mawkie
C&R Whisperer
-I've always wanted one of these for the collection but el cheapo me didn't want to spend too much. So when one popped up on Evil Pay with a low $50 starting price I figured what the heck, been on a roll lately, let's see if we can't get lucky. And got lucky indeed as nobody bid against me so it was mine.
-What is Prestoff? It's a pressed paper leather substitute. Also commonly called an ersatz or substitute holster. So when leather became a scarce commodity early in WW2 Germany Prestoff was "pressed"
into duty for making holsters. While you can see it used for the larger front-line pistols like the P.38 you'll mostly see it used for "pocket" pistols like the PP, PPK, HSc, Mauser 1914/1934, etc. Pulled out a late war HSc and it just fits but the wear mark on the flap tells me something else lived in it. Will have to spend some time test fitting to see just what that was.
-Leather is used in the construction for the magazine pouch, closure strap and belt loop with the main body being Prestoff. This one is in nice condition with the Prestoff being slightly stiff. Not as bad as a Japanese T14 rubberized canvas holster which is admittedly thicker. It's this stiffness that gives ersatz holsters a bad rap when it comes to rubbing and damaging pistol finishes. Not as much a concern in the field as post war for collectors.
-What is Prestoff? It's a pressed paper leather substitute. Also commonly called an ersatz or substitute holster. So when leather became a scarce commodity early in WW2 Germany Prestoff was "pressed"
into duty for making holsters. While you can see it used for the larger front-line pistols like the P.38 you'll mostly see it used for "pocket" pistols like the PP, PPK, HSc, Mauser 1914/1934, etc. Pulled out a late war HSc and it just fits but the wear mark on the flap tells me something else lived in it. Will have to spend some time test fitting to see just what that was.-Leather is used in the construction for the magazine pouch, closure strap and belt loop with the main body being Prestoff. This one is in nice condition with the Prestoff being slightly stiff. Not as bad as a Japanese T14 rubberized canvas holster which is admittedly thicker. It's this stiffness that gives ersatz holsters a bad rap when it comes to rubbing and damaging pistol finishes. Not as much a concern in the field as post war for collectors.
