Wild Bill's Concealment Holster Rig review - Warning! Death to Dial up!

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NikatKimber

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Well, got some experience to hopefully share with y'all. I ordered a Wild Bill's Concealment Pro Package ( OWB Holster, Belt, and Speed Loader Holder) in May for my Ruger GP100. Their site advertised a 6-8 week lead time, which is fantastic for custom leather. I waited patiently for it to come, but 8 weeks came and went. I called them at 9 weeks, and was told that (paraphrase) it was on "the board" (which I heard time and again), it should be done in a week or two. Waited two more weeks, then began calling every week, the next week it was done molding, needed to be dyed, should ship by the end of the week (11 weeks), the next it was done, just need to be packed, should ship that day or the next (12 weeks), the next, was packing it as we spoke (took a week to pack, huh?) should go out that day (was given tracking number)(13 weeks), called back Thursday, later in the week (first call was Tuesday) to see if it had gone out yet (b/c the tracking number found nothing), no, "the guy who takes them to the PO was out that day", should go out tomorrow. Called Friday morning, it went out that day, but "you might wait to check the tracking number till tomorrow, as the PO is slow." I didn't, did show up as received that night. Here's what came in Monday, one day shy of 14 weeks after ordering.
The "packaging" was plastic wrap around the holster and speed loader holder, then those two and the belt loose in the box. No other packing material at all.
The fit to the gun is good, the belt looks nice, and is stiff. Not sure what to think of the speedloader holder, I need to try some others, and practice with this one to see how it works.

Here's pictures, took a bunch next to various other holsters I have, ranging the gamut, from $25 Don Hume, to $100+ Andrews. Judge for yourselves which it's most like.

Wild Bill's Holster Rig
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Wild Bill's Holster next to Andrews ($100+)
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Wild Bill's Holster next to K&D (~$70)
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Wild Bill's Holster next to Don Hume (~$25)
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So, which is most in the Wild Bill's ballpark for quality? Also I will note that the others are all used, and carried with often, and the Wild Bill's is new, just pulled it out of the box today... er yesterday.
 

ef9turbo

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What's all that smudge on the Wild Bill's? I hope you didn't pay too much for the package... I wouldn't be happy with the wait, nor the quality. I'm guessing that you probably could've gotten a nice Galco holster, Looper's belt and speed loader pouch for around the same price with less waiting and guaranteed quality.
 

NikatKimber

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What's all that smudge on the Wild Bill's? I hope you didn't pay too much for the package... I wouldn't be happy with the wait, nor the quality. I'm guessing that you probably could've gotten a nice Galco holster, Looper's belt and speed loader pouch for around the same price with less waiting and guaranteed quality.

Yeah, I probably could have. Have a Looper's belt, but I wanted to try some "custom" gunleather. Oh, those are smudges in the dyeing.
 

338Shooter

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Man I hate to see your holster show up like this. I hope it carries well and suits your carry needs for your GP, but it sure doesn't have the aesthetic quality of custom leather.

Thank you very much for posting this here. I'll know who to avoid for future leather purchases.
 

NikatKimber

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Well, wearing it today, seems decently functional, especially considering it's not even broken in, but the belt loops need help. Once both belt loops are on the belt, it's like setting the parking brake with a hydraulic press. Now granted you don't want the holster to move, but I need to work the loops some.
 

Glock 'em down

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I've probably been thru more leather than some, not quite as much as others. Wild Bill's is one of the companies I've never tried. I dunno. I'm not gonna say the quality of the Wild Bill's gear is "bad" by any means. It's probably not up to snuff when compared to the Andrew's scabbard, but then again, the Andrew's holster alone was probably as much as the COMPLETE Wild Bill's package...right?

Like I said, I've owned cheap and I've owned expensive. Well...when I say expensive, I'm talking about Milt Sparks. I've never owned Alessi, Del Fatti, Andrews or Mitch Rosen - the four BIG boys in the industry, according to the experts. But I have owned lots and lots of Galco, DeSantis, Bianchi and Don Hume as well as an occasional Milt Sparks here and there.

Personally, I don't believe that just because a holster is expensive, warrants it to being a better rig. While the finish on Nikat's Wild Bill holster may be a little "sub-par" it's design, stiching and quality of leather looks fantastic.
 

NikatKimber

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Well, little update on this. An employee of Wild Bill's saw the pictures, and contacted me. They offered to remake the holster, personally through the shop, and I should expect it around 10 days. They also offered to redye the belt and speedloader holder if the dye colors come out different. Will update as soon as I get the holster.
 

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