Custom holster from SCT leather

The topic of today's post is 1 of the 3 custom leather holsters I've purchased from Steven Tapia, owner of SCT leather. The first pair of holsters I ordered from Steven were for my 1911s (no big surprise there to my readers) and are extremely comfortable and well made. However,  I want to talk about a much more custom job that he undertook for me.

Those who are in the gun game side of shooting will quickly recognize this set up as a speed holster. It generally is, but with a few tweaks to meet my needs. Anyone who knows me understands that I have a weird affinity for two things in the gun world: 1911s  and Ruger Security Sixes.

This upcoming hunting season, the Ruger will be getting its first at bat with an optic as my primary hunting handgun.

However, finding a reasonable holster solution for revolvers + optics that fit on your belt can be daunting. Couple that with my strong preference for leather, and you can be caught in a conundrum.

At this point, I sent Steven an email and asked what his thoughts were. How can I get my SS into the woods in both a safe and convenient way?

note the double stitch on the belt loop

Steven ruminated on it and suggested a speed holster design that had the top strap of leather removed with sufficient clearance to allow for my scope mount (photo here). Sadly, I don't have the SS with me to show you how well it fits in this holster, so the Model 10 is doing a stand in- but I can say it is darn near perfect!

Steven reinforced this holster in all the right places to keep it snug against the body. The double stitching on the belt loop, the partially reinforced snap, even the front sight channel. All of which had just a little extra care put into their execution that come from a leather worker who knows what makes the difference between a good holster and an exceptional holster.

SCT Leather's Logo

SCT was always available by email, giving me updates along the way and responding to my questions while all of my holsters were in process.

When I ordered my first holster, Steven suggested that if I would like, he can combine a few holsters into one package to save shipping. At the time, I just didn't have the cash to add another onto the order. As I thought about it though, and I saw the prices for the second 1911 holster I wanted, I quickly broke down and contacted Steven again. Even though my other holster was well underway, he busted hump to get them both completed quickly and got them in the same package despite my indecisiveness.

I waited a long time to write this post. Not because I was lazy or unsure of the quality of SCT- but because I wanted to disprove any nay-sayers. I have had the 1911 holsters of Steven's for a year, and this holster for

sight channel and optic cutout

just about 3 months. I have worn them all in that time quite a bit. Universally they hold close to the body and are trim.

Leather workers, in an effort to gain rigidity can sometimes allow their holsters to become 'thick'. Such is not the case with SCT leather. I have an IWB 1911 holster that is plenty rigid and still doesn't necessitate me buying bigger pants.

The options SCT provides, the quality of service, and the quality of product are awesome. I give Steven's leather work a total buy, and he will continue to get my business. As a matter of fact, now that Ruger has released the SP101 in 22lr, that could very well be the next project I send his way (once I track one down). I cut a lot out of of this post so it didn't sound too much like an advertisement. I didn't talk about how Steven gave me advice on how to fix my girlfriend's leather jacket that had been ruined by water (which his advice saved), nor did I brag about his great pricing (not excessively anyway).

This post still came out extremely positive, and that is simply because he makes damn good holsters.