible scratching, in the hand anyway, drawing the gun from the holster, this does not appear to be an issue. I can see how it might be, though, when wearing the holster, with the gun/holster pressed up against one's side, and drawing. (I'll just have to hope I don't need to shoot anybody when wearing this combo! )

 

[crazyphil]

I think Chic Gaylord's Thunderbolt was probably the first pull through
strap. Here is a rather poor photo. I looked for one for quite a
while but never found it.

 

[IronSkillet]

Believe Ritchie Leather works out of the old shop now.

New Alessi with Tommy45 or 1911 with his cigarette always burning made me a J-frame holster when I ordered a K-frame and was three months past due when the wrong holster arrived. Three of us together ordered the same custom 1911 holsters when Remington 1911 started selling and that order was only 6, months late. Lou didn't operate like that.

 

[rednichols]

I think Chic Gaylord's Thunderbolt was probably the first pull through
strap. Here is a rather poor photo. I looked for one for quite a
while but never found it.

That's from his 1955 catalog and I agree it's the first evidence of the pull-through strap at the hammer. By his 1960 book he had moved to the thumbsnap that had appeared then in the Bucheimer patent.

The pull-through strap found most of its use in Seventrees' UNS that was the first of the advanced IWB holsters:



and in Theodore's horizontal shoulder holster. For the latter Gaylord stayed with his version of the pull through that was at the trigger guard and surely interfered with the draw big-time.



Alessi and DeSantis followed, and Null who was Seventrees' successor, moving the strapping to the hammer spur.

All of which inspires me to show the two variants that are the only known survivors of the 1967/68 Seventrees prototypes with the palm tree logos. Both are in private collections with the mark:





The time period, in which Bruce Nelson stated he created this holster in 1967, suggests that Jeff Cooper took all of the Seventrees prototypes that were in writer Bob Zwirz' hands, to Bruce as his disciple:



Prior to Chic, then Angell who was his man, then Angell shifting to Seventrees, then Nelson, then Bianchi (where Nelson worked), holsters were not made this way in what I call the New York School of gunleather.

 

[crazyphil]

DeSantis made some of them too. Here is one I picked up along the
way. Red, you might recognize that it is riding on Chic Gaylord's
gunbelt.

 

[Bald1]

Believe Ritchie Leather works out of the old shop now.

New Alessi with Tommy45 or 1911 with his cigarette always burning made me a J-frame holster when I ordered a K-frame and was three months past due when the wrong holster arrived. Three of us together ordered the same custom 1911 holsters when Remington 1911 started selling and that order was only 6, months late. Lou didn't operate like that.

Yes it’s Ritchie leather. Couldn’t remember name. I forget where the name Ritchie came from but I think it was a partner or employee he had. But last I heard his daughter was still involved. And they still do good work. A friend of mine recently got a 1911 shoulder rig made.

 

[IronSkillet]

Yes, I believe you are correct with the former relationship with Ritchie, also they are making excellent leather products. Never said the work wasn't good being made today. Was at the old airport cop shop, new Alessi was working out of many times and never once did I observe anyone other than Tom in the place.

Yes it’s Ritchie leather. Couldn’t remember name. I forget where the name Ritchie came from but I think it was a partner or employee he had. But last I heard his daughter was still involved. And they still do good work. A friend of mine recently got a 1911 shoulder rig made.

 

[PauldL]

Well, Tom Kulwicki took over after Lou passed away. Then Tom passed away. I got a really nice shoulder rig that Tom made for me. Very nice indeed.