Your go to Leather holster store

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as a newbie here even if i am 56 and a grandpa,I am looking around for a leather IWB and OWB holster for a SD40 and Sigma 40 holster.Since I am on disability $$ is a factor as well and do not want to break the bank but yet get a quality holster that is NOT a Chinese knockoff. Who would you all recommend as your go to leather store ??? Its kinda sad what i can CC all around the non free state of Marylandstine with my Utah and DC Permits but can not carry in Marylandstine unless you have a G&S Reason. Being disabled and self defense is not G&S according to MSP or the MD General Assembly. Looking to move with in the next 5 to 6 yrs when the wife can retire from NOAA the weather people. We are taking a hard look at Rehoboth Beach area in DE or the Shenandoah Valley where I am related to Gen Robert E Lee on my moms side of the family. I am so sorry if this has been asked before but as a FNG I want to learn who I can trust and depend upon to make a good leather holster..
Thanks
 
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Seems like over 50 years of using handguns just about every one of my holsters have the name Bianchi stamped on them .
My last two were made in Mexico ( a IWB for a S&W and a OWB belt holster for a Ruger Blackhawk ) but for the price I paid for them , brand new , I have not one complaint and will order from them again.
The quality may not be as when made in the USA years ago , but I was more than pleased. The IWB has a ratchet built in so you can easily adjust the angle/cant of the gun.....Love this feature !
Gary
 
I have had excellent results from two makers, one of whom is primarily a saddle maker with secondary business of holsters, sheaths, accessories, some of which are rather esoteric. This maker is Wes Daems (7X Leather, Ennis, Montana). All of my single action holsters are his. All four knife sheaths for the built-to-order Cowy X damascus knives I recently gave to my nephew and his three sons are made by Wes. My Brunton Pocket Transit cases are his. And so on, and so on.

More recently, Mark Fedders, Lobo Leather (or Holsters??) made a cross-draw holster for my SP101 three-inch barrel revolver. When worn, holster and revolver disappear from consciousness while revolver is perfectly positioned for my timely access to it. When I'm out of my brace and restore back and abdominal muscles, I will be asking for the same basis holster albeit about .5-inch higher riding for my SP101 4.2-inch barrel. The worst that results is the holster becomes what is used for outdoors rather than concealment.

Hope these recommendations are useful.
 
If you're new to all this then I'd not bother with the so-called 'custom' makers (we don't really make them 'custom'). Galco is the best of the makers today, inheriting what we used to do so well at Bianchi through the 1980s. They copy the tried-and-true designs, and they use good materials, and their workmanship is better than the custom chaps anyway!
 
Forum member Snubby Fan makes a right nice custom holster at a reasonable price . . .

Another “2-thumbs-up” vote for Snubbyfan!

The best part is that he walks you through the whole process and uploads videos of the holster in various stages along the way. You end up with a fully customized holster made to your individual specifications.

All at a fair and reasonable price.

Can’t say enough good things about the man or the product.

Shown with my 66-4.....
 

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The best holster I own, and my go-to for future orders, is the one I bought from Lobo for my 2" k-frames. Beautifully precise thumb break and great leather work.
 
El Paso Saddlery

My first stop for a leather holster nowadays is El Paso Saddlery:
El Paso Saddlery – Custom Leather Holsters & More
Tried & true designs, great quality, friendly & helpful, reasonable cost. What's not to like?

They reside somewhere between a custom maker and a mass-producer like Galco, Don Hume, Gould & Goodrich, Aker, etc. You can order a holster with a few custom features besides make/model/bbl length, etc. And it will be be built to spec. But a full-up custom holster maker will give you more options and such.

With EP Saddlery and full-up custom holster makers, I have a 100% success rate. The holster works. I use it. Life is good. Money well spent.

With mass-produced holster makers, I have a 50% success rate. Half the time they don't work out. Half my money might as well have been set of fire. I then have to replace the mass-produced holster with a custom holster.

And here's the kicker: a custom holster usually doesn't cost much more than a mass-produced holster. Sometimes less.

On the other hand, a mass-produced holster can sometimes be had RIGHT NOW if it is in stock, whereas a custom holster will take more time to get in your hot little hands.

====================

As an added bonus, I will include some designs that have worked well for me:
1. EP Saddlery Tortilla. Pancake-style OWB. Good for larger/heavier guns.
2. Milt Sparks VM2 & clones. IWB. Good for larger/heavier guns.
3. Don Hume JIT. A belt slide / semi belt slide. Nice for the smaller/lighter guns.

And don't forget the belt. The heavier the gun, the sitffer the belt must be.
 
Don Hume. Excellent quality, very durable and at reasonable prices. I have some that are 20 years old and still going strong. ;)
 
For a pretty darn good holster at a bargain price look at a kydex holster from On Your Six out of San Antonio. No it isn't leather but they work and are comfortable IWB. They are very inexpensive but not cheaply made. They use a very thin kydex that I didn't think would be durable but has been.

I second what others have said about El Paso Sadlery, Bianchi, Galco and Don Hume for factory leather holsters. Don Hume holsters are a bargain and really good but not as nice as the other makers mentioned. Going up a few notches Milt Sparks and Mitch Rosen make nice holsters. Then you are into custom makers.

The forum member who bought Lobo has a good reputation but I haven't personally used any of his gear.

Finally I forgot to mention Simply Rugged which is a semi-custom maker at factory prices. I have a couple of his holsters and like them a lot. His work is good.

Other than as mentioned I have holsters from each maker mentioned. While there are a lot of other good holster makers those are the ones that I know and LIKE! If I didn't mention a company (Not a custom maker) there is a good possibility that I've tried their products and didn't like them.
 
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