Frequently Asked Questions

PRODUCTION TIME – 3 TO 4 WEEKS. 6 WEEKS FOR ORDERS THAT ARE CARVED.
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PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA!
Please visit our online store to place your order.

Celtic Knot work By Rick Gittlein. The backgrounds and patterns will vary.

Floral Carved;  the most traditional tooling for a good holster. Rick Gittlein does great work.

Fish Scale On a 4″ Bearcat Silver Dollar

Shark skin this is laminated to steer hide very attractive and tough

Border Stamping: a simple design around the edge of the holster.

How the inside out straps work. Look at the Silver Dollar Photo gallery for more pictures.

Q: What is your turn around time on an order?
A: 3-4 weeks. If you add floral or celtic carving to your holster, it will take approximately 6 weeks to receive your order.

Q: When is payment expected?
A: At the time you place your order.

Q: How do you ship my order?
A: USPS Priority Mail. It takes approximately 3-5 business days to arrive at your address. You may have it shipped to a PO Box or street address.  Shipping charge is $10/order to anywhere in the USA (including AK and HI).  Please call or e-mail us for a quote on International Shipping.

Q:  I live in the area, can I come by and pick up my order?
A: We do not offer local pick up, it is quicker and easier to receive your order via US mail.  Our sales tax is 7.35% instead of 9.35% for AZ orders, if the order is bought and shipped to an AZ address.

Q: What is a pancake holster?
A: Two pieces of leather stacked on top of each other, usually round or ovate, this allows for a very flat profile holster that when worn applies tension to the gun. The concept was developed by Roy Baker, of Magnolia Arkansas, around 1958.

Q: How do I protect and preserve the leather?
A::Lexol or neatsfoot oil will restore and rejuvenate the leather. A good top coat or sealant like Tan coat But for  the leather Lexol (available at Tandy Leather stores) will help restore luster and seal the pores of the leather.  A little shoe polish will restore the color (Cordovan).  Apply a little neutral shoe polish to the belt slot if the holster and belt squeak. If your holster gets wet apply a little olive oil before the leather dries out. Or Lexol if it has dried.

Q: Are the inside-the-waistband straps removable, so you could wear it outside if you wanted to, or permanently mounted to the holster?
A: Yes, they bolt on so you can remove or add them easily.

Q: How many belt slots?
A: Most pancake holsters come with 3 belt slots standard. This allows for multiple angles of carry. I build these primarily for wearing on a heavy trouser belt, either 1-1/2” (the most common belt width) or 1-3/4” (the widest that will fit through jeans, BDUs or Carhart belt loops). This helps one to carry a heavy gun comfortably all day. One can use various ammo pouches with this type of rig. I like to carry a single speed loader and six cartridges in a slide for spare ammo. This is how I carry my guns in the field.

Q: Do I need a removable hammer strap?
A: No. The pancake design will hold your pistol securely without a retention strap.  I do not encourage the Hammer Strap for general carry. If you sky dive, fly high G acrobatics or ride motorcycles inside a metal cage, THEN you might need a hammer strap. My holsters are designed and built to retain your pistol when worn on a proper belt without a mechanical latch or strap.

I have carried my heavy 44′s and 45s in the mountains of north Idaho, deserts of Arizona and the sea and tundra (including the hellish alder thickets that snatched my pocket knife and mosquito net from my pockets) and my holster have always retained my pistol. Even while falling out of a boat and going for a swim (in the interests of science, of course).

I do not offer the hammer strap straps on hammerless guns like the Ruger LCR, Taurus Public Defender, S&W M-37 M-40 (and the other hammerless guns).

Q:  What do you recommend for a pistol with a backpack?
A: My personal favorite for carrying a gun while back packing is a Sourdough with the Chesty Puller Conversion System. One can wear the holster on the chest and have it easily accessible even with a heavy pack on and you have the option of placing the holster on your belt when the pack is off. I find it so comfortable that I generally just keep the pistol on the chest straps.

Q: Do you line your holsters?
A: I no longer offer lining as I have come to the conclusion that it is a waste of my time & your money. I have yet to find a lining (no mater the holster maker) that does prevent wear to the finish, and in fact some of the softer linings actually accelerate wear by retaining grit. Skeeter Skelton wrote about this 40 years ago and nothing that I see has changed.

The other part of this is that the silicone treated vegetable tanned flesh side of leather is pretty easy on the gun’s finish as it is.

A properly fitted holster will go farther towards preventing excessive finish wear than any lining.

Q:  If not satisfied or a product is defective, how do I return items?
A: Please call us first before returning items for any reason.  Refunds are subject to inspection upon return and a 15% surcharge.  After 30 days, the order is non-returnable.

• We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for anything at any time.
• If you are a deploying GI, please call or e-mail us before you order.

Click here for gun/holster fitting information

Please e-mail if you have any questions or concerns about what we can build for you.

Shipping to Simply Rugged:
Don’t bother with Express or next day mail. We get into town to pick up mail once a week. I can’t wait around and stand in line for signature required letters. The PO offers FREE delivery confirmation, when you buy postage online, use it.

E-Mail; if you have a spam filter, add my e-mail to your white list BEFORE you expect a response. I am trying to answer 20-50 e-mails per day and build holsters…

Read the Holster Fit Chart, use common sense, read the FAQ page .
Send correct barrel measurements & model names or numbers NOT factory catalog numbers EI; 7.5″ Super Redhawk tells me what I need to know KSRH-7454 does not.
On the various Taurus Judge Models; we need the chambering 2.5″ or 3″ .410 and correct barrel length. Just stating “Judge” will delay your order. If I have to search it out it will delay your order.