Unmarked Beauty (Heiser?)

[fireitup]

Was at the local flea market this weekend and found a beautiful dark brown leather revolver holster. I cannot find a makers marking on it anywhere, although the brown snap says "Heiser Denver".

Leads me to believe that its a true Heiser, pattern looks good and fits the bill.

Since there is no makers marking, is it a replica? Any idea what guns may fit it? Any insight appreciated!

Thinking (hoping) that its real heiser leather, just missing a skirt or something where the mark was. Link below provides pics through my Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30751166@N04/sets/72157633539608762/

 

[Dr.Rob]

I don't doubt it COULD be. Late in the company's history maybe everything wasn't getting marked properly? There may have been a repair on the back side, that edge stitching looks rough to me.

But it looks 'right' otherwise. There are a LOT of these for sale on E-bay that look pretty much the same.

 

[Old Fuff]

The carving and edge lacing looks genuine. It may be that it was special ordered for a particular revolver that Heiser didn't carry as a catalog item. So far as I know Heiser-branded snaps were never used by anyone else.

I think it's the real thing.

 

[fireitup]

Thanks for the inputs. Now the fun part, finding a gun to fit it! Kinda reminds me of the Cinderella story haha

 

[Keb]

backside

I am trying to load an enlarged back view.

The company marked the back with a pen and usually there is indented writing.
It may be cryptic.

 

[rcmodel]

Try a UV light on the back of the holster then.

If they wrote on it, it's still there under UV light I betcha.

We bought a battery pocket model for my wife's antique glass collecting obsession years ago.

I still use it occasionally to find stuff on stuff you don't even want to know is there!!

rc

 

[rayban]

Thanks for the inputs. Now the fun part, finding a gun to fit it!

Then you'll need a belt.

 

[AJumbo]

Does a 1911 fit in that rig? It looks awfully straight-hewn to be a revolver holster.... how about some dimensions?

 

[fireitup]

rc I will look into snagging a little pen uv light. They seem pretty cheap on Amazon

jumbo, you are right about this holster being straight hewn. A 1911 could fit it well, as the barrel end of the holster has the flat leather sewn in the bottom to keep it wide all the way down. Could be to fit the larger muzzle end of a 1911?

Dimensions:

Interior sight rail side, 8 inches from the tip to where the leather ends.

Interior trigger side, 6 3/4 inches from tip until the leather ends.

Interior tip to the bend in the butt strap 9.5 inches

Thanks for all the inputs!

 

[rcmodel]

Looks too long for a 1911 to me.

Could be for any number of .22 auto's back in the day.
Colt Woodsman .22 Match Target, High-Standard Target, etc.

rc

 

[Old Fuff]

The Old Fuff is going to stick his neck out and say it's more likely a revolver, possibly with a heavy underlug on the barrel, such as a Colt Python. The upper part of the holster looks like it was made to expose the trigger guard, and on a vintage Heiser this would be unusual on a pistol rig.

 

[CraigC]

Very curious that it doesn't have a maker's stamp or any markings to indicate what it fits on the back side. The sewn toe plug doesn't really indicate what it was made for. Dad has an original floral carved, rawhide whip-laced edge H.H. Heiser for his High Standard H-D and it doesn't look like that. I have to agree with Fuff that the high throat hints more to a revolver.

Nobody has an old Heiser catalog?

Should have a maker's stamp and a model number like this one:

 

[Old Fuff]

Nobody has an old Heiser catalog?

Yes indeed! But while many style points match I don't find that particular holster.

The well known Heiser shop was often called on to make "something special" that wasn't cataloged. Since the Heiser brand was on the snap's cap they may not have bothered to stamp an individual holster that didn't yet have a model number.

 

[CraigC]

I was looking at some online pics last night. Looking at one of their Mexican loop designs it struck me that it could've possibly originally been one of those but was later modified to what it is now. Possibly by a local saddlery because if this was done, they did a very good job and it appears to have been machine stitched. That would explain where the maker's stamp went.

 

[fireitup]

Craig, i think you may be absolutely right. See this link for a similar holster

http://www.riverjunction.com/z-SOLD...ser-Model-713-Double-Loop-Holster_p_1977.html

If you look closely on my holster you can see light creases in the leather exactly where the middle strap loops around the back. I'll bet someone cut off all the skirting leather, and sewed the belt loop right to the holster body...

Very nice suggestion!

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[CraigC]

Yep. It's a small pic but this is the one I was looking at that made me think that.

 

[Old Fuff]

I don't think the pouch was cut down at the muzzle end. Note the perfect border below the carving. Machine sewing the belt loop would have been tricky after the pouch was glued at the seam, sewed and laced. In some ways it would be easier to make a new holster.

Been there, done that...

 

[rcmodel]

I agree.

They didn't machine sew that belt loop back on a cut down holster, inside the holster, after it was put together the first time I betcha!

rc

 

[Gordon]

I think it is a Heiser made holster for several reasons, 75% of which is the snap. I do not think it was cut down or repaired. As to what it fits I have no size perspective other than your encircling fingers about 1/2 way down. If you have a K frame 6" or 5" or 4" revolver and cram it as far in as it will go It would help!

 

[rayban]

If they had a machine like this......and it's possible, this one is over 100 years old..... it would would have been possible to stitch on the belt loop without disturbing the pouch....

 

[CraigC]

I wasn't implying that the pouch was cut down, that example I posted isn't even a Heiser. I was just looking at the throat design and it struck me as a possibility. I was only postulating that the skirt could've been cut down into a regular belt loop. Because I saw some Heiser's had their maker's stamp on the back of the skirt. That holster was definitely born with a sewn toe plug. I wasn't aware that Heiser glued their main seams. I know my floral carved Lawrence isn't glued. Either way, the loop could've easily been sewn with a machine like the one posted above.

 

[Old Fuff]

I wasn't aware that Heiser glued their main seams.

I have seen examples that were and weren't. While I can't prove it I think that glue was more likely on those that had an additional welt between the two sides where they came together.

 

[rayban]

If its getting stitched, it gets glued first...that's what I was taught anyhow.

 

[CraigC]

I glue all mine but some makers don't. Some are even kinda belligerent about NOT gluing theirs. Had a rather in-depth discussion on another forum and some folks get downright ornery about gluing.

 

[fireitup]

Thanks again for all the suggestions and insight. No Cinderella slipper fits yet, but I plan to head to the next local gun show and see what I can find out.

I will update when I figure something out.