HOLSTER REVIEW: Kramer Pocket Holsters for S&W J Frame and Colt D Frame Revolvers

(The Photo Above) All holsters were purchased new, directly from Kramer Handgun Leather.  The holster fitted for the original size J Frame (in the middle) and the holster fitted for the shrouded barrel Colt D Frame (on the right) are between fifteen and twenty-years-old, if my memory serves.  The holster fitted for the revolver having a longer magnum size J frame barrel  (on the left) is around ten-years-old.  Horsehide was the leather used to construct each of these holsters.

The photo above shows the side of the holster that faces toward the body.

To a great extent, the successful use of almost any pocket holster depends on matching it and the handgun to a pocket of suitable size.  A pocket that is too small, too shallow, or too tight can cause concealment and / or access problems.  If a pocket is too large the gun and holster can fail to remain upright.  The Kramer works with most of my trouser right side front pockets.   The Colt D Frame is the most difficult to manage, especially with those hand filling grips that I prefer for it, but it does work.

The photo above shows the side of the holster that faces away from the body.  The plastic panel is intended to break the outline of the handgun, making it less recognizable (for the photo, I highlighted the black nylon stitching with a wax).  Does the panel work as intended?  Well, yeah ... but the bulges from even the small boot grips on a J frame are pretty distinctive and there is nothing the plastic panel can do about that.  I treat pocket carry pretty much the same as I treat my obesity and my IWB and OWB handgun carry; I rely mostly on frumpy oversized untucked shirts to hide my unsightly bulges.

(The Photo Above) Here is my only real complaint: Do you see that line of panel-stitching inside the mouth of the holster?  It's that way on each of the three holsters. The edge of the revolver's cylinder snags that stitching when you draw.  Many holster makers lower such stitching (which is commonly used for adding exotic leather trim or an extra band of leather as a hold-open) to just a wee bit below the level of the top edge of the cylinder in order to avoid a snag point.  NOTE: Each of these holsters is broken in (that takes time and use) and the snagging is not as noticeable as it once was, but it is still there.

The photo above shows that the stitching of each holster has its own personality.  Plenty of hand-time went into making these durable holsters; they will long outlast my remaining time on earth.

(The Two Photos Above) Here is my Kramer that fits the longer barrel Magnum J Frames; it is sporting a Model 60-9 .357 Magnum.  To prevent the hammer from snagging on the pocket fabric while drawing the revolver, (it is generally assumed that) plain-clothes and off-duty cops came up with the technique of riding the tip of the hammer with the tip of the thumb.

The rather plain rectangular design of this holster has no catch-points (other than that area that looks to function more like a hammer shroud) dedicated to keeping the holster in the pocket during the draw.  After all of the years of practice, and with each holster being adequately broken in, they all stay where they belong when I draw.