Slim Jim with a little rawhide and a little beadwork

[GYJ]

The other day I was sitting outside, smoking a cigar and looking through magazines when I had this idea to put a rawhide cuff on a sixgun holster. I've learned to keep a sketchpad nearby so I can commit my ideas to paper, lest I forget them ten minutes later. This is the result. I used a piece of my drum dyed brown leather, later dipped in walnut dye. The deer rawhide soaked in walnut dye for a few hours to get good saturation. Tin cones and fringe with a combination of modern Czech beads with antique French and Italian beads.

 

[Ricochet]

Awesome job!!

 

[user 48679]

What a great idea !

I really like it - congrats !

 

[Rifleman1776]

Great workmanship.

 

[Red Owl]

How does it carry on the belt? I've always had a problem with a high center of gravity- I guess it depends on the position of the belt loop.

 

[GYJ]

How does it carry on the belt? I've always had a problem with a high center of gravity- I guess it depends on the position of the belt loop.

It should carry just fine. I probably "use" more of this type of design than anything else. It's my favorite to use and to make.

For some dumb reason I didn't take any pics of the backside of this one. I'll post another below.

I made the mistake early on of putting the belt loop way too low on the pouch. I learned to correct that pretty quick but it took some trial & error with the pattern and belt loop design.

 

[Red Owl]

That was my problem, on the belt the gun wanted to swing upside down. A guy on this forum helped by telling me to make the holster "oversized" or so that the revolver sat lower in the holster. I finally made one that didn't swing upside down. I tried to study the original holsters but they never show the back- how they did it back in the day. The other way is too have the loop very snug on the belt and wide enough to stay put- if that makes sense.

 

[JeffG]

Grand holster, well done!

 

[GYJ]

It was one of several mistakes I made with my very first holster. It was functional but the heavy Dragoon hung funny on the belt. The cylinder is kinda the hinge point. If the cylinder is above the belt, then you really have to do a more modern design like a pancake to counter act gravity. Partly, my belt loop was too big. I had also drawn the triggerguard cutout too large and the "ears" too small. Wider ears and a narrower belt loop allow for the belt loop to be attached higher on the pouch.

This is from 9yrs ago, my first holster.

This is from two weeks ago, same gun.

 

[Red Owl]

Bill Jordan wrote a book, "No Second Place Winner" in which he had a holster that "rode high" on the belt but the fit was so tight that the holster would not swing upside down. In any event I made my next holster so the gun was farther down and that solved the issue.