I can’t abide putting nice guns in ugly holsters. Ugly guns, sure. Stick a Glock in whatever works, but my Smiths aren’t just tools, they’re my constant companions. I take a certain amount of pride in their workmanship and aesthetics, and they deserve the proper treatment, so to speak.
While there have been some marvelous improvements in holster design over the last century, but one of the most enduring was the brainchild of Lee Trimble and Tom Threepersons. Now simply called the Tom Threepersons design, it was first marketed in the 1920s by the famous S.D. Myres (now merged with El Paso).
The idea was to cut as much extraneous leather as possible from the holster, eliminating clumsy covering flaps and leaving the hammer and trigger exposed. The design was angled butt-forward to facilitate a quicker draw and over time, it would adopt a leather retaining strap which fastened beneath the trigger guard.
It’s a phenomenal design. It rides at just the right height and angle to be comfortable, and once the strap is disengaged, it provides for a very intuitive grip and draw. The only problem is, the fastening snap is in a bit of a clumsy spot.
Sure, you can accomodate for it by sweeping the palm upward against the snap from the bottom, but it still makes for a tricky draw. So what to do about it?
Last year, I was introduced to the craftwork of Tom Dyer at Saguaro Gunleather. He came up with a great combination between the Tom Threepersons design and the old Bucheimer Federal Man rig. A second snap was added between the holster and body which allowed for a quicker, more modern thumb-break while retaining the feel and look of the Threepersons holster.
It’s a great design, and as you can see, he does some beautiful carving. Only thing is, I wanted something more utilitarian for everyday carry, so my first two holsters from him were plain black, which doesn’t do much to show the detail.
When I came across a near-perfect Model 10 a few weeks back, it was obvious that I was going to need something just a bit “purtier” for it.
The new holster has just a bit of rust colored highlight to accentuate the carving, attractive but not too ostentatious, which is just the way I like it. It’s a perfect marriage of function and beauty. I encourage anyone with an interest in custom leather to check out Mr. Dyer’s work.