M-1 CANVAS .45 ACP HOLSTER – ca. 1932 – VERY RARE
EXPERIMENTAL ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL PRODUCTION – ONE OF
ONLY 50 MANUFACTURED FOR TRIAL – IN EXCELLENT “LIKE NEW”
CONDITION: This US Army M-1 Canvas Holster for
the .45 Automatic Colt Pistol was designed at Rock
Island Arsenal as a replacement for the standard leather
Model 1916 Holsters in the event of a leather shortage
created by a war-time emergency. Extremely well
documented by Scott Meadows in both his U.S. Military
Holsters and Cartridge Boxes (pgs 294-300) and his
newly published U.S. Military Holsters and Related
Accoutrements (pgs 423-431), this holster saw a very
limited production as the possibility of the leather
shortage never materialized. Production was limited to
one prototype holster, three samples, and only 50 were
manufactured for trials at the unit level.
As Meadows notes, the following correspondence between
the Chief of Ordnance and the commanding officer at Rock
Island Arsenal establishes the date of origin of this
holster:
“An estimate is requested as to the cost of the
development at Rock Island Arsenal of a duck or canvas
holster as an emergency substitute for the present
leather holster for the Browning Automatic Pistol,
Caliber .45….”
Over the next four months the design of the holster was
developed, three samples with varying features were
produced, and in August of 1932 the Chief of Ordnance
made his selection:
“….the three sample holsters have been
carefully examined by this office and the recommendation
of Rock Island Arsenal that No. 2 sample (double
thickness canvas) will prove most serviceable as an
emergency substitute for the present leather holster is
concurred in by this office.
$75 is allotted for the
manufacture of not to exceed 50 holsters (canvas) in
general accordance with sample No. 2. It is requested
that this office be advised when this order is
approaching completion, in order that consideration may
be given to the distribution of these holsters for test
by the using arms.”
The 50 canvas holsters were manufactured as ordered and
they were distributed in October of 1932 as follows: 20
to Ft. Riley, Kansas to the Chief of Cavalry; 15 to Ft.
Benning, Georgia to the Chief of Infantry; and 15 to Ft.
Bragg, North Carolina to the Chief of Field Artillery.
The holsters were shipped under a cover letter as
follows:
“Herewith shipping order OS0162980a, covering
shipment of 15 [or 20 as appropriate] canvas
pistol holsters. These holsters have been fabricated in
accordance with Ordnance experimental project SA 94.
It is requested that these
holsters be subjected to six months’ service use and
that upon completion of this use a report be furnished
as to their suitability for adoption as a substitute for
the leather pistol holster in the event of an
emergency.”
After the holsters were exposed to trial at the unit
level, all three branch chiefs approved of the holster
and recommended its adoption for the stated purpose.
The holsters were issued to units, and the soldiers who
ultimately received them wore the holsters on a regular
basis over the six month trial, and at least in the case
of use by cavalry troopers, the holsters were subjected
to regular cleaning. Of special note, the Infantry
Board requested they be allowed to retain their 15
canvas holsters with the intent that the holsters “be
tested to destruction”. Their request was
approved and it is assumed those 15 holsters were indeed
destroyed through testing. The fate of those holsters
issued to the Cavalry and Field Artillery is not
documented, but presumably most of them would have shown
some evidence of wear and use.
Subsequent to the trials and the receipt of the reports,
in November of 1933 the canvas holster was adopted as
the substitute holster. Design revisions were made to
the pattern through 1933 and 1934, to include the
addition of the “U.S.” stenciled in black ink on the
holster flap in January of 1934. The M1 Canvas Holster
remained an active project through 1939, however no more
were produced.
The four pre-production
samples and only 50 holsters produced for trial, minus
the 15 holsters destroyed by the Infantry through
testing, leaves a very limited number – less than 39 -
which possibly survived. Given the use and cleaning to
which these holsters were subjected during the trial,
very few could possibly survive in the condition of this
specimen
This specimen presents in “like new” unissued condition,
showing no signs of having been issued, worn, nor ever
having had a pistol placed into the holster. The
surface of the canvas is clean and bright, the canvas
edging is complete with all seams intact, and all the
darkened finish metal fittings are present with the
finish completely intact. The stenciled “U.S.” on the
flap is very bright and fully legible.
This is an excellent example of a very rare trial
holster and would be an important addition to a display
or collection of Model 1911 Pistols. (0530) $1450
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