1858 Holster: Flap or No Flap?

[RPRNY]

Just bought my first BP revolver, an Uberti 1858 Remington 8" blued.

I was pondering holsters and decided that a flapped holster would better protect the cylinder from the elements but all the flapped holsters that I find on-line seem to be reproductions of the Civil War cavalry model with the pistol held but forward on the draw hand side. This strikes me as very awkward.

So, can someone point me at a reasonably priced cross-draw or standard carry flapped holster, or, disabuse me of the idea that a flapped holster offers markedly better protection of the cylinder from, specifically, the wet.

Any other comments, insights, or thoughts on the 1858 for a first time BP revolver owner also welcome.

Thanks very much.

 

[Ron James]

The correct military type flap holster ( for a percussion revolver ) would be butt forward on the left side. If it was butt forward on the right , it would be for a left hander. The pistol was a secondary weapon to the sword. If for whatever reason you lost your sword, you would then reach across your body and draw your revolver.

 

[CraigC]

Flap holsters slow your access but are a good idea for the outdoorsman. They offer the ultimate level of protection. If you order one from El Paso Saddlery, it will have whatever cant you want. I could probably adapt a Slim Jim pattern to a flap design for a nominal upcharge.

 

[swathdiver]

You can just just use the flap holster on the opposite side if you want the butt to the rear. If your caps are on properly, rain or spray or a splash certainly isn't going to foul your gun and in most cases will still fire even after being submerged.

All kinds have their uses.

 

[fdf]

I have a guide friend who had an alder partially cock his pistol while riding his horse and dropped the hammer, it shot him in the leg. It was a .44 Mag. Thankfully it did not kill the horse.

He was lucky, the plane was in camp and it was daylight.

I do not use open holsters for anything.

 

[Rom828]

X2 on that! Flap holster or something that rides high only for me outdoors. CC or OC in the city around the muggles is a different story.

 

[Tinpan58]

You see a lot of flap holsters because of the heavy military use of these guns, they were big and clunky for most civilians, That is why the pocket pistols were so popular. I don’t think most people even had holsters for them, at least I don’t see a lot of examples of them. But as people started moving west, driven a lot by the california gold rush a need raised for a holster that aloud for quicker access to your gun, hence the slim jim holster came into being, sometimes called the california slim jim, It is truly and american holster.. A proper fitting slim jim is made to protect a percussion revolver, it fits tight and the gun is sealed off, back in the day the toe of the holster was sewn shut or plugged. those prospectors were wading around in rivers, snow rain all kinds of weather. But you need to find one that is made for a 1858, because of the web on the loading leaver, one made for a colt really won’t fit well. You probably didn’t see many 1858s in the general population until after the civil war. It may seem awkward to to pull that pistol butt forward, but with a long barreled gun it is much easier especially if you wear it high. I prefer a cross draw holster, I like the easy access standing sitting, if you want to draw to the left or right just seems more natural, its also easer to keep the grip out of the way. The pic on the left is a extreme cross draw holster I made for my 5.5 NMA, not much of a holster at all, but its fast and I don’t worry about the weather, The one on the right is a slim jim for my 1851 navy.

 

[44 Dave]

Last winter I got Dixie Gun Works cheep $15 or $18 Remington flap holster with the round closed end.
I smoothed the brass fastener and oiled the heck it. I now use it for my Remington, Colt 1860 even Uberti .44-40.

 

[the Black Spot]

The correct military type flap holster ( for a percussion revolver ) would be butt forward on the left side. If it was butt forward on the right , it would be for a left hander. The pistol was a secondary weapon to the sword. If for whatever reason you lost your sword, you would then reach across your body and draw your revolver.

Actually the military flap holster for a right hander was butt forward on the right because the saber was on the left.
Hav

 

[the Black Spot]

Actually the military flap holster for a right hand person was butt forward on the right side. The saber was on the left.
Drawing the revolver while on the right side is much easier than reaching across the body lifting the flap and then pulling pistol.
Hope i explained it to be understood.

 

[jgh4445]

Crossdraws are great for me. Flapped of course. I don't do much fast draw and I'm more interested in protecting my revolver from the elements. The major reason for a crossdraw for me is that I can carr my slung rifle on my right side while walking without it rubbing on my revolver and beating them both up.

 

[Crawdad1]

This is where I get my holsterrs from. They're tough and built for hard use and are excellent quality;

http://dellsleatherworks.com/welcome.htm

And their prices are excellent for what you're getting.

 

[BSA1]

Half flap holster

Being a history buff I wanted a period correct holster that was a bit different than the usual Slim Jim designs so I had this half flap holster made for my 1858 Remmie. It is based on actual holster in the book "Packing Iron." The half flap protects the cylinder while the half flap makes the gun easier to draw.







Very affordable quality work.

http://rockingksaddlery.com

 

[RPRNY]

Thanks for your replies and knowledge. I understand the flapped military holster functions as Black Spot describes it. Ideally, I think I would like a flapped crossdraw holster - I quite like the half flap just above. As I cannot imagine attempting to carry an 8" barreled 1858 "concealed", (No, that's not a pistol in my pocket, it's just that I'm hung like an 1858 Remington") the protection when woods walking and riding afforded by a flap makes sense to me.

Appreciate the links to various saddlery purveyors. That gives me more to research. Thanks very much.

 

[CraigC]

I love that half-flap, I need to make one and add it to my website.

 

[AJumbo]

Dixie Gun Works right-hand and left-hand draw military flap holsters in tan and black. I haven't seen one, so I can't vouch for the quality.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Another vote for flap holsters. They offer a lot of protection for your sidearm. The only holster I like better for the woods is a shoulder holster. When you drop your pants your sidearm is still where you want it.

 

[CraigC]

When you drop your pants your sidearm is still where you want it.

Let's just say that I was once "caught with my pants down" when a big hog came trotting through and wished I had not had to remove my gunbelt to do what I was doing. Rifle was ten feet away.......so was the hog.

Hindsight, I reckon I could've dropped my britches and put my gunbelt back on.

 

[twins1]

flap or no flap

my flap holster

 

[RPRNY]

Chose Oklahoma Leather (left side butt forward) with belt and cylinder pouch. Pretty good match to my boots and tack!

 

[WhispersGhost]

Flap

i always prefer Flap and if it does not come with one,then i would rather attach a band with snaps to hold the hammer down to be certain the Revolver never slips out.

 

[sebou]

Hello,
Just want to show you the own holster i use for the Uberti's Remington 1858.
This one was designed by me and friend, who did this famous holster !

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And if you like sounds as "flap" when you draw your gun : Looks this vid, you also could use a Colt 1851 with the same holster i use for the Rem 1858 !!
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEtssP6BaCk



Seb

 

[Float Pilot]

The standard military uniform code called for the Officers Infantry sword or Cavalry saber to be mounted on the left hip.

The Pistol was mounted butt forward on the right side so it could be used with the LEFT hand while your saber was in your right hand.

The saber or sword being considered the primary weapon by the old staff geezers who thought up goofy rules without having to go into battle themselves.

Of course some units in the south (Mosby's Rangers for example) carried numerous pistols while in battle so they had pistols on both sides and another pair of pistols mounted on saddle pummel holsters.

You can find flap holsters that go on either side these days. My 1858 is carried in a butt to the rear, flap holster on my right side.

Call Oklahoma Leather works and explain your problem. They make both left and right..


1858s were a touch ahead of their time with the solid back-strap. So it seems to me that mine fouls up faster than the Colt style with the open top. On the other hand the Remington design is faster to disassemble and clean and it can use extra loaded cylinders.

 

[grter]

A Full Flap holster with a closed bottom protects your gun the best as far as I know.

This one is a copy of a real civil war holster made by Duvall Leather Work. The leather is high quality and it is period correct. Both top and bottom of the revolver are well protected. Simple (no snaps) and does the job quite well which I fancy quite well.

Notice the lack of those big letters (US) on the flap. Those letters were not stamped on holsters during the civil war.

Sorry for the low quality pictures and I did not spit shine the holster although I do ponder it from time to time (I do like shiny things) but shiny is not always the best option (hunting comes to mind) for pratical purposes.