Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice totally original M1916 holster, made by Milwaukee Saddlery Company, offered in very good condition. It is marked BOYT / -44- on the back, and embossed U S in an oval on the flap, indicating that this was a military issue holster.

The leather body of the holster is now black, and looks to have been stained/dyed during service for use during the Post Korean War years into the Vietnam era. The leather is still supple, and shows the usual wrinkles but is virtually unused. All stitches are still intact, all brass parts still present with a bit of verdigris, and a steel WWII style belt clip. The leg tie down is still present.

The Korean War holsters were left over from the massive amounts made during WWII.
The WWII Model 1916 holsters were either standard Russet or plain tan. The plain tan were made to speed production. Holsters were usually coated with Neatsfoot oil or shoe dubbing to preserve the leather and that gave the dark brown color. During Korea the holsters that were new-old stock WWII production were also oiled or coated with shoe dubbing.

After Korea, about the mid-50's all military leather was made in black. Old stock holsters were dyed black, as above, often only on the front sides.

Just perfect for a high grade WWII, Korea or even Vietnam issue 1911 .45 pistol!

Many .45 pistols were acquired by troops who were not officially authorized to be issued them as called for in their unit’s TOE (Table of Organization and Equipment). However, such regulations were rarely enforced in combat zones, and many G.I.s and Marines who could acquire a .45 did so, and considered themselves lucky.

A leather hip holster, the Model of 1912, was standardized soon after the M1911’s adoption. This holster had a swivel attachment to make it better adapted to cavalry use. Just before America’s entry into World War I, the Model of 1916 holster was adopted, which differed from the M1912 primarily in the deletion of the swivel feature. Both were fitted with wire hooks that attached to the grommets on the bottom of the standard webbed pistol belt or cartridge belt. There were sufficient numbers of World War I-vintage M1916 holsters to meet the demand until the U.S. became actively involved in World War II. The M1916 holster was put back into production and almost 3 million were made by 18 different commercial firms between 1941 and 1945. These holsters were embossed with a large “U.S.” on the cover flap, with the name of the maker and year of production on back.

A leather shoulder holster for the .45 pistol, designated as the “M3,” was adopted in 1942 for use by aviators, tankers and others who preferred carrying the pistol over the hip holster. An improved shoulder holster design was standardized in 1944 as the M7. The pistol was secured in the shoulder holster by means of leather strap with a snap fastener. The shoulder holsters were also embossed with a large “U.S” on the front, with the identity of the manufacturer and year of production on the back.