As a bit of background, J.W. O’Rourke
Holsters is a small gun leather shop
producing a range of semi-custom holsters,
belts, and associated items. While he
offers a variety of basic holster and belt
styles, actual production is based on
customer-specified requirements regarding
size, lining, color, and specific weapon
type. From pancake, belt slide,
inside-the-waistband, or pocket holsters for
large frame/small frame auto pistols and
double-action/single-action revolvers,
O’Rourke’s standard holster offerings cover
the vast majority of popular handgun makes
and models typically found. By way of
belts, he offers multiple widths with either
leather or suede lining. He also offers
western-style taper belts with cartridge
loops, such as those popular with
single-action revolver aficionados. Lastly,
he can provide accessory items such as
semi-auto magazine holders and rifle
scabbards. John advises that if a customer
cannot find an appropriate holster for their
handgun from among his standard offerings he
will work with them to produce one
specifically for their gun. Given that he
has a small, semi-custom shop, customers
should be aware that a slight delay might be
possible while he and his team of craftsmen
produce the gun leather.
Upon inspection of the belt and holster I
received it was immediately apparent that
they were made by craftsmen skilled in the
leatherworking trade. The belt is a 1 ½”
wide suede-lined model cut out of 3/16”
thick tanned cowhide. The hardware on the
belt consists of a solid brass buckle
affixed by two brass screws. Running
parallel along both edges of the belt is
stitching made of bonded nylon silicone
treated thread. Not only does this serve to
sew the suede lining to the leather, it also
provides a nice looking aesthetic touch as
well. The holster is a pancake style for
large auto pistols. This particular model
is cut to fit a 5” 1911 with an integral
frame accessory rail. As with the belt, the
unlined holster is constructed out of
thick-cut cowhide leather and assembled
using silicone treated nylon thread. It is
an open top design without any retention
strap and it has a slight forward cant.
Both the belt and holster are in what
O’Rourke lists as a natural saddle tan
color.
Once in use, both the belt and the holster
took a bit of wear to get broken in
properly. John advised that this would be
the case, and it was undoubtedly due to the
thickly cut cowhide used to assemble the
pieces. Even now, after having worn the rig
over the course of a couple of months, the
belt is still quite stiff and will
unilaterally “unwind” after I roll it up. I
don’t view this as a negative as a sturdy
belt is required to properly support a
holstered, loaded, steel-framed, full-sized
1911. I particularly like the suede lining
option as it keeps the belt from sliding out
of position around my waist. The suede
helps keep the holstered pistol in position
at roughly 4:00 o’clock on my strong side. |