Holster Advice

[Red Dawn 4Life]

I have seen some reviews on each but nothing comparing the two and I just plain can't decide so I am asking for a little advice from all you helpful people out there.

I am in the market for a leather holster for my 4" GP100. It will primarily be to take when I go to the range or go hunting, I am not really planning on concealed carrying on a daily basis for now. I have been looking around and I am between Simply Rugged and Cannon Leather. I like Simply Rugged's loaded pancake ($80) because it has the cartridge loops on the holster. If I got the Double Action holster from Cannon, I emailed him and he said he could add cartridge loops to it (didn't mention how much that would add to the $65 price tag).

A big factor, is that Simply Rugged's site says orders usually in 2-4 weeks, while Cannon will take 10-12 weeks. So I am asking if anyone has a good reason to wait roughly 2+ months longer for a holster from Cannon. Also, does anyone have any other helpful advice? I know that if I get the cartridge loops on the Simply Rugged, I wont be able to IWB, but when I want to start IWB I plan on getting a compact 9mm so thats not of concern to me. I am more interested in craftsmanship, comfort or something else I might be overlooking.

Thank you

ps sorry this is long, I promise to give a full review of whichever I end up going with.

[GuyMontag]

So, explain to me why you need cartridge loops on the holster? That makes no sense to me. Are you a cowboy? Or do you not want to carry a speed loader?

[Nic]

They are both good holster makers, but I like Simply Rugged's Loaded Pancake better than Cannon's Double Action even if it had the cartridge loops you want. I would assume both would cost about the same after adding the loops to the Cannon, and with a much shorter turn-around time, I would order the pancake. Good luck.

[Red Dawn 4Life]

So, explain to me why you need cartridge loops on the holster? That makes no sense to me. Are you a cowboy? Or do you not want to carry a speed loader?

No I'm not a cowboy, but I don't see any downside to being able to carry cartridges on the holster when I want to; and to be honest I would like to get a cowboy style belt with cartridge loops and a holster but I can't afford one. I saw the Simply Rugged holster that had them so it put the idea in my head. That is also one of the reason I started this thread; to see if someone had a reason why the cartridge loops would be a bad idea. The idea is that this way whenever I grab my holster I will at least have 6 extra rounds. As of now I do not have a separate belt that will only be for the holster that I could store with speed loader holders. I would rather have the cartridge loops and not use them if I don't feel like it, than not have them.

[rwb1500]

I've only heard great things about the Simply Rugged holsters. And if you want cartridge loops go for it. Who cares?

[Ronin]

I guess I'm one of the few people who can say they've had a bad experience with Simply Rugged holsters. I had two bad experiences dealing with them earlier this year. I won't go into details, but I won't buy another holster from them again.

I've bought two holsters from Cannon Watts - one for my GP100 and one for my wife's SP101. Both are excellent holsters. Worth the wait, worth every penny and then some. Oh and Cannon is good people. I can't say enough about how nice and easy it was to work with him.

All my future revolver holsters will be from Cannon Leather and if he ever gets around to offering holsters for semi-autos I'll probably get a few more from him.

[jokusfocus]

I don't know if this guy has any that have cartridge loops, but a friend of mine ordered an OWB holster for his Smith revolver from Lobo Gun Leather, and I really like it. It was also less than $60 for everything and a VERY nice. Also took just under 4 weeks for it to be delivered.

http://www.lobogunleather.com/1_home

[Red Dawn 4Life]

After thinking it over more, I've decided I am going to make my own holster. I picked up all the supplies this morning and plan to start when I get home from work tonight. I plan on documenting the whole process and will post the pictures/steps unless the end result is too embarrassing.

Thank you everyone for the help though.

[Steve_NEPhila]

I would advise against making your own holster unless you have extensive leather working experience.

I am a fan of Simply Rugged holsters and I have three sourdough pancakes. They are simple, well built and appealing to my minimalist eye. However, I was not aware of Cannon holsters until today, and I will be buying one or two in the near future.

Why not buy one of each? Holsters are inexpensive compared to firearms. Making your own holster is a bit like trying to do your own gunsmith work... you get what you pay for.

[L T C]

I've got a Simply Rugged for a Super Blackhawk. It is ok, but it is sort of "bulky". The quality is very good, but I don't think I'd get another.

The gun is already pretty big, but in that holster it feels like I have a catchers mitt on my belt.

Take a look at Galco Holsters before you decide. I went with a Galco SAO, for that 44mag, and it is way better in my opinion. Carries better and the crossdraw position is perfect.

I have Galco's for my Double action S&W's. The Galco SAO, and the Dual Position Phoenix for a 6" 629 Classic. I can't imagine a nicer holster.

Worth takin' a look. Galco has nice stuff. www.usgalco.com