U.S. Commercial Luger Holsters

[wlyon]

The first major import of lugers was American Eagles. Many were sold with some type of holster. WWI and II resulted in thousands of lugers brought into the U.S. There were more lugers than holsters.

In the early 1900's, saddle and harness shops were searching for new markets since, with the advent of the automobile, saddle and harness demands were declining. Making holsters for the ever-expanding handgun industry provided some of this market. This included luger holsters. Some of the major holster manufacturers were Heiser, Audley, Lawrence, Colorado Saddlery, and S.D. Myres. These are well covered by Eugene Bender in his excellent book, "Luger Holsters and Accessories of the 20th Century."

Tandy Leather Company had luger holster patterns as well as pre-cut leather for the "do it yourselfers." Generally, Tandy holsters were the closed type.

Many holsters were made by small leather shops. These were generally custom made on an individual order basis.

Later, Brauer and Hunter made many luger holsters.

The majority of U.S. holsters were made without magazine pouches. There were, however, some made with this provision.

Some were made for artillery and navy lugers. I have one police holster for an artillery?

How do you find these holsters and identify them as luger holsters?

Some custom luger holsters have the name of who made them and luger and/or barrel length stamped on the back. Many others are totally unmarked.

All gun shows have tables with various used holsters. I spend a lot of time going through them. Most gun shops have boxes of used leather to look over. Occasionally I find one. Ebay is another source.

Most, if not all, holsters that have held a luger are easy to recognize by size and impressions made inside by the rear toggles. I also generally carry a luger for checks.

Probably it is not an area that many are interested in. For me, it has added a new luger collecting element. Prices are certainly cheaper than original leather (which I still like very much). I currently have 80+ U.S.-made luger holsters.

Photos:
1. Lawrence, Heiser and Audley holsters
2. What I call "Tandy patterns"
3. Magazine holsters
4. Artillery and navy holsters
5. Names on back
6. Various designs
7. Toggle impressions