Artillery holster and stock storage

[beachbaker]

I have a few artillery Lugers with nice holsters and original stocks. I currently leave the stocks with all their leather attachments connected together with the holsters. My question is should the stocks be removed and stored separately or is okay to leave them attached. Curt

[Ron Wood]

I leave mine attached. The only consideration might be to not put the "boot" in to place to keep the leather from contacting the stock iron. But if the boot has its original red rawhide liner it may not be a problem.
Ron

[Norme]

Hi Curt,
I remove the holster but leave the leather attachments on the stock, mainly because I don't want to mess with the original screws.
Norm

[George Anderson]

I store mine together with the boot hanging loose. I also do not run the strap through the holster stock block but rather let the upper strap hold the holster in place. I do this to avoid putting any strain on the shoulder strap and the stock block.

[lugerholsterrepair]

Curt, I put these rigs together constantly. Much depends on condition. Norm is correct in that the attachment leathers held by screws are much better off left alone. These fire blued screws are somewhat shallow and if not left in place they can be easily ruined with an incorrect screwdriver. Many of the originals I have observed are all 4 perfectly aligned along the long axis of the stock by the Germans and one way to tell if they have ever been taken off is misalignment.

The main concern I have is the long carry strap. If you have an original carry strap I would be very reluctant to remove it for a small handful of reasons. Original carry straps are extremely rare. Apparently they were in the way and discarded at an alarming rate. Many if most rigs are missing them so it may not be an issue in your case. Original carry straps are extremely fragile. They took 180 degree+ bends and flex constantly. These straps are at least 100+ years old. They have many holes and slots punched weakening them further. Original carry straps are often as not been on the holster & stock for 100 years. They will have achieved a U shape as they have been bent 180 degrees while fixing the holster to the stock. This U shape is pretty much permanent. Attempting to remove it will put an extreme stress on the strap. it has not seen any leather treatment way down in this stock well for EVER. If you do manage to get it off without breaking it..you must someday struggle in reverse and put it back!

Now let us consider another most important part on the holster. The stock block attached to the holster back. This block was sewn on 100 years ago with a plant fiber. To take off or put on a carry strap one must stretch, yank & pull on both the fragile carry strap AND the stock block. Any misstep in this procedure and you are facing disaster. Tear the stock block stitching or even the leather..pull on the Original carry straps and break it..YOU got a PROBLEM.

My advice is this. UNLESS it is necessary for some very few reasons I can possibly think of..this has been in place, unmolested and unbroken for decades..WHY would you now risk ruining it?

Most if not all museums are most concerned with preservation. YOU are a museum of one. Leave well enough alone unless there is an unshakeable REASON to change it.

OK, Let's talk about an original boot. An original boot as Ron indicates was made with two layers, an outer leather shell and an inner liner made of rawhide. It has always been a mystery to my why this was done by the Germans..rawhide is a peculiar choice of materials and to my mind just doesn't seem applicable to an original boot. It is essentially UNTANNED leather. When moist/wet it is soft & pliable. When dry it turns into a hard almost plastic substance. Most stock irons have formed a set inside the rawhide over the years. An original boot fits very tightly. LEAVING An original boot off has as many pitfalls as leaving one on. My choice it to leave it on, lightly oiling the stock iron at least once a year, more in high humidity. Leaving it on assures you it will GO back on. Off and it could swell or shift or have pressure applied in storage preventing it from going back on or even splitting leather or stitching. It fits on now..leave it on and keep the form.

Secondly under consideration is the boot retainer strap and the boot keeper. Both of these are/can be extremely fragile due to use, age and previous storage. The boot keeper is attached to the bottom leather layer on the outside bottom of the boot by either brass or steel solid rivets & washers. In the case of brass..be very careful. The oily goo formed on and around brass, verdegris, can soften and rot the leather it is near. If you tug too hard on this small thin leather boot keeper strap can break and you will have ruined a VERY important part of any original Artillery rig. Of particular note..a broken boot keeper strap is VERY difficult to fix. Remember that these rivets are affixed to the LEATHER bottom but do not go all the way into or through the interior liner. As such they are below the liner and to get at them for a repair the rawhide LINER must be removed.

NOW we are on to the boot retainer strap. This strap has one end screwed onto the stock, the middle has a cross bar to prevent the boot from falling off and lost. This strap has formed the same set the carry strap has. It has a 180 degree bend around and through the bottom of the boot and the boot keeper strap. Even sliding the boot along this bent section can be very stressful to the boot retainer strap but more often it puts a LOT of pressure on the boot keeper strap.

So much depends on condition. If condition is good & strong you can get lucky. If not you will wreck something.

Something to think about...

[beachbaker]

Jerry, your advice about leather and stock storage should be under consideration for a sticky in this section. Many thanks, Curt

[LU1900]

Idem like Jerry , the carry strap was in place from a long time so don't touch