Red Nichols the Holstorian

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Join date: Apr 30, 2020

About

Red Nichols is the author with John Witty of the reference book titled "Holstory - Gunleather of the Twentieth Century", 2nd Ed copyright 2022, 3rd Ed copyright 2025. He served the gunleather industry itself from 1970 after joining Bianchi Holster as chief designer until 1990, and continued his design work from1990 with two dozen more makers as Nichols Innovation until retiring to Australia 2000. He fully retired as a gunleather designer/maker in 2020 on his 70th birthday. His most famous possession? He owns the famed "Berns-Martin" registered trademark, of James Bond shoulder holster fame.

Posts (20)

Jan 11, 2025 ∙ 3 min

The Last Word on Holstory -- Holster History of the 20th Century

To build the book required ten years of research online, and 50 years of first-hand experience in the gunleather industry. But it wasn't realistic to try to fit all the tiny details into the book itself. Oh, sure, there was space, but I couldn't let it get bogged down with words when the full color images are what set this book apart from all others on the subject. Above, Sam Myres' original steel stamps from his El Paso years; so, after his founding years in Sweetwater. Notably there was...

Aug 29, 2024 ∙ 2 min

Appendix Carry Kills: AIWB is Spelled "WTFC"

A recent thread on a holster forum reminds me, that some folks fight, for the right, to carry AIWB. Often there will be a challenge, "name me one time someone has killed himself that way". "Dead man walking", I call it. Well, here are MANY TIMES . And lots more of them when you Google the simple phrase 'shot in groin' although you'll also turn up stories about third parties shooting folks there. Here's one that's just arrived November 2024 (I see I haven't kept the date in the image):...

Apr 24, 2024 ∙ 3 min

'Conjunction Junction, What's Your Function?" -- The FBI 'Tilt'

My daughter was a newborn when Sesame Street appeared and she would recite that line in her car seat. Here I'm inspired to use it because the topic is: the so-called 'FBI Tilt' cited on the Kramer Holsters website - and holsters are the 'conjunction' between pistol and gunman. I've already shown you that this carry angle is not ten degrees! So let's graphically show off the angles you think COULD be ideal, using a clip-on Myres holster that is from his earliest gunleather days which were...