FA holsters?

[HGunner]

Has anyone tried the FA strong side high ride holster for a 4.25" FA 97?  How do you like it?  Can it be used with a tall (.430) front sight without the front sight scraping leather?


Thanks,
HGunner

[erkg]

I use one with my 97 4.25inch 41 magnum.  I like it a great deal.  I'm 6'1 and a bit thick around the middle, but the holster still allows for (careful) concealed carry in the woods under a t-shirt or sweatshirt.  It won't hide from someone who is looking for it, but it does prevent unnecessary alarm on the trail. 


It is not a particularly quick design, but it is very secure.



I use a shorter front sight, so cannot speak to your second question.


Best,


Erkg

[HGunner]

With this high ride holster and 4.25" FA 97 - what's the tallest front sight you have used without your front sight dragging leather?


What's your favorite holster for this gun?


Thanks,
HGunner

[rs10mx]

 I ordered a Milt Sparks HSR holster for my 4 3/4 inch Model 83 which takes about 6 months for delivery. I hope there is no issue with the front sight height I might give them a call to check. I have several Spark's holsters and really like them but the Freedom's holsters look good and will be less money.

[cobrad]

My FA is a 7 1/2" model 83. I carry it it a FA chest holster. What I can say is I am very pleased with the high quality of the holster.
FWIW.

[dbriannelson]

Old thread, but now that I've had the holster you mentioned for awhile, maybe I can answer the questions.

The FA strong side high-ride holster for the 4.25" 97 is a decent piece of gear. Where most custom holsters are pouches that contact the handgun along its length, this one is more of a rigid molded cup that is not closely "boned." Without the strap in place, a summersault would likely result in a dumped gun. As I don't do those or ride horses or bikes, the strap on mine is threaded through the top of the aft belt slot to keep it riding as butt-forward as possible. It's cut to accomodate a 1.75" or wider belt, and flops around on my 1.5" belts otherwise. Restitching the forward belt loop would require cutting and re-stitching the main seams, and the existing aft belt slot is pretty much not fixable.

The leather is thin, but as mentioned, rigid. Stitching quality is OK for a production holster, and the mold used creates a fine full-length channel for the ejector button (something other "custom" makers can't seem to get right).

Your front sight will ride the leather. But because it's rigid, you just draw pushing the butt forward to reduce the drag and wear. (And there's always cold blue for when the corners do shine up.)

I bought the holster to be able to carry my 97 until a Barranti holster gets to me this fall. It's a usable temporary solution, though it isn't a match to the quality of Freedom Arms revolvers. BUT I also didn't have the typical long, long wait for the kind of holster I really prefer.

Don

[HGunner]

Thanks for the response - just what I was looking for.  I had one FA holster a while back.  I thought it was a very useable working holster but nothing special given the quality of the guns.  My big concern was the room for the front sight.  I am using a fiber optic sight that pulls leather more than a ramp.  The FA doesn't sound any better than the Galco SAO that I'm using  (a very good over the counter holster by the way).  I'm gonna stick with the Galco for now.

[gcrank1]

Something like 30yrs ago I had a 'Safariland'(?) holster that had a stiff welt with a 'sight track' in it. It worked very well indeed. I have no idea if such is being used now by anybody, but it sounds like it would work for you.

[dbriannelson]

"Sight tracks" sometimes work and sometimes don't. The nylon ones seem pretty good if positioned right by the maker. The El Paso Saddlery "Double Agent" with stitched-in leather strips forming the channel works great in the 1911 holster, but not at all in the single action holster. The best I've seen are in the Mitch Rosen line. Pancake holsters also protect the front sight pretty well simply because of having a front seam.

[dbriannelson]

Gcrank1, I agree about those holster designs that stitched in a strip of thick leather in the forward seam. It was a simple solution to protect the sight. When the trend changed to forward folded one-piece designs rather than the two-piece, those practical holsters all but disappeared. Maybe someone still makes them that way?