1791 Gunleather Review — M1916 G.I. Hip and M3 Tanker Holsters

By Will Dabbs, MD

In this review, Dr. Will Dabbs takes a look at two holsters from 1791 Gunleather: the M1916-style G.I. Hip Holster and the M3 Tanker Holster. These leather carry rigs are perfect for your Springfield 1911 or SA-35 pistols. Holsters were provided to the author for review by 1791 Gunleather.

Nowadays, most holsters are made from weird Information Age thermoplastics that embody more raw technology than the space shuttle. This amazing stuff won’t stain, break, fade or warp. It could likely survive a nearby nuclear blast. However, it’s also fairly antiseptic. For me at least, it’s tough to develop a visceral attachment to a piece of Kydex.

According to the author, the M1916 and M3 holsters from 1791 Gunleather are impressive reproductions of these classic holsters that are nicer than the originals. Image: Carson McDaniel

By contrast, there remain leather-working artisans who craft classic carry rigs the way our forebears did. For example, 1791 Gunleather combines old-world craftsmanship with cutting-edge design to produce some of the most bespoke firearm carry solutions in the world. Their team spans four generations, and they use only premium American steerhide in their leather goods. While 1791 Gunleather can also hook you up with some of that Information Age synthetic gear as well, I think they create their most serious art out of natural leather. But more on that in a moment.

War Story

My wife’s grandfather died several years ago at the ripe old age of 96. If you passed him in Walmart or Olive Garden, you’d think he was just some old guy. And there you’d be wrong.

Springfield 1911 in 1791 Gunleather Hip Holster — The author says his wife’s grandfather fashioned this grip from a piece of Luftwaffe Plexiglas and a picture of his wife, and carried it throughout World War II. The grip is on a Springfield Mil-Spec in a 1791 Gunleather G.I. Hip Holster.

This man dropped out of school in the 9^th grade, because that’s what it took to keep his family from starving during the Great Depression. Eventually, he was homeless, riding the rails looking for work. In 1940, he enlisted in the U.S. Army because it was a reliable source of food. He ultimately fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He started out as an infantry Private and ended the war a Master Sergeant, because every single person he worked for was killed.

author carrying Springfield 1911 in 1791 Gunleather M3 Tanker holster — The M3 Tanker Holster keeps this Springfield Armory 1911 Mil-Spec handy and accessible, but out of the way.

Just prior to his deployment overseas, he met a girl. They dated for about three weeks and were married. They lived together for maybe three months, and then he shipped out overseas. During that brief time, his young wife became pregnant. This man did not meet the little girl who eventually grew up to become my mother-in-law until she was nearly three. That sacrifice ensured that his daughter’s world would be free from Nazi death camps and Aryan “supermen”.

author in World War II uniform with M1916 holster from 1791 Gunleather — The 1791 Gunleather G.I. Hip Holster looks right at home with other G.I. gear. The “US” embossing on the leather flap is precise and clean.

He took a snapshot of his gorgeous young wife off to war as a memento. At one point he came across a crashed German Fieseler Fi-156 Storch observation plane. Using his combat knife, he cut a piece of Plexiglas out of the windscreen and crafted a transparent grip for his M1911A1 pistol. That hallowed item is my most prized possession today.

One day he was passing through a field hospital and came across a pile of discarded gear removed from wounded G.I.s. He retrieved a leather M3 Tanker holster from the pile and used it to carry his handgun for the rest of the war. He said it was special to him to have that picture of his wife so close to his heart in combat. They were ultimately married for 72 years. He was a great man from a generation of great men.

1791 Gunleather G.I. Rigs

John Moses Browning’s M1911 pistol reflected the ethos of the nation that birthed it. Big, heavy, powerful and loud, the classic 1911 legend was inseparable from the heroes who wielded it. Where the Germans were satisfied to build a 9mm combat pistol pushing a 115-gr. FMJ bullet, John Browning simply doubled that weight. Springfield Armory’s Mil-Spec GI 1911 .45 is a faithful rendition of those timeless classic combat pistols, slightly upgraded to maximize performance. [Don’t miss Massad Ayoob’s Springfield 1911 Mil-Spec review.]

M3 Tankers Holster review — The M3 Tanker Holster uses a single leather strap to carry your 1911 across your body. It has the standard “US” embossing. Image: Carson McDaniel

[Be sure to catch our Springfield SA-35 review.]

There were basically two ways to carry the standard M1911 pistol during World War II. A shoulder holster, or a hip holster. There were two different shoulder holsters issued to U.S. troops during WWII. The M3 Tanker served until 1944, when it was replaced by the M7. The M7 remains in limited issue today. WWII-vintage shoulder rigs were russet brown. The color changed to black in 1956.

The M3 hangs vertically via a single shoulder strap. The M7 was adjustable for a variety of carry angles, and included a chest strap. Both rigs included a short leather belt loop and a retention strap equipped with a standard “Lift the Dot” fastener.

M1916 G.I. Hip Holster review — The M1916-style G.I. Hip Holster uses high-quality tan leather and can attach to a G.I. web belt or a standard belt. Image: Carson McDaniel

The hip holster option was the M1916. This same basic heavy-duty leather carry rig served from World War I into the 1980’s, when the 1911 was supplanted by the M9 pistol. The M1916 was an evolutionary development of the previous M1912.

The M1912 was a low-ride rig sporting a full leather flap that hung from a pivoting hanger. Troops of the era referred to the M1912 as the “Pershing-style” holster after General Blackjack Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces during WWI. Four years later, the M1912 was simplified into the M1916.

There were 16 manufacturers of the M1916 holster during WWII. Originals sport maker’s marks stamped into the back. M1916 is the familiar full-flap leather holster that attaches directly to the pistol belt via a heavy wire hanger.

The flap is held in place via a brass stud, and the rig comes with a length of leather thong to be used as a leg tie-down if desired. Many G.I.’s wrapped the thong around the bottom of the holster and secured it in place. Part of that was to keep it handy if needed. It also just looked really cool.

G.I. Hip Holster rear — The G.I. Hip Holster will attach to a pistol belt via this wire hanger, or to a thinner conventional belt through these slots. Image: Carson McDaniel

The color swapped from brown to black in the 1950’s. I first donned the uniform in the waning days of the M1911A1 pistol and was issued these leather holsters myself. Once broken in they were things of beauty.

1791 Gunleather Treatment of Military Holsters

1791 Gunleather offers reproductions of both the M1916 G.I. Issue Hip Holster and M3 Tanker G.I. carry rigs, newly made out of premium components. Both of these are available on the Springfield Armory Webstore, and I had a chance recently to try both of them out.

author with 1791 Gunleather holsters and BAR — The author found that 1791 Gunleather holsters feature better materials and construction than original G.I. holsters.

I was immediately impressed by the holsters. The stitching and leather on these two holsters eclipses anything Uncle Sam ever issued in my experience. They both feature beautiful, thick, beefy leather, heavy hard-use stitching, the iconic “US” embossed on the front, and a 1791 maker’s mark on the back.

Both are designed to accept standard full-size 5” 1911 pistols without rails, and are available in right-hand configuration. The M1916 in particular is tight at the beginning, but loosens up nicely over time. Just leave your gun in it for a while, and the leather trains itself accordingly. Once broken in, these two premium carry solutions are both functional and attractive in comparable measure.

Review Takeaways

If you fancy the classic M1911 pistol and you hearken back to the good old days when our nation was populated by heroes, then the M1916 G.I. Issue Hip Holster and M3 Tanker Holster by 1791 Gunleather will scratch that itch. They are the perfect companions to Springfield Armory’s expansive line of M1911 handguns. The MSRP is $99.99 for each, and they are both available now on the Springfield Armory Webstore. That’s a whole lot of holster for the money.

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