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ca. 1875-1880 DOUBLE LOOP BROWN LEATHER HOLSTER
AND CARTRIDGE BELT – FOR A LARGE FRAME SINGLE ACTION
REVOLVER 7 ½” BARREL LENGTH – BELT WITH .44 -.45 CALIBER
LOOPS – AN EXCELLENT EARLY MATCHED SET:
This is a very attractive
matching set consisting of a classic double loop holster
designed for a large frame single action revolver such
as the Colt Single Action with a 7 ½” barrel, mated with
a matching leather looped cartridge belt – both pieces
appear to have been made from the same leather.
This holster and belt
obviously saw regular use during its service life, worn
by a man who felt the need to keep his revolver close at
hand on a daily basis; however neither have been abused
or worn out.
More than long enough to fit a Colt Single Action with a
7 ½” barrel, this is very well made quality holster.
The profile of the pouch suggests an early manufacture
as it features a straight throat without the later
recurve profile which exposed the trigger guard, and a
contour fit main seam profile sewn through the rounded
toe. Both of these features are holdovers from the form
fit percussion holsters of the previous decades. When
seated on the belt in its natural position, the toe of
the holster has a decided cant to the front, suggesting
this was an intentional feature to facilitate a faster
and smoother motion when drawing the revolver. The
pouch is secured in a truncated ¾ length skirt - a
characteristic believed by some students of early
civilian gun leather to indicate an early manufacture
and to have been a common feature incorporated by Texas
makers.
There is a decorative double line of stitching in a
pattern on the body, and on the edges of the loops and
edges of the skirt. The entire stitching pattern is
visible, however the thread has worn away. The pouch
was completely lined with a red felt material, though
much of the lining has worn away through use. The two
loops which capture the pouch are lined with a light
colored chamois or buckskin like leather. This same
lightweight leather lines the upper rear interior
surface of the pouch and the full face of the reverse of
the skirt. There is some wear to the lining leather on
the reverse of the skirt, but the great majority is
intact.
The leather surface retains a bright, clear, shiny
surface - smooth with no crazing or flaking. The
leather is supple and holds its shape with no
weaknesses. Most of the wear is plainly visible in the
photographs below. The loops which capture the pouch
are still firmly riveted in place and show no weakness.
The seam is fully intact down through the rounded toe
with no loss of the stitching.
The front and reverse of
the pouch toe have small (¼”) holes from where the
muzzle of the pistol wore against the bottom of the
pouch, neither of which negatively affects the integrity
of the pouch.
The holster measures 11 ½”
OAL and 5 ¼” OAW.
The belt loop formed by the
skirt easily accepts the matching 2 ½” wide belt.
The very well made looped cartridge belt is constructed
of a single piece of folded leather stitched along the
bottom edge. The body of the belt measures 36” long and
2 ½” wide, with a 12 ¼” long billet. Matching the
holster, the leather surfaces of the belt retain a
bright, clear, shiny surface - smooth with no crazing or
flaking. The belt features 34, .44-.45 caliber
cartridge loops stitched to a leather runner the width
of the loops, which was then in turn stitched to the
body of the belt. This is an unusual feature which
serves to separate the rim of the cartridge from the
surface of the belt and allows for a more certain grasp
when drawing a cartridge from the loop – especially
under pressure. All of the loops are full form and
intact with no wear to the top or bottom edges, no
tearing, and the stitching is intact between the loops.
While the loops were intended to accommodate both
cartridge sizes as when newly made, and the loops will
now accept both .44 and .45 caliber cartridges, over
time and with age the leather will contract and forcing
or displaying a full belt of cartridges can result in
tearing the loops or breaking the stitching and is not
recommended. The billet and the buckle chape are fully
intact and securely sewn to the body, and the original
steel buckle is present.
This holster and cartridge belt set combines several
desirable features which include being made to carry a
large frame revolver and the large caliber pistol
cartridges; being well made and incorporating some very
early characteristics; and finally, it shows enough age
and evidence of use to indicate that it was worn
regularly during the period by a man who had a need for
such a rig, while at the same time having survived in
very good condition and still retaining a pleasant
appearance with all the components intact.
Matching leather cartridge belt and holster sets from
this early metallic cartridge revolver era are anything
but common, and those which were intended to carry the
larger framed, full length barreled, heavy caliber
revolvers are so much in demand by modern collectors
that they simply do not appear on the market very
often. Think long and hard before you pass on this
opportunity. (0913) $2500
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