blm/42 P-08 holster leather

[lugerholsterrepair]

Oh, let me count the ways! I have personally taken apart hundreds of original holsters, Army's Navie"s,Police,civilian...You name it I've taken them down to their underwear.


Most of the very early holsters were meticulesly crafted out of very fine leather. The sheen or gloss was highly pronounced. Leather thickness was carefully considered. Through WW1 the standards were really consistent. The only real difference I have found in early holsters was the Type 1 and type 2 6'' Navy holster. It was made with leather that seems a little different in the holsters I have examined. Thread was quite thin too...


Threads vary widely even on the same holster. Some is thick and some is thin.

Later in WW2 is when you see some drastic changes in construction, leather thickness and thread size. WW2 holsters in general seem to be of leather that can be thicker and the thread can be quite thick as well. You would think this would be the opposite but there is room for speculation here. The leather seems to be less pliable too...Maybe not tanned as thourghly or as well. The construction seems to be flawed too on some WW2 holsters I have examined. Probably due to slave labor doing the work instead of German saddlers. This is a subject that has given me countless hours of enjoyment as there are plenty of holsters out there to study and I am lucky enough to get to tear them apart! Too long for here though! Jerry