I find myself in need of a holster for my 1911 LW Commander as a place-holder while I wait 12-18 weeks for the Milt Sparks 55BN I just ordered. Wilson Combat has a wide selection of leather Commander holsters but there is no indication of by who, or where, the holsters are made. Anyone have experience with WC's 1911 leather holsters? If so, would you compare them in quality to Sparks or El Paso Saddlery or other, comparable, leather holsters?
Are you wanting an IWB or OWB rig?
@oregon45
Last edited by Lost River; 08-16-2019 at 08:33 PM.
OWB, shot you a PM as well.
I have a Wilson holster for my DW V-bob in commander length. I like it a lot. It was actually made by Palmetto leather. Fits the gun really well and is nicely executed. The leather is really stiff and requires a long break in.
Real guns have hammers.
The "wilson combat" brand holster I got was a rebranded MTR leather. Good quality and worth the money.
Well, to get it out of the way, first, Milt Sparks is so very different from most holsters made by El Paso Saddlery. A 55BN is a very stiff holster, precisely molded to the contours of the weapon mold, whereas EPS holsters are made of softer leather, and not as precisely-molded to the weapon. An EPS holster that is lined will be notably stiffer than the unlined versions. IIRC, one may well be still be able to specify thicker leather, for a custom EPS rig. It is very easy to find a number of production rigs equal to, or better then, EPS’ unlined, off-the-shelf holsters. I believe that the best EPS stuff is made-to-order, as the lined Threepersons holster, for S&W K-Frames, that I special-ordered in the Nineties, was much better than some recent unlined EPS stuff I have seen.
To be clear, I am not saying that EPS makes “bad” or low-quality stuff, just that it is going to be quite different from Milt Sparks. A pigskin-lined EPS rig is a thing of true beauty, especially if one opts for carving and/or stamping.
I bought a pre-owned Wilson Combat rig that seems quite well-made, very stiff/rigid, but all of my 1911 pistols at the time were Les Baers, which have sharp FCS, which locked them into the holster so firmly, I could not use the holster. (This is a common unintended consequence of FCS!) This WC particular holster is more of a pancake style, with the belt loops outboard of the pouch portion, which holds the weapon, rather than one of the loops being tunnel-style, behind the weapon, as is the case with the 55BN. The side of the holster, toward my body, is a single layer of thick, well-molded leather. (The “rough” side of this layer is what catches FCS.) The side of the holster away from my body is double-layer, with the rough layers facing each other. Unfortunately, I cannot read many of the letters and numerals in the stamping, so cannot verify that my WC holster is exactly the same as anything currently available from WC.
I have, since, added a 1911 without FCS, but is has no ambi thumb safety, at least not yet, and, my WC rig is lefty, so, I have yet to use it in public, and therefore, cannot comment on long-term durability, in the wild.
To drift a bit off-topic, a Galco Avenger is a quite decent, probably-quickly-available, non-canted, vertical-angle substitute for a 55BN. I used a Galco Avenger as my default daily carry holster from 1997-2002, for a 5” Colt Government and a 5” Kimber. A Galco Avenger is a design copy of other, earlier “Avenger-style” holsters, which seem to be design copies of the Bruce Nelson Professional. Notably, Milt Sparks credits Bruce Nelson, with the “BN” part. A Galco Avenger will not be quite as stiff/rigid as a 55BN.
Last edited by Rex G; 08-17-2019 at 09:34 AM.
Retar’d LE. Kinesthetic dufus.
Don’t tread on volcanos!
I bought my first Wilson holster about twenty five years ago. I used that holster for at least fifteen years, the accompanying belt and mag pouch got twenty years of use. That original holster is still perfectly usable today. It only sits in my drawer of holsters because I no longer carry a 1911. My most recent Wilson holster was purchased a few months ago for a WC Beretta CenTac, it's also of good quality. I don't think you have to worry about quality.
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
I would concur. I ordered an IWB holster from EPS for a Glock 19 and, while well made and quality materials, it fits my son's Beretta 92FS much better than it did the Glock. Curiously, the snaps on the straps were not PTD, either.Originally Posted by Rex G
"It's surprising how often you start wondering just how featureless a desert some people's inner landscapes must be."
-Maple Syrup Actual
I'm not a big fan of El Paso Saddlery holsters, at least as far as concealment holsters go. I have one example, a High Slide ( https://epsaddlery.com/product/high-slide/ ), for a 1911. I bought it from Cheaper Than Dirt about 10 years ago for about $45, compared to the EPS retail price of $75, at the time, I think they are around $80 now. At $45 it is OK, at $75 I'd have been pretty disappointed. I'd not give them $80+ for one. It largely holds the gun in place by gravity.
I just recently purchased a Wilson Combat Item #LP2BLR15 Lo-Profile holster for use with my two 1911 Commander pistols with 4.25" barrels. (One in 9mm and the other in .45 ACP).
The holster is well-made, very compact and low profile, and of all the leather holsters I have used with the 1911, has required less break-in than any others. It conceals quite well but allows relatively fast presentations.
I'm happy with it, but haven't had it long enough to offer any opinions of its durability.
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