Louisville Leather is a labor of love for Ryan Kuhl. When the proprietor reached out to TTAG to create a project holster, we had just the thing: a .50AE IMI Classic Desert Eagle. Just ahead of Ralph’s review of the mondo-semi, Ryan has begun work on a holster for what we’re gonna call “Extreme Carry.” Note: the image above is NOT the Deagle. It’s a 1911 inside the outline of the (once again) Israeli-made pistol. Make the jump for more comparos using a Chinese Desert Eagle airsoft (plastic), some holster sketches with Ryan’s comments and early work from a Volunteer State leather lover who knows his onions. Or something like that . . .
“Here’s the outlined Desert Eagle [above]. There are two critical steps when starting,” Ryan writes. “The trigger should be covered and there should be enough clearance allotted for the hand to grasp the handle. In this case the grip clearance is marked with two X-s.”
“The design starts to take form. Because of the great barrel length, this gun will ‘ride high’. The belt loops have been marked at just below where I think the firearm’s point of equilibrium is. The belt will run between the parallel dotted lines. Another point of interest are the slots in the top. This will allow the holster to bend around the user’s waist. The length and four belt loops will help to distribute the 4.4 pound firearm. In comparison, a 1911 is 2.4 pounds.”
Final template [above].
“Cut out and ready to be stitched. The shape reminds me of a pitch fork.”
“Here is the rough, stitched holster ready to be molded. Remember that is is poor quality leather and only a trial holster. It isn’t going to look pretty from here on out!”
“It’s larger than a oven mitten!”
“Here it is molded. Remember that it isn’t well defined because for now I am using scrap leather.”
“Here it is seen worn. You’ll need have a loose fitting pair of pants and a belt that has a few notches to spare.”
“Because this is an Airsoft gun I can’t get the feel for the weight. I do believe it will be well distributed though. I am just over 6′ and 175lbs. It conceals well under a sweatshirt, but the barrel does poke out a bit. That ‘printing’ could be mistaken for a wallet. I’m not sure you could sit down with this. I found it carries well in the 5:00 position.
“Overall I am happy with the design and fit. There are a few things that I am planning on tweaking, but nothing major.”
Watch this space for more holster work, Ralph’s Deagle review and some Extreme Carry action.
people calling a desert eagle a ‘deagle’ rubs me the wrong way, like people calling a magazine a ‘clip’.
All Counter-Strike/Modern Warfare/Battlefield gun lingo annoys me.
Video Games are video games, and real life is real life.
I wouldn’t bother with a concealment holster for this gun. Having a holster that carries the weight comfortably for something that you would carry it for practical purposes would be a good goal. That is – hiking & hunting. A good thigh holster probably best so that its wieght isn’t offsetting your lower back and causing additional back pain.
Making it so it would accomodate the gun in its accessorized states would be even more ideal – red dot sight on top, flashlight/laser forward of trigger guard, 10″ barrel (leaving the holster bottom open accomodates that issue).
Students, did anyone here hear anything about Scam Fighter reviews? I checked some of the articles published on their website, and they seemed reliable to me. Nevertheless, I’d like to hear some thoughts or find alternatives to compare them with John’s reviews.
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