Mitch Rosen’s name is synonymous with quality gun leather. He’s been in the business since 1991 because he couldn’t find any holsters meeting his personal standards. Fortunately for us, there are several high-quality holster makers today, but most of them suffer from the same problems (from the consumer’s point of view) — long wait times and high costs. The turnaround time from order to shipment frequently exceeds three months from the best makers, and except for a limited number at the beginning of each month, many won’t even take new orders.

A New Line

High-quality leatherwork is very labor intensive. Add to that the time consumed when switching gears from one “custom” order to the next, and you can see how orders stack up quickly in a shop with an excellent reputation for quality.

To address the needs of customers who can’t wait, and/or may not be able to afford the higher costs of extensively hand boned custom leather, Mitch started a line of holsters he calls the Express Line — with a turnaround time of only two to three weeks and a price point significantly less. The new line of holsters offers great value to those in need of professional-grade leather. Make no mistake about it, these are quality holsters and still bear the Mitch Rosen name and the quality it represents.

How does he reduce costs and turnaround time while maintaining quality? It is a two-part deal. There’s less detail work in these holsters, and there are fewer options.

As for the detail, it’s reducing hand boning, resulting in the Express Line holster’s “smoother” look. The fit is still fantastic, and the finish is first rate too. In fact, some people prefer the smooth look to the more detailed Standard Line. Express Line holsters are only offered in Cuban Brown or Black and are only available with 1.5” belt slots. The belts are straight cut, 1.5” width, even lengths and the same Cuban Brown or Black color.


The Pancake President

One of my favorite Mitch Rosen designs is the 5JR-PRES (President) in the Express Line, or the 5JR-PRES-FD (Full-Detail) of the Standard Line. It’s a belt slide pancake holster with a slight muzzle rear cant and a dowel sight track to prevent the front sight from pulling up a ball of leather each time you draw. They are similar to his 5G or 5JR models, however on the President version, the construction is offset. Rather than the seam being centered on the weapon, the seam is offset toward the wearer’s body, with the inside piece of leather accepting a natural contour of the body, rather than the detail of the gun. This also helps alleviate the tendency for the holster to bind as the belt is tightened enough for a snug fit against the waist. It’s a particularly pronounced problem for thin folks, where the radius of the inside curve is tighter. For those slightly girth-challenged, this type of construction may not be necessary. Hence the reason the 5JR (non-President) is still popular. Either way, Mitch Rosen Extraordinary Gunleather has you covered.

For more info: www.mitchrosen.com