Huge Difference In Horse Butt Weights?

[George B]

I started do some holster work a few months ago using horse butts and been starting to have a big problem with inconsistent weights and or thickness.

Just after the first of the year I had some orders using horse butt, normally I will use a 7 to 9 oz. single layer, mostly for Avenger style holsters.

Ordering was hard enough, it took six phone calls to different suppliers with only two having anything in stock.

Ordered three butts from each of the suppliers, one 5-7 oz. and two 7-9 oz. for a total of six butts.

The cost per butt had gone from roughly $12 to $22-$25 a butt. Okay, I was getting good money for the orders so cost was not too much of a problem.

Then I received the butts.

Only two of the butts measured out to the correct weight, a 7-9 and a 5-7.

The rest were way under. Most were lucky to hit 5 oz. at the thickest part I could find and one tops out a whopping 4 oz.

Needless to say I have broken even or lost MY Butt on each of the orders. Most had to be dual layer and the additional work that had to be done killed any profit I was hoping to see.

The thinnest butt I have not used for anything, about the only thing I'll use it for are bullet loops or hammer thongs.

Anyone else had this problem?

Is there a supplier out there right now that sends the weights you purchase?

Thanks, George

[cmantz]

I have been using horse butts for some of my lasered nosebands and I have yet to receive any of the thicker leather. Mine all is the 5-7 oz. range and I find the same as you, inconsistencies within the pieces. Ihaven't measured mine for thickness but some are pretty thin. I figured it was the nature of the beast since these pieces are the fall offs.

I would love to find some thicker also....so anxious to see if someone chimes in with a supplier.

Chris

[Chef niloc]

90% of the work I do is in horse and I was having the same trouble years ago. Then I found One place that had great buts, but then he closed up shop );

Now I just buy them from Horween direct and being that I do that I can tell you why the buts you get from everyone are so inconsistent. They charge (Horween) more pr Lb if you want a particular size I.E. not a mix lot, in order to stay competitive in price ill bet most retailers are not paying that extra but just separate the hides them selves. Trouble here is that Horween's regular mixed lot is composed of all the hides left over after they separate out there sizes. Next thing is that 7-8 is the largest "close" grading they offer. they sell a 9+ and none of those 9+'s would ever be mixed into a mixed lot. Now we can go one step further, Horween offers a "hand selecting" for a extra $1.00 a pound (Steven told me about this when he went out of business). what horween does is they separate all the best hides out ahead of time, so if you just buy there "regular" 9+ (that already cots more then a mix lot ) there's next to no chance a "best" one will be mixed in.

What I order from Horween is there hand selected 9+ hides and ask them to pick me the heaviest and largest ones they have, they charge me a extra $0.50 on top of the extra $1.00 to do that LOL, but that's the only way to get he leather I like/need. I'm not a big enough buyer to take advantage if there 10000 Lb discount So at there regular wholesale price with a order of $2500.00 or mor i pay $12.00 a Lb for that leather (would be 10.50 if i bought the 10000Lb), And that's still wholesale price. I am not in the retail business so I don't know what a normal markup price would be, but I'd guess 30-40% ( Total guess I have no idea). So the way I see it is that a hide like this would sell for 45+?