New Leather

U

Uncle Buck

New member
I have a .45 revolver (New Vaquero) and I found the perfect leather holster and belt for it. The holster fits like a dream, but the leather bullet loops are so blasted tight. I want to be able to wear this pistol and belt to the range so I do not have to carry extra ammo with me. I can wear what I shoot. ("You mean that is all you are going to shoot Uncle Buck? You must not be feeling well." Spoken by a know-it all teen-age nephew.)

How do I stretch the bullet loops enough to hold the cartridges, but not so much they get sloppy in the loops and fall out? Right now they are so blasted hard to get in or out of the loops and I have always been told not to store ammo in leather loops, so what are my options here? I plan on reloading the empties, so I do not know if leaving them in will hurt the brass. Use Nickle plated empties?

I do not know if this is in the right section or should be in the gear section, but I figured some of the older wheel guys/gals would know the answer. Sorry if it is in the wrong place.
 
If the leather is good vegetable tanned leather you can wet the loops and let them dry with cartridges in them. Don't try it with cheap chrome tanned leather. It will most likely get hard if you do. Oiling it will make it soft and floppy. The best way is to let them loosen up with use.

Most newbies to western leather push the cartridges all the way down to the case heads. Don't do that. Leave some showing at the top like these. Use your finger to push them up from the bottom instead of trying to pull them out from the top
belt1.jpg
 
Newbie? Why I think I do resemble that remark :D Thanks guys. I really appreciate the info. I will load the loop like the picture.
Not knowing what type of leather it is, I think I would probably be best with the: Wait and let it soften on it's own.

Do you folks treat your leather with anything to keep it water proof? I want it to look sorta kinda like old fashion leather, but I do not want to do the deer brain/deer fat thing. I wish I could get pictures to load.
 
Not knowing what type of leather it is, I think I would probably be best with the: Wait and let it soften on it's own.
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Who made it? If it cost under 200 for the belt and holster it's most likely chrome tanned. If it cost under 100 for both it most assuredly is. Not much you can do with chrome tanned. Oil it and it gets loose and floppy. Get it too wet and it gets hard, stiff and brittle. Bout the best you can do with it is treat it with cleaner for leather uphostelry. With vegetable tanned you have a plethora of leather care products to meet your every need. Mink oil is good waterproofing.
 
Well I have been making holsters for knifes,swords and guns since about I was 10 or 12. Learned leather craft in VBS!, started fixxing guns (for real)about the same time. Had to, I liked to take them apart and see how the worked.:D My dad was not happy about that. Don't get me wrong I knowed what a gun could do,a gun was allways loaded,never point one at anything you did not want to kill and don't "play" with a gun when I was alot younger the 10 or 12. Sorry for rammbling.:o
 
Yeah, I got into gun work about the same age but just recently started with leather. I can make knife sheaths and small leather bags etc. but nothing fancy.
 
How the heck do I quote!!!!!!
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Once you click on post reply click on the third icon from the right on the bottom row above the text box. Copy what you want to quote and paste it between the qoutes



Here's one of my sheaths. I did the antler too. I'm better with antler than leather. :D
IMG_0177.jpg
 
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