by John Markwell | Contributing Editor
This is a tale about a holster.
The Davis Leather Co. 453 Liberty holster carries well on the 1½-inch belt, and it looks good too.
It all began in the late summer of 1977; it’s hard to remember exactly, but that’s close enough. I’d made a call to Ken Hackathorn about the new sport of “combat shooting.” The call was made after I’d received a response to a letter I’d written to Col. Jeff Cooper, in Arizona, asking who in the East shot this new Combat Pistol stuff. In his letter, Cooper told me to call Ken in Marietta, OH. I’d been reading what little was in print about this new discipline in Guns and Ammo magazine but could find little else in the way of information. So, I went to the source; Jeff Cooper. Little did I realize, at the time, what a lifechanging series of events this would prove to be? The short version of the story is that I went to Marietta to shoot with Ken and the Fort Harmar Combat Pistol League in late 1977. The rest, as they say, is history. I have been shooting at the Fort Harmar club ever since. After 35+ years and lots of .45ACP hardball equivalent ammo, I have beaten up elbows and wrists and I now shoot a lot of 9mm. Ken became a good friend and mentor. He and I have shared some great times and had a few adventures. Somewhat sadly, we helped him move from Ohio to Idaho in June of 2012.
But this is a tale of a holster, with a bit of history thrown in for good measure. When I first called Ken, way back in the dark ages of Practical Shooting, he asked what gear I had. I told him I had a .45ACP Colt Gold Cup and two magazines. “No problem,” he said, “we’ll fix you up if you come over.” So I started my practical shooting career with a lot of borrowed gear, especially leather. Since those early days I’ve accumulated a pile of holsters, but still have the first really good one I ever owned: a Model 453 Liberty made by Gordon Davis. Along with this holster, I acquired a pair of double magazine pouches and a bootstitched 1¾-inch belt. This rig was used for many years for competition, and also in the field, carrying an assortment of Colt Government Model 1911s just behind the right hip. I also ended up with a Davis Model 455 IWB rig for the obligatory Commander that most practical shooters of the day carried religiously. In the past, at least in the early days of practical shooting, the boot-stitched belt became a badge of sorts that was instantly recognizable by all involved. If you saw one, you knew. And a Raven hat pin made it obvious that you were one of the truly faithful.
In the foreground is the new Davis 453 Liberty rig. Background, left to right, Bruce Nelson Professional, Alessi DOJ, Sparks BN55.
But this is a tale of a holster. I still have my original 453 Liberty holster and mag pouches. They are darkened and scarred from years of use. The original boot-stitched belt somehow got smaller and was sold at a gun show years ago. These days I actually use the “G. Wm. Davis” marked double magazine pouches more often than the Model 453 holster.
Like many handgunners, I have acquired many holsters over the years, always looking for something better.
I’ve got a bunch of holsters that were tried for both competition and daily carry, but I seem to keep using just a couple on a regular basis. The Old Davis Model 453 is one of these.
And so, this is a story about a holster (actually a complete rig) and the man who now builds leather gear under the historic Davis Leather Company name using the Omega makers mark. Dave Cox is the gentleman who has continued the tradition of quality established by G. William Davis; “Gordon” to his friends and customers. Dave, originally a saddle maker by trade, worked with Gordon for several years and took over the holster business when Gordon retired due to health issues. Gordon passed away in 2012. Dave purchased all of Gordon’s patterns and equipment and continues to build quality leather goods under the Davis Leather trade name.
Why I got the idea in my head that I needed to get a replacement for my old G. Wm. Davis-marked Model 453, is a mystery. But a call to Dave in September 2013 gave birth to a new rig which has become my current (and possibly all-time) favorite for toting around a full sized 1911 pistol on a daily basis. Specifically, the new rig will mostly carry my ivory stocked John Miller custom .45ACP which is built on “a proper Colt,” as my buddy Ken is wont to say.
Now a bit of holster history! Straight drop holsters like the Model 453 have been around for a while. In talking to Ken (IPSC and IDPA founder) and Rick Miller (an early pioneer and chronicler of practical pistol craft), I believe Bruce Nelson’s Professional model may have been one of the first of the modern genre with the winged belt slot by the trigger guard which pulls the butt of the gun into the body. If it was not the first, it was certainly one of the best. These versatile holsters could be, and were, used cross-draw or worn on the strong side. I have in my possession a Nelson Professional Model holster and double mag pouch, both marked CLL (Combat Leather Limited).
These were given to my buddy Rick when he visited with Bruce during the 1978 IPSC Nationals. Rick carried the rig cross-draw, by the way. According to Rick, Bruce Nelson often carried a Government Model in either a Professional or his Summer Special, in the appendix cross-draw position to prevent the “bump & frisk” when he was working narcotics. With Bruce’s blessing, Milt Sparks made the BN55 in the early days of practical shooting. Milt upgraded the holster with the metal reinforced leather band around the mouth of the holster. Tony and the guys at Sparks still make this holster. Ken mentioned to me that Bruce once told him, with admiration in his voice, that Lou Alessi’s original DOJ was probably the best rendition of his original Professional Model. I have to agree, as I still have a black DOJ that Ken gave me many years ago.
Gordon Davis worked with both John Bianchi and Neal Perkins at Safari Limited back in 1965 and then designed and built holsters for both Safariland and Bianchi before opening Davis leather in 1975. All these early holster pioneers knew each other and were friends, and designs seemed to be unselfishly shared at the time. Each maker seemed to have his own idea of what made a certain style of holster better. The Davis 453 Liberty was one of Gordon’s first offerings and has much in common with the Nelson and Sparks designs. Dave Cox’s current rendition of the 453 Liberty carries on the tradition of quality established by Gordon and preserves its place in the history of classic, straight drop holsters. And so, this is the tale of a holster and belt and mag pouch: our new 453 Liberty outfit from Davis Leather.
Dave uses Wicket & Craig top grade cowhide for all of his leather gear. This high quality leather holds up well over time and my 30+ year-old Liberty holster and mag pouches are a testimony to its toughness. I’m sure I’ll get at least 30 years out of my new 453 rig. The 1½-inch belt that came with my new Liberty holster is made from a double layer of W&C cowhide and has a beefy brass buckle. The belt is more than stout as it is designed, first and foremost, to support a holstered handgun and support gear. I received both a double- and single-magazine pouch with my new rig; the single for daily use and the double for range and IDPA use. Both of these pouches have a flat steel spring tensioner riveted inside to compensate for any stretching of the leather pouch. At Dave’s suggestion, the single mag pouch I received (Model 45-SP) has a very secure metal belt clip on the back instead of a sewn belt loop. Dave uses an old Campbell Lockstitch machine with waxed linen thread for all of his stitching. This entire rig is basket stamped and finished in what Dave calls “Dark Oil.” The final finish on my new 453 Liberty outfit is obtained with, of all things, olive oil.
Unlike my old 453, the new Liberty holster incorporates a metal reinforcing band around the mouth to ease re-holstering. The signature tension screw and stitched-in sight rails are still present as is that new leather smell. Like my old 453, the new Liberty is a straight drop holster (which I prefer) but the design is also available as the Model 4532, which has the muzzle canted to the rear.
As I was facing a deadline for this piece, my “testing” of this new outfit was a bit brief (I’ve only worn it daily for about a week so far). However, having had my old plain Jane finished 453 Liberty for over 30 years, there was little in the way of surprises with the new rig. The 453 Liberty holster is still a historic classic. It is as quick, comfortable, and practical today as it was 30-some years ago. Gussied up some with the impeccable basket stamping, my new Model 453 Liberty holster, mag pouches, and belt from Davis Leather are going to let me permanently retire my old holster that was made by Gordon. As I get older, I feel it is not overly ostentatious to tote an ivory stocked custom Colt on a daily basis. My John Miller Colt and this fancy, basket stamped rig from Dave Cox’s Davis Leather Company is quite the ensemble and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Many of my cronies may think the whole deal may be a bit out of character for this old country boy, but they’ll get over it. If you need new leather gear you should take a look at the offerings from the Davis Leather Company, P.O. Box 321, 213 W. Lewis Ave., Dept. TGM, Ash Fork, AZ 86320: phone: 877-245-6919; online: davisleathercompany.com. Dave is a gentleman and a true craftsman who is carrying on a grand tradition. Good shooting!
