N-Frame, Cross-Draw, Lefty
One of the things that I love about building revolver holsters is the lack of factory-made holsters available. With multiple companies producing multiple frame sizes in different chamberings, barrel-lengths, barrel profiles, etc.; there are nearly limitless varieties in revolver shapes and sizes. Couple that with special needs/desires of a gun carrier, and holster possibilities are virtually infinite. Factory made holsters simply cannot encompass the variations. The big holster manufacturers have to pick the most common brands/frame sizes/barrel lengths/carry methods, and then they must focus on those. The opportunities of a custom holster maker really shine in this section of the market where you can ask me to build you a holster for any gun, to be worn in any position, at any angle. If you can provide me access to the gun, I can mold the holster to the gun that it will carry like a glove, no matter what the peculiar specifics of that gun may be.
Case in point: My friend Darin wanted a cross-draw holster for his S&W Model 22 Thunder Ranch. He’s left-handed. This is a .45ACP, N-frame revolver with a half-lugged pencil-barrel. No, there is no factory-made holster to fit the bill on this one. After experimenting with my hidden-stitch method, I had become confident that I had developed a winning method for this unique holster structure, and he said that he wanted his to be like this. I told him that I don’t do black (which I will do black at this point), so we decided on a cacao brown. To the untrained eye, it does look black.
The holster turned out beautifully! Darin was very pleased, and wears it from time to time when he’s feeling froggy enough to pack an N-frame. The original intent was for him to wear it on his weak side. As it turns out, you’ve got to be a seriously big dude to easily wear an N-frame in a cross-draw, belt holster. When he wears this one, he wears it approximately at 1:30 on the belt with an un-tucked shirt over it. That seems to hide the gun quite nicely. Obviously, I don’t have enough frame to wear this gun in this method.
Between my hidden-stitch prototype and this holster, I was completely sold on the concept. This protects the stitching, provides a lot of support structure, allows cover garments to drape better, and it just looks cool! I’ve done several holsters in this style since, and have thousands of hours of the hardest wear I could muster on my prototype.
