Brigade gun holsters and accessories. We specialize in leather holsters, western holsters and concealed carry holsters. Our gun holsters are made from top grade leather superbly crafted to produce high quality custom leather holsters & accessories.

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Click here if you need FAQ's (Western Gunleather)

Frequently Asked Questions (common questions we get daily)

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1. Is each holster made to fit only a certain gun?
Each holster is cut, stitched, and molded precisely to fit only the gun model you select. We make truly custom holsters. Below you can click a link to view photos of holsters fitted precisely to various handguns. You will notice we stitch accurately to the shape of the specific gun, not a generic fit!
Photo Gallery
2 .Why is it hard to reach you on the phone?
We do our best to answer both phone lines as often as we can. Our shop sometimes is loud and we don't hear the phone. We can't just hire some "joe" to answer the phones because the technical level of questions require someone that works in the shop to answer. Please keep trying to call at a different time if you can't get through. It is a difficult balancing act trying to get the leather work done and be on the phone so much. We want to give you our time when we are on the phone and not be rushed.
3 . Why can't you stock holsters?
This is an often asked question here is the best answer. It is not possible for us to stock everything we sell. Being a custom maker we face a different situation than mass production holster companies. We currently manufacture over 40 different styles of holsters, belts, and pouches, not to mention custom western gunleather, in our line of products. With different color choices and left and right variations and sued-lined options for over two hundred semi autos and revolvers which means we would need to have well over 80,000 items in stock just to have ONE EXAMPLE of each; That is not possitle, period.... Please help us get to your order quicker by being patient and understanding the nature of the process to produce a quality, fitted leather piece that will last for years and years to come.
4. What are your hours of operation?
Our phone hours are from 9am - 5pm Central time. However, we actually work in the shop from 7am to 7pm 6 days a week, absolutely never less than that. We put in so many hours that we are like a family.
5. Where can I check my online order status?
We send you a link to your email address when you place your order with us. However, you can also find that link on our homepage in the middle of that page.
6. How big of a shop are you guys?
We are a small... 3 full time 1 part time ..
7. Why don't you expand to have faster production times?
Because you can't, absolutely can't, positively can't produce the kind of quality we do in mass production. Other small holster companies will tell you the same thing. If you want off the wall quality and that works for you then there are many out there. If you want the highest level of leather craftsmanship then look no further. We put so much into our work that it is not always that profitable when you figure in the time. The problem is is that we are kin da like perfectionist and we decided long ago not to mass produce. We won't apologize for longer lead times because of the time it takes us to do high quality work. Often folks buy something off the shelf until they receive our leather. Our holsters are intended to be around even after you are not and function extremely well with superior construction. I am not saying there aren't decent holsters made in mass production however, click the link below to view typical quality we create. Photo Gallery
8 . Do we do custom work?
Yes it all just depends on what it is. You will need to call us . Every-one of our products is hand-crafted by skilled leathersmiths who pride themselves on high quality leather work. Some of our products are easier to make than others. Therefore, delivery times are affected by our hand-crafting methods and attention to detail and finishing the final product. The methods we use to create leather holsters, belts and accessories can not be done with mass production and are labor intensive but worth the wait for a quality superior product.
9 . Do you finish the interior of your holsters?
Yes we do. We spend allot of time finishing the inside of your holsters so your gun's finish will enjoy it. For those that are extremely particular about the finish on their gun
10. How should my handgun fit my new Brigade holster? Some of Brigade's holsters feature one or more tension screws. These types of screw(s) may have to be adjusted to holster your gun the first time. Once holstered you will need to tighten or loosen until the desired tension is achieved. We recommend you check the screws and adjustments before and during each use.
If your holster is still too tight, the natural leather or synthetic fibers need to be stretched. (A break-in period is needed, similar to a new pair of leather shoes.) Holding your unloaded handgun by the grip and pushing it into the holster while pulling the safety strap up with your other hand, will normally allow the handgun to seat in the holster. This may need to be done several times to break-in the holster. If your holster does not have a safety strap, hold the holster body when following the procedure above. Try to snap the safety strap. It may need to be broken-in as well.
11. What type of leather do we use? Our cowhide holsters use vegetable tanned leather. The benefit of this tannage is that it provides a leather that will not cause your weapon to rust or corrode the way chrome tanned leather can do when the gun is left in it for extended periods of time.
12. Which belt do we recommend? Don't overlook a good belt. A flimsy belt will not support the weapon and superior holster as well as a quality belt. For medium and large frame handguns we strongly suggest using a 1.5" wide double thickness gun belt to attain the best possible holster support. If you are carrying a small frame gun you can probably get by with a single thickness belt.
13. Are all of your guns that you make holsters for on the lists? We try to constantly update the lists of guns that we make holsters for. However we sometimes inadvertantly omit some of them. If you don't see your gun model call and just ask us.
14. How long have you been in business?
Since 1995
15. How often is your order status page updated? We try to constantly update the lists. I would say that is inteded to be updated every 2 weeks. However, sometimes we forget to do that because we are concentrating on the actual work being done. Just because it hasn't been updated does not mean it is not changing. We will make every effort to change it about every 2 weeks.

16. What are your current wait times for holsters?
That information is updated frequently on our main holster page here. Gun Holsters

17. Why is there no email address on your web site?
We use email to send out a copy of the order when it is made. We don't however put it on our web site for 2 reasons. Number one we prefer HUMAN CONTACT. I know that in today's world human contact is becoming rare with email, text messaging and so on. However so much is lost or is impersonal using an electronic transmission such as tone and substance not to mention how many things get misconstrued. Over the years we have had so much be miscommunicated via email. We prefer human contact and I know we can be far more helpful. If you aren't able to reach us on the phone please understand it is so difficult to balance both all the phone calls with the extreme workload we have.

18. Why did I not get an email confirmation or the follow up email status? Aol, earthlink, hotmail and a few other email domains block our emails somtimes or label it as spam or junk. So check your spam folder for the second email notification.

19. The status pages says my order has shipped, where is it? Your order may just have shipped or is ready to be picked up for shipping. Please be patient. We ship through the post office and we rarely loose orders. If that were to ever happen we always expidite a second order within a day or two for delivery to you as a replacement. It is extremely rare maybey 3 a year. We will never ignore your order and not ship it to you. If it is finished we ship it.

20. My order wait time has passed, when can I expect it?
First we complete as many orders as possible that is how we are able to pay bills and live and survive in this world. Having said that it is our interest to make as many orders as we can to provide ourselves a better way of life. However, we will not make crap and ship crap so sometimes wait times can be longer. Example. Someone writes on a message board that they got their order in 17 weeks and someone else says that my order is still 40 weeks out still so what is up? Answer is that the person who got their order in 17 weeks ordered the M-11 Ultimate CCH which has shorter wait times posted on our holster page. But the miscomunication occurs because the person waiting 40 weeks didn't order the M-11 and the wait time was expected to be much longer. Another recent example.... A person is told that his order will be longer because we had to order a certain length hide to accomodate his 70" waist for his Brigade belt but still compares his wait time with someone who does not need a special legth hide ordered.

It's a good estimate of time based on how many current orders we have at the moment.All of our holsters are custom made using techiques that you cannot mass produce.. We have no control when it comes to the amount of orders ahead of your order; that is why we give an approximate shipping time but no guarantee. It's just a good, working estimate. If we look at a group of orders and assume that every order has one item then it is easy to figure. Howerver, many many if not most orders have 2-3 items and therefore predicting precisely is near impossible with all the varying things that affect making them. I know waiting is frustrating and It is frustrating for us as well. There is not a perfect solution for creating quality in a fast manner. We are sorry for that.


21. Should I get suede lining on my holster?
I would say it is a personal preference. On some model holsters we do it automatically. I would say that if you want the ultimate interior then go ahead and get it especially on outside waitband holsters. We do a really good job at finishing the interior of the holster so it is nice and smooth and slick. If you are going for concealed carry and ordering the M-11 or other inside waitband design I woud suggest not getting it unless your guns finish is blued. Most modern firearms are finished in a tough gun finish. The inside of the M-11 is especially finished quite well on the inside. See photos here. M-11 Ultimate


22. When do you charge my credit card? Although you submit your card through our secure site the card is not actually charged until the order actually ships.



Troy Harp (Owner)