4090Sharps
WKR
I wanted to share a pair of holsters I made yesterday for my John Powers' custom Ruger Bearcat. One is a leather holster for around town carry (I like my single actions) and the other is for hiking. Sorry I don't have more progress pictures!
Leather Holster
I inherited some leather working tools and a leather sewing machine last year (Cowboy CB3200), so I figured I should put them to use making myself a proper holster. I didn't end up with the collection of leather stamps, so any tooling will have to wait for future projects. This holster was very much an exercise in using what I had on hand, so the leather weight wasn't ideal, my needle was a size too small (found the proper size this morning...), and I didn't have a groover to set a stitching groove....
Having said all of that, I'm happy with my first leather project, and it certainly won't be my last. I based the design on a Mernickle single action OWB holster that I previously owned and used with a Ruger Blackhawk. The holster has a 10 degree forward cant. The leather I used was a relatively supple, dyed ~4-5oz leather that I laid up in two layers with Barge cement. All stitching was done with 277 nylon thread and a size 24 righthand twist needle.
After stitching the top and bottom pieces together, I started to wet form the leather by hand, but a vacuum sealer can be used in the process.... Much better, and more efficient.
I didn't intend to use a hammer thong, but I made a mistake where the cutout is on the revolver's top strap. I left the leather at that length, instead of bringing the stitched down, folded side up the back side of the cylinder, mirroring the front. As a result, the back of the holster conforms very nicely to the waist with little pressure, but also releases some of the tension on the revolver. Not so much that the gun should fall out during normal use, but it was loose enough to bother me. Luckily, the oversized patch of leather below the revolver frame made a perfect spot to thread a hammer thong.
Marsupial-Style Holster
This holster is similar to builds others have done on the forum. I used a single layer of 1000D Cordura and a 1/32" thick sheet of HDPE. After stitching down the webbing, I affixed the top and side snaps. Next I added a fleece liner, sewed in a long velcro loop strip, and added binding. Finally I stitched down the top length of webbing that weaves the harness and holster together, and sewed the bottom edges together. Nevermind the chalk, that will wear off.
The Revolver
I thought questions might come up about the revolver, so here's some background. Back in 2013 I became smitten with the idea of a Ruger Bearcat chambered in .327 Federal Magnum after reading about the late Jeff Quinn's custom by Alan Harton. As far as I know, Alan Harton stopped making these, but interest among custom revolver enthusiasts led David Clements (on his way to retirement) of Clements Custom Guns to briefly offer these conversions in 2018. From what I've heard, the conversion process didn't lend itself well to jigs due to variances in measurements/tolerances over the many years this model has been in production, so David Clements only did one batch of conversions. I figured I would sell some guns to gather cash and get in on the second batch... obviously that didn't work out.
Jumping forward to December 2021, I found out John Powers, of Powers Metalworks LLC was offering Bearcat conversions. I wrote a check and printed out a shipping label that night. If you're not familiar with John, he is a member of the American Custom Gun Makers Guild, and does absolutely outstanding work. I highly recommend checking him out if you have a custom project in mind. My .327 Bearcat was returned to me last month, and I couldn't be happier. Obviously, due to the small frame, a regular diet of .327 loads will shoot this thing loose, so I'll mostly be using loads in the 32 S&W to 32 H&R Mag range. Overall, a great small game and plinking gun that I can use for self defense if so required, and maybe even a javelina hunting.
If you don't own a Bearcat, of any caliber, give them a serious look. The single piece frame and grip, said to be modeled after the 1858 Remington, is something to behold.
Leather Holster
I inherited some leather working tools and a leather sewing machine last year (Cowboy CB3200), so I figured I should put them to use making myself a proper holster. I didn't end up with the collection of leather stamps, so any tooling will have to wait for future projects. This holster was very much an exercise in using what I had on hand, so the leather weight wasn't ideal, my needle was a size too small (found the proper size this morning...), and I didn't have a groover to set a stitching groove....
Having said all of that, I'm happy with my first leather project, and it certainly won't be my last. I based the design on a Mernickle single action OWB holster that I previously owned and used with a Ruger Blackhawk. The holster has a 10 degree forward cant. The leather I used was a relatively supple, dyed ~4-5oz leather that I laid up in two layers with Barge cement. All stitching was done with 277 nylon thread and a size 24 righthand twist needle.
After stitching the top and bottom pieces together, I started to wet form the leather by hand, but a vacuum sealer can be used in the process.... Much better, and more efficient.
I didn't intend to use a hammer thong, but I made a mistake where the cutout is on the revolver's top strap. I left the leather at that length, instead of bringing the stitched down, folded side up the back side of the cylinder, mirroring the front. As a result, the back of the holster conforms very nicely to the waist with little pressure, but also releases some of the tension on the revolver. Not so much that the gun should fall out during normal use, but it was loose enough to bother me. Luckily, the oversized patch of leather below the revolver frame made a perfect spot to thread a hammer thong.
Marsupial-Style Holster
This holster is similar to builds others have done on the forum. I used a single layer of 1000D Cordura and a 1/32" thick sheet of HDPE. After stitching down the webbing, I affixed the top and side snaps. Next I added a fleece liner, sewed in a long velcro loop strip, and added binding. Finally I stitched down the top length of webbing that weaves the harness and holster together, and sewed the bottom edges together. Nevermind the chalk, that will wear off.
The Revolver
I thought questions might come up about the revolver, so here's some background. Back in 2013 I became smitten with the idea of a Ruger Bearcat chambered in .327 Federal Magnum after reading about the late Jeff Quinn's custom by Alan Harton. As far as I know, Alan Harton stopped making these, but interest among custom revolver enthusiasts led David Clements (on his way to retirement) of Clements Custom Guns to briefly offer these conversions in 2018. From what I've heard, the conversion process didn't lend itself well to jigs due to variances in measurements/tolerances over the many years this model has been in production, so David Clements only did one batch of conversions. I figured I would sell some guns to gather cash and get in on the second batch... obviously that didn't work out.
Jumping forward to December 2021, I found out John Powers, of Powers Metalworks LLC was offering Bearcat conversions. I wrote a check and printed out a shipping label that night. If you're not familiar with John, he is a member of the American Custom Gun Makers Guild, and does absolutely outstanding work. I highly recommend checking him out if you have a custom project in mind. My .327 Bearcat was returned to me last month, and I couldn't be happier. Obviously, due to the small frame, a regular diet of .327 loads will shoot this thing loose, so I'll mostly be using loads in the 32 S&W to 32 H&R Mag range. Overall, a great small game and plinking gun that I can use for self defense if so required, and maybe even a javelina hunting.
If you don't own a Bearcat, of any caliber, give them a serious look. The single piece frame and grip, said to be modeled after the 1858 Remington, is something to behold.
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