BobHur

I have one of these, and it seemed to be a nuisance of a major order. Put something of weight like coinage in it and walk, and it swings back and forth as you walk eventually banging into something you deem important, and painfully so. But this weekend I lucked upon the answer. It isn't a simple bag pouch at all, if we consider a bag pouch as being something you tie upon your belt and let swing. This discovery is a bit difficult to describe in text, so please bear with me. Instead of putting on your belt and then tying on the pouch, do this - open the tie strings, and thread your belt through each loop. Now, put whatever you wish in the pouch, grab the knots of the two strings, pull up and tie a simple overhand knot (maybe a more substantial knot like a square knot if your pouch is heavy). When you do the round pouch turns into a flat-mouthed pouch that nestles against your belt, and no more swinging and banging the naughty bits, and with the "opening ears" of the pattern, you need only loosen the knot a bit (easy when it's a simple overhand) to access your treasures. I should mention that I made mine from braintanned deerskin, so the ties/laces/cords have a lot of inherent friction, and a simple overhand as I tried to describe is all you need. I also have a 14thC "kidney" pouch with strap and buckle, and the Viking pouch is easier to use once I finally figured out how to wear it. Hope this helps, I can't state that it's historically accurate, but experiential paleontology finds an occasional gem.

An accurate copy of the Russian/Bulgarian single-stack Makarov should sell, there are thousands of those pistols out there and I'm not aware of anyone who makes a correct "dummy gun" for them. The one company that "did" actually made a copy of a PA-64 and called it a Makarov, and although they are similar if you fit and bone tightly, a Mak won't work in a PA-64 holster.

Yes, in fact it's fairly soft before molding and water/heat hardening. If it's vegtan (most of it is), it turns out well and is easier to work, but requires a finishing technique like water-casing and drying with a bit of heat in order to take boning and shaping as easily as cowhide does. It's a bit more work, but worth it to me.

It appears you bought "hard-rolled" horse butts. "Soft-rolled" butts are as smooth, but much more flexible.

I've done quite a bit of (rough) leatherwork but haven't jumped into holsters yet, that's why I joined this forum so I could learn. So, I won't comment on the difficulty level because I don't know, I just wanted to say that the Threepersons style holster is my absolute favorite design, especially in crossdraw. If I were making a field holster (as opposed to something for SASS) I'd make the retaining strap removable. I bought mine from EP Saddlery, and most of the time I kept the retaining strap tucked through the belt loop unless I was doing some serious scrambling or was otherwise likely to take a tumble. That design does a very good job of retaining the handgun while still being very quick on the draw.

Sorry for the necro-post, but I was searching this topic and came upon this thread. The Ring's version of the Makarov is not a Makarov, it's an FEG PA-64 and they are different/shorter at the muzzle enough that a tightly formed or closed end design make using them will not work with a true Makarov. I've emailed them letting them know. My favorite pro holsterer made me a sweet roughout leather version of the VM-II with the additional cant I like for my Mak, and now I'm either going to have to modify it or send it back (I'm going to modify it, as a top-line holster for the Mak is so hard to find). Just thought I'd point this out so somebody doesn't end up with a dissatisfied customer, it is not a complaint against Ring's. On that note, does anyone know where I can find a dummy gun that is a true Makarov? Bob