Leather and steel

For those who read my first blog post, thank you. In the interest of continuity, let’s ignore Leo in the peanut gallery and keep to the theme of classic, but not necessarily vintage, firearms.

With the advent of new polymer technology and the explosive proliferation of different modern “plastic fantastic” handguns, many of us old timers retreat to our safe space (the gun room) and fondle our solid steel and metal-framed guns. The all-time champion and American favorite – the famed 1911 – comes readily to mind. But I’m not going to go into its storied past or wax affectionate about its inventor, John Moses Browning. Let’s talk holsters instead. 

Of all the many different guns Galco makes holsters for, the 1911 is probably the most prolific, with over 80 products offered. Not all of those are holsters, as magazine carriers, holster handbags and accessories are included in that count, but at least 48 are holsters. My favorite as usual is the Side Snap Scabbard. I prefer that holster because it offers great close-to-the-body concealability, comfort, ease of use, convenience of easy removal for the belt, and great style.

When talking to customers, the feel of leather, wood and metal is an aesthetic most of us can relate to, akin to the nostalgic “gunfighter” feel of long ago. We can see this in many of the leather holsters we offer. For example, there’s our classically-styled Avenger, the traditional pancake design of the Combat Master, and the Hollywood mystique of the Miami Classic made famous by Don Johnson of Miami Vice fame. There’s nothing like leather when talking holsters.

Yet it’s true, modern materials will always look to usurp leather’s hold on that romantic imagery we formed in our childhood, when we would pore over those great gun publications of the past. As we all know, you can’t stop changing times or progress, and the day will come when some of us buy that first Kydex or injection-molded holster. If and when that time comes, Galco will be there, with innovative offerings like the Kydex Corvus or the BlakGuard leather-and-polymer hybrid holster.

Here at Galco, there are many choices for – as our company motto goes – those who demand the best, and know the difference.