Grizzly Tuff Chest Holster from Simply Rugged Leather

 

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn

Updated October 14th, 2009

 

 

 

UPDATE!

Grizzly Tuff is now a separate company, offering their line of holsters on their own web site: www.grizzlytuff.com. Rob Leahy is no longer offering them, and is not associated with their excellent products.

For the past couple of years, I have been using some very good leather holsters from Simply Rugged Holsters in Alaska. Simply Rugged holsters are hand-crafted from quality leather by Rob Leahy, owner and head honcho of Simply Rugged. Readers of Gunblast have seen his products before. His designs are durable, practical,  and very reasonably priced.

Rob has recently started building a very practical hunting holster that slings the handgun across the chest of the hunter. This is a very handy and practical way to carry a hunting handgun, and it should not be confused with a conventional shoulder holster. While the gun could be slung under the shoulder with the Grizzly Tuff holster, that is not the best position to readily access the weapon. Carried in front of the chest, the handgun is out of the way of a backpack or slung rifle, and is quickly accessed when needed. The Grizzly Tuff holster is built of black nylon material, and is both durable and impervious to wet and miserable weather. The holster is attached to the harness at three points, which are adjustable to suit the needs of the wearer. The harness straps are also adjustable to fit a wide range of body sizes, which also makes it adaptable to wearing in any weather, with any type of clothing, from bare skin to the heaviest of winter coats.  The holster also has belt loops, should the wearer choose that method of carry.

I have been wearing the Grizzly Tuff holster while doing a variety of chores. It is very comfortable to wear while riding on an ATV, tractor, or in a pickup. I also wore the holster while seeding a couple of food plots back in the woods, and the holstered gun never got in the way, and was well-protected from brush, briars, limbs, me, and the weather.

In addition to holding the handgun, the Grizzly Tuff holster also carries under a secure flap additional ammo or magazines, depending upon the firearm for which it is built. The holster sent to me was specified to fit the Ruger five and one-half inch Bisley model, but is well-suited to accommodate a wide variety of other arms as well. In addition to fitting the Bisley, I tried the holster with a Freedom Arms Model 83 .500 Wyoming Express revolver, a couple of 1911 .45 Auto pistols, a USFA Single Action Army revolver, a couple of Ruger .22 auto pistols, and several other handguns, all of which fit securely in the Grizzly Tuff holster. It even worked perfectly for carrying my little .22 Charter Pocket Target scoped revolver that once belonged to one of my all-time favorite writers; the legendary Hal Swiggett.

Rob builds the Grizzly Tuff holster for the following handguns:

S&W 3"-8 3/8th K, L, N & X frames
Ruger Black Hawks, Old & New Vaqueros, Red Hawks and Super Red Hawks
Colt Single and Double Actions
Colt Clones
Taurus Revolvers
Dan Wesson
Most Service size Autoloaders 1911, Browning Glock, CZ, Beretta, etc.
Desert Eagle
The Grizzly (Of Course)
The Auto Mag

In addition to these, Rob will build the holster to fit just about any handgun made. Just ask him. He can do it. Right or left-handed, revolver, single shot, or auto pistol, he can accommodate. They are hand built, one at a time, and his price is very reasonable. Also, his shipping charges are downright cheap.  For a practical, handy, reliable, and tough hunting holster, the Grizzly Tuff holster is hard to beat. I highly recommend it.

To look at the Grizzly Tuff and other Simply Rugged products online, or to order any of Rob Leahy’s products, go to:  www.simplyrugged.com.

Jeff Quinn

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Click pictures for a larger version.

 

Simply Rugged's Grizzly Tuff chest holster.

 

 

The three-point harness system is fully adjustable, allowing the holster to fit a wide variety of body sizes and carry positions.

 

 

The Grizzly Tuff features cartridge loops under a flap, allowing secure and weatherproof storage of extra ammo.

 

 

The Grizzly Tuff's adjustable gun retention strap (top) allows the holster to be used with a variety of revolvers and semi-autos, including a Dan Wesson Commander Classic 1911 (bottom).

 

 

The Grizzly Tuff is versatile enough to carry a wide variety of guns, from Jeff's Freedom Arms .500 WE to his old scoped .22 Charter Pocket Target that once belonged to legendary gun writer Hal Swiggett.