I started Horseshoe Leather Products as a small holster shop some thirty-nine years ago. I never thought at the time that it would ever become what it is today: a name that is synonymous with outstanding quality, design and performance in the world of concealment gunleather. Even now, after all those years, the fact never ceases to amaze me! I still find it hard to believe that the holsters I produce can wind up, not only under the jacket of some plain-clothes professional in the US, or on the hip of an FBI agent somewhere in Central America, or even in the small of some DEA operative's back halfway across the world in Chiang Mai, but equally on the belt of any honest citizen. Sobering thought!

I like to think that the main reason for this success is the fact that I have always run a one-man shop. I personally make every single item that bears the Horseshoe logo from start to finish. Meticulous care and attention to detail are as important to me as the use of the finest hand-selected leathers, the strongest nylon threads, together with the most attractive dyes and waxes. All these elements are combined with my own original ideas and designs plus years of experience with guns and leather, to provide an end-product that is a perfect balance of quality, comfort, concealability, safety, security and speed, a personal statement of traditional craftsmanship and inimitable old-fashioned excellence -- the finest gunleather available anywhere in the world at any price!

Dealing with Horseshoe Leather Products means that you deal directly with me, Andy Arratoonian, on a personal basis, not with some anonymous, faceless organization. My policy has always been to give each and every customer the very best that I can provide, which is why you won't find my products on sale in shops and retail outlets or through dealers. I fully appreciate your demand for the very best in gunleather and am totally committed to satisfying that need. My guarantee is that I hand-craft each holster as if it were intended for my own personal use, and that my very life depended on its performance!

My entire range of holsters is available in prime English full-grain cowhide or, as an alternative to those customers who have long expressed a preference for it, in imported American-tanned horsehide. If you are undecided as to which material to choose, this link to "Cowhide or Horsehide?" will provide you with valuable and impartial information on the subject. Alternatively, look in the FAQ section. You may rest assured, however, that whatever your choice, cowhide or horsehide, your Horseshoe holster will be a prime example of the holstermaker's art -- a truly functional item of beauty that you can safely bet your life on!

Selecting hides is the first important step in the manufacturing process. Leather of varying substances is required for different models of holster. It would be quite inappropriate, for instance, to use the same thickness of leather for a belt holster as for an IWB holster. Fortunately, I have been dealing with the same tannery for the last twenty years, so they are more than familiar with my requirements. However, scrutiny is essential as the odd maverick hide does occasionally slip by their quality control!

Leather is cut to the approximate shapes required, using special dies or knives on a hydraulic press. These are then cut by hand to conform exactly to the patterns for individual makes and models of weapon. Bear in mind that I produce around fourteen different models of holster in three different colours and two different belt-widths for over one hundred different models of semi-auto, which is why this short-cut is essential for keeping production time down.

The leather shapes are then subjected to the many and varied stages of the manufacturing process: they are marked, dyed, edged, glued, stitched together, wet-blocked, air-dried, re-dyed, stretched, burnished and subjected to the finishing process, comprising several applications of wax, both inside and out. After being allowed to air-dry for a further twenty-four hours, they undergo the final step in the chain, which is a check for gun-to-weapon fit, before being packed and shipped. And that, in a nutshell, is a brief description of how my holsters are made!

Personal callers are always welcome, and many foreign and American visitors to these shores have availed themselves of the opportunity to visit my home and my workshop. Do not be disappointed, however, if you are not received by a delegation of bimbettes at some flashy chrome-and-glass Corporate Headquarters building, an image dear to the hearts and egos of some larger manufacturers. My workshop is, I'm afraid, a far more down-to-earth facility. In fact, a visitor once remarked on how it bore an uncanny resemblance to some crime-scenes he had witnessed during his career in law-enforcement -- apartments that had been burglarized and then trashed -- only not quite as neat! He was, of course, kidding -- but only very slightly. Ah well, guess no-one's perfect!

This website is designed to save you the time, trouble and expense of writing off for a catalogue by giving you access to my full range of products with just a few clicks of your mouse-button, together with the facility to pay for them in the same way using the Online Check System. Details of Product Features , methods of payment, turnaround times, plus answers to any other queries you may have can be found at Ordering Information or at the FAQ section .

Please feel free to phone, Email or write. Your comments -- good, bad or otherwise -- are always welcome! Thank you for your interest in Horseshoe Leather Products.

Belt Slide	Pancake	Covert 22	Covert 28	X-draw	Max Prot	SOB2	SBU2	IWB

Shoulder		Deep Conceal	In-Car	Flat	Stacked	Universal	IWB	Belts