Ruger Old Army 7.5" Holster fit

[Sean Gadhar]

As I look for a holster for my new to me ROA I am seeing a lot of holsters that say something like "FITS Ruger Blackhawk 44/45 Cal 7.5" but few that say "fits Ruger Old army"

It was my understanding that ROAs are the same size (or almost) as the Blackhawk.

BUT I'm not sure. Any thoughts? Is there enough difference that a holster that fits one won't fit the other?

**The few that do say they fit ROAs almost always say they fit 44/45 Cal Blackhawks**

 

[BullRunBear]

Sean, I'm pretty sure a holster for a Blackhawk should work for a ROA. Also, Uncle Mike's Sidekick holster size 9 is listed as for the ROA. You didn't say how fancy or inexpensive you were looking for. Is it worth one of the custom holster makers?

I was lucky. Two of my ROAs came with the Bianchi holsters they made for Ruger.

Jeff

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Just been looking at a few, mostly used on e-bay

 

[budcatoe]

Just been looking at a few, mostly used on e-bay

I have a Ruger Blackhawk flap holster by Bianchi and it fits my old army perfectly.

 

[rodwha]

I wanted a plain Jane inexpensive holster. I had to form fit it, but bought one meant for a Remington NMA/Colt Army and wrapped my ROA in a plastic bag and wet the leather holster to stretch it. The fit is so snug that I can hold it upside down without it dropping. It takes aggressive shakes to get it to drop. This, if I’m not mistaken, came from Oklahoma Leather.

 

[bang]

Rodwha has right idea. I make my holsters and stitch them tight then use same method to form fit.

 

[rodwha]

Rodwha has right idea. I make my holsters and stitch them tight then use same method to form fit.

So you feel it optimal to do such? I wondered about my doing so, but seeing how snug it is, yet still easy to draw, I felt it was good.

 

[bang]

So you feel it optimal to do such? I wondered about my doing so, but seeing how snug it is, yet still easy to draw, I felt it was good.

It's not really it being a tight fit but a molded fit. I case the leather, do all the where to stitch, tooling then stitch it and wrap the pistol in several layers of glad wrap and put it in the holster. It will be somewhat tight. (If you have to work it over a few days just rewet the leather, put it a plastic bag and store in fridge. Just don't let it dry before you are ready to form it.)
Then put a piece of leather or wood through the loop for my belt to form it. Lay it on hard surface and put an anvil across the stitching to keep it flat. After the leather completely dries the holster will be formed to the pistol and it will pull out smooth. Tooling leather only cases once and once dry it holds shape. It doesn't shrink. Rawhide will shrink. So it being snug when wet will make it stretch and form. The key is getting the stitching close enough to and the shape making sure you don't trap any parts that will make pulling and inserting difficult.
Then using a toothbrush I rub the inside down with 50/50 hard wax and veg oil melted together. This keeps moisture from getting trapped in the leather. Then stain the outside, reinsert the pistol and let the stain dry completely. Then you can use heat to melt the wax mix into the inside. You might get a bit of wax on the pistol but it won't hurt it and will stop after a while. Generally an indicator a bit too much applied but not harmful.
It will be like it's made for it. Oh wait, it is. LOL

 

[user 50393]

Better late than never: the ROA will fit in an Ok. Leather "Western" holster, except for the 'trigger guard' area. But that can be 'fixed' with a plastic bag and some water or soften it with leather prep.