“Rhodesian” Holsters

4CERTN

Established Member
Feb 2, 2016
697
613
Alabama
Without going into a lengthy history lesson, most all of us have likely heard of the war the former African nation of Rhodesia fought against Communist insurgents in the 1970s and 80s. Google or your search engine of choice will yield bountiful reading on this topic. Of note for this post are particularly the so-called “Rhodesian holsters.”

From what I’ve read, Rhodesians were tasked with crafting many goods like leather-gear in-country as a result of various international embargoes placed upon their nation. A craftsman of Norwegian descent in Rhodesia, Vidar Nakling, began making holsters for soldiers and other interested parties from kudu hide. His design may have in turn borrowed characteristics of an even earlier German design. Over time, Alabama holster-maker Thad Rybka began offering these holster designs along with accompanying magazine pouches and the like.

The distinctive “Rhodesian” design traditionally calls for a lower-riding, straight-drop presentation. Not necessarily an ideal design for concealed carry, they tend to make a fine rig for certain matches and for carry afield (and, frankly, they CAN be concealed depending on the covering garment chosen). To my mind, if Commie-hunting Rhodesian troopers packed such gear, I have a feeling these holsters will serve just fine for the kinder, gentler environment of the civilian pistolero, hm?

Thad Rybka continues to offer his products today - they are sometimes found online in small batches via the Milt Sparks Leather online store and of course will turn up on eBay from time to time. Mr. Rybka does not maintain a website; communication with him is done the old-fashioned way: via US Mail.

Holster-maker Erik Little of Rafter-L Combat Leather offers a Rhodesian design called the “Selous Scout,” which is the holster shown in the accompanying pictures. Mr. Little maintains a one-man shop and very high quality production standards - this often results in a longer production timeframe. He has sold his gear through various retailers in the past; thus the Wilson Combat branding on the Selous Scout here.

In addition to being a piece of high-quality leather gear, the holster feels, in its own way, like a little slice of history.

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Dfalt

Established Member
Mar 13, 2021
786
929
Troy, AL
"Here's the story of Rhodesia, and land both fair and great..."

Nice, I love Rhodie stuff. Speaking of, where did you get that Brushstroke woobie?
 

4CERTN

Established Member
Feb 2, 2016
697
613
Alabama
Thank you! That came from the folks at Zero Foxtrot (link here):

 

Stumpy

Established Member
Jun 26, 2020
179
126
Cropwell, AL
I love a straight drop. Of course I have a jacked up right hand and wrist that will not rotate properly. I wear a reverse or backward canted duty holster that makes drawing much faster. Hard to find rearward canted concealment holsters so straight up is good for me. I live not far from Odenville where Thad is located and have always wanted to "drop in" but I'm sure he is busy and doesn't need a "holster hound" interupting his work flow!
 

4CERTN

Established Member
Feb 2, 2016
697
613
Alabama
A little update here…

I’ve recently had a bit of a reunion with the fabled Browning Hi Power, documented elsewhere on these pages. The seller also had some Hi Power-specific leather gear from Milt Sparks which I also availed myself of - with the wait for new goods from Sparks now at 26-30 weeks, one takes the opportunities when one can, right?

One of the nice things about the Sparks website is their Online Store. Not only do they keep certain models in-stock and ready-to-ship, they sometimes have small batches of gear from Alabama’s own Thad Rybka, a Springville craftsman famed for his “Rhodesian” holster line (among other products he also offers).

Thusly, I was browsing the Sparks online store and found a Rybka Rhodesian sized for a Browning Hi Power along with a matching magazine pouch. I could hardly believe it! When Rybka gear appears on the Sparks page, it usually doesn’t last long. I grabbed it and have been wearing it for a bit now. It works! I find this straight-drop approach much more amenable with this sized gun; I suspect a 1911 Commander or similar would be equally easy to pack this way.

As one local meteorologist is fond of saying, this gear is “Absolutely Alabama.”

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SandyShooter

Established Member
Aug 13, 2022
35
51
Gulf Coast
Hello, my name is Sandy and I am a leather-holic. “Hello Sandy!”
I sometimes wish there was a 12 step program to help me with my addiction.
Okay, so maybe I am exaggerating just a bit but I do appreciate fine leather holsters.
I don’t currently own any of Mr Rybka’s work.
Over the years I’ve had several Bruce Nelson’s, the #1 or Professional with zero cant is a favorite. I used Gordon Davis duty holster for my 681 when I was a police officer. I’ve had holsters from Tony Kanaley and others at Milt Sparks. In my opinion, Ken Null’s old dress gun belt with the buckle of his design was the best gun belt I have seen and had the pleasure of owning.
During the 80’s and early 90’s I used a lot of local holster maker Bruce Fagan’s holsters and support gear. If you run into some Fagan Gunleather from Mobile, AL gear in a used holsters box grab it.
See you on the range sometime
 

Bamaj

Established Member
Aug 21, 2022
23
25
Arab
@SandyShooter I knew there had to be another leather-holic out here haha!

I am actually going back to a leather OWB holster for my Glock 35 for winter time carry. I have all manner of kydex, which I love, but just not comfortable for me to EDC the full size glock in. I have a Don Hume holster on order right now. Placed the order August 3rd so I am now 4-6 weeks wait out of the original 6-8 weeks wait.
 

4CERTN

Established Member
Feb 2, 2016
697
613
Alabama
A little update here - a relatively young buck on the gunleather scene is Ethan Douglas of Douglas Gunleather. I first encountered his work on one of the 1911-specific forums and later on, of all places, Instagram (see his page there at “douglasleatherco” if interested).

Among other items, he crafts a nice take on the Rhodesian-style holster, shown here with one of his magazine pouches and a stag-gripped 1911.

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