The Yaqui slide holster came to prominence primarily through the writings of Col. Jeff Cooper who liked the simplistic practicality and versatility of a holster that retains only the trigger guard portion of a handgun. With nothing to hold a barrel, any length barrel can be carried in the same Yaqui slide, from a two-inch Model 19 to a six-inch K-22.

The Yaqui slide, well... slides on your belt and is contoured to conform to your waist. It conceals the pistol extremely well because it hugs the gun directly into your side.

One of the better things about the minimalist design is that when there's no gun in it, the Yaqui slide doesn't "look" like a holster to casual observers. Even though a CCW may make you perfectly legal, some workplace environments frown on carrying firearms, but a Yaqui slide is so unobtrusive you don't have to take off the holster along with your pistol just to avoid offending a coworker.

Because the 1911 pistol comes in so many slide lengths, the Yaqui slide is an ideal choice for the slab-sided Government Model. We chose the Texas Yaqui Slide from Kirkpatrick Leather Co. of Laredo, Texas, one of the most respected purveyors of classic Western leather since 1950.

Joe Kirkpatrick's rendition of the venerable Yaqui is clean and tasteful, nicely boned and evenly stained an attractive natural leather color. The edges are nicely polished and finished with dark edge stain. The stitching is doubled at the rear welt where the holster attaches to the belt slide. The quality is top notch, especially for what's a great buy. The Texas Yaqui Slide sells for $40 retail.

Kramer Belt Scabbard

Traditionally known simply as a pancake holster, this double belt-looped, body-hugging design has been a longtime favorite of federal agents and undercover cops. The pancake is often found with a thumb-break, an invention of the devil along with flour tortillas and light beer. We much prefer a pancake that relies on a well-boned, proper fit to retain the pistol securely.

We found a great rendition of the classic pancake in the Kramer Belt Scabbard from noted leathermaker Greg Kramer. What sets this rig apart from lesser designs is the rock-solid fit and precise boning that comes from Kramer's use of horsehide. Tougher and more durable than cowhide, horsehide holds its hand-boned fit much better than cowhide.

We tested a Belt Scabbard in black, for a 1911 Government Model .45 ACP pistol. The quality of construction was exceptional, with Kramer using not double, not triple, but quadruple stitching in the crucial holster-belt loop junction.

All stitching was at least doubled in nonstress areas, another sign of quality. The stain was even and carried a subtle matte black color throughout. The holster was non-lined, but the roughout side of horsehide is surprisingly smooth.

The tightly fitted holster needed considerable break-in to obtain a good, fast draw. This is normal of tightly boned horsehide. Having to do several hundred dry-draws is not an altogether terrible thing, after all.

The Kramer Belt Scabbard retails for $85 and is available, like the Model T, in black only. By the way, Kramer's sharkskin belts are superb, so if you pick up a rig, get a belt as well.

Milt Sparks Summer Special

The Summer Special is an inside-the-waist, rough-out design that over the years has come to be recognized as the sign of a true combat cognoscenti. Virtually all the old guard instructors at Gunsite wore a Summer Special tucked in their Levis with a cocked-and-locked 1911 protruding out of their waists.

The Summer Special was invented by Bruce Nelson, a southern California cop who stitched holsters part-time in his garage at night. When Milt Sparks saw the elegantly simple rig designed for the balmy California climate, he asked Nelson if he could offer the design himself. "No problem," the overworked lawman allowed, "be my guest."

Milt improved on the design by adding sight rails -- two strips of leather to prevent the front sight from snagging a piece of leather on its way out. Milt later added a second belt loop, his last improvement to Nelson's original design.

The Summer Special has a piece of spring steel in the top band that holds the holster open to allow for effortless, one-handed reholstering. The rough-out leather grips clothing for secure positioning and the extension of a piece of smooth-out leather keeps the gun from rubbing or abrading clothing.

The Summer Special is astonishingly fast. We've seen many a top hand be able to draw and fire an A-Zone hit from 10 yards in under 1.5 seconds from a Summer Special. As long as you don't grab a handful of shirt, the Summer Special gives up nothing in speed to a belt rig.

The Milt Sparks Summer Special is available for all barrel lengths of 1911 plus other small autos and revolvers. However, the Sparks crew warn that short-slide autos or snubby revolvers are best used with the Summer Special II. This slight variation of the original design repositions the pistol slightly for better concealment with short-barreled pistols. The retail price of the Summer Special is $62.50.

Haugen Wedge

Finding a novel version of the pancake came as a pleasant surprise when we encountered The Wedge from leathermaker Jerry Lee of Haugen Handgun Leather. This well-executed, thoughtfully designed belt rig offers an interesting twist on the classic pancake design with the leading edge of the holster intentionally raised, giving the design a wedge-like shape.

The wedge is formed by hand boning over three reinforcing strips of leather on the inside of the holster. The wedge shape makes for a natural sight track to prevent the front sight from snagging on the rough-out interior of the holster.

A former cop with 21 years on the job, Lee is a craftsman of the first order. The stitching is clean and even, with double reinforcing where the holster meets the belt loops. There is an upper band at the holster's top to facilitate easy one-handed reholstering.

The design sucks into the wearer's side quite well, although the wedge shape prints under clothing moreso than does a traditional pancake. The rich cordovan finish is expertly applied, rubbed to a pleasant gloss. Quality overall is superb.

El Paso Tom Threepersons

Tom Threepersons was a border lawman in the 1920s who led a most colorful, if not short, career as a Texas peace officer. Born on a Cherokee reservation, Threepersons scouted for Gen. Blackjack Pershing on his expedition after Pancho Villa in 1916. He was wounded twice in different gunfights, run over by a smuggler, fought in World War I and lived a hair-raising life on the Prohibition-era Mexican border.

During the course of his lawman career, he designed a simple yet effective holster that was fast to access, yet secure with a safety strap. The rig was made for him by El Paso Saddlery. Amazingly, in this age of dot-com-and-go businesses, the very same company continues to offer the Threepersons design today.

In business since 1889, El Paso Saddlery specializes in Western holsters and rigs. Their offerings under the "modern" category are traditional classics, beautifully made and finished. El Paso offers a Yaqui slide, for instance, several inside-the-waist models and pancakes.

The Threepersons rig is made for autos or revolvers. We selected one for a 4-inch S&W L-frame M686. The fit was snug in this time-honored, one-piece design. We ordered ours with hand-stamped decorative tooling. Why? Because this is El Paso Saddlery. Do you order a plain gold wedding band from Tiffany?

Stained a deliciously rich mahogany color, the inside of the Threepersons is light tan. This is a traditionally lined holster, with smooth-out top-grade cowhide on both inner and outer surfaces of the holster.