Preface: I’ve tried and been intimately introduced to a LOT of high-end rigs over the years. I’ve used and perused rigs from Sparks, Mernickle, Kramer, Arratoonian, Alessi, Galco, Nossar, Rosen… the list is endless and the holsters would easily fill a short-bed pickup.

I’m rarely at a loss for words, but my first impressions of my new, complete, Tucker Gunleather HF-1 Rig, can be summed up in a word, WOW! Read on, only if you’re a nit-picking- buggar, like me!

Here is the SHORT version of the specs:

HF-1 holster. Cross-cut body, square cross-cut overlap.

1 ¾” belt, “thinner” option (more about this later), tapered to 1 ¼”

Double, angled mag pouch.

All in matching, black cherry.

If you’ve been keeping up with my recent ramblings, you know I’ve been drooling over this rig for some time. It finally arrived, via eight tiny reindeer.

I am an anally retentive, inspecting, quality discerning nut-case. I’ve gone over every single millimeter of this rig and here’s what I’ve found:

MATERIAL:

The leather is absolutely first quality. I won’t go into laborious detail about Tucker’s leather tanning processes, but I’ve never seen anything better and I’m a fanatic about good leather. I’ve never seen leather construction so thick, yet so incredibly supple… but that only goes for the belt. The HF-1 holster is a work of engineering art, in terms of its rigidity and form. Stiff and absolutely defiant to deformation; no cheesy metal, or plastic inserts here. There are simply no better quality materials, or methods used in the holster industry.

THE AESTHETICS:

The tooling and stamping on the set is flawless. Every single cut is continuous and contiguous. There is not a single mismatch, overrun, or alignment issue anywhere on any of the three pieces. The equidistance of the flare stamping is a revelation of Tucker’s attention to detail.

The dying of each piece is uniform. It does not appear to be vat dyed (which I prefer), but vat dying tends to soften leather too much (as it involves agitating) and, at least in a holster rig, could compromise fit and function. The (if it is) surface dying, really is flawless and again, very consistent.

The, now trademark-white stitching is also amazingly well blended. To look at this rig, you’d swear he never reset the needle. I can find not a single stitch stop, restart, or tie off. It takes years to hone real skill on a Bostich machine (assumption)… Tucker has put in some time here!

OK, suffice to say, the build quality of this rig… has no equal.

Now for the fun stuff!

THE CONTROVERSY:

“Double angled” mag pouch? Man, did I ever think this was… not only WEIRD, but completely contrary to everything I thought about mag changes. What a dummy! As it turns out, both Tucker and Longenecker are VERY experienced and lauded competition shooters. Together, they came up with the whacky idea that angling their mags rearward; kept the wrist from breaking and enabled them to make a clean, circular sweep, from gun, to mag, to gun, without breaking the wrist… which costs you time. The boys were really on to something here. For weeks prior to receiving my rig, I played with my Fobus Roto mag pouch, canting it rearward. Yanno what? Those crazy kids NAILED IT! Rearward cant really IS more natural and faster. Who knew?

The mag pouches are of the same quality and build as the holster. The backing is softer, so as to enable the user to fully benefit from the dual tension screws. You can customize the pouch to literally ANY friction coefficient you prefer. They lay amazingly flat against the body, making it virtually impossible to print on your left side.


THE HOLSTER:

This holster is a PHENOM! I could easily do two pages on the virtues of this thing. In short, it brings the idea of “CONSTUCTED” into a whole, new light. The, out-of-box fit is tight, yet NOT immature. It draws like leather you’ve owned for years. The way Tucker makes these holsters is as though they KNOW the gun. It draws and reholsters, with the same friction. It is NOT overly tight. It just feels like an old friend is handing you your gun; only a slight resistance, making sure you really want it.

The two most important issues in a new leather holster are gun fit and draw. Most, if not all (Horseshoe, being the only exception of which I’m aware), premier manufacturers, remove the form from the leather prematurely, so it will “draw up”, in order to insure solid retention. You, nearly always, end up with a holster that it takes two guys and a come-along to draw the gun from. It’s this attitude that necessitated the invention of the wax paper trick. This is a ridiculous notion to Tucker, evidenced by the fact that this holster, while tight, draws like something months old. I held the thing upside down, with a loaded Les Baer in it, shook it, and the gun didn’t move a millimeter. Yet, I can draw the gun relatively easily.

The cocobolo tools Tucker has invented to do his boning, do a great job of fitting the leather to the form of the 1911. The detail is there, but not over done. I would swear that he boned the cowhide lining, before boning the outer layer. That’s how good the fit/retention is! The end product looks like a HOLSTER! Not a traced outline of a gun.


How Tucker gets this level of retention AND present-ability is the one thing that makes me want to go to Houston and see how he really does it! Another Tucker trademark is the way the HF-1 snugs into your body. How he knew the exact width of my right thumb is uncanny, but he must have because that is the precise distance between my side and the upper grip on my 1911’s. Tres strange! The butt of the grip rests gently against my side, making for tremendous concealability. How anything this BEEFY can be concealed at all is miraculous, but the reality is that it completely disappears under a thin jacket.

I specified a 15 degree FBI cant and that’s spot-on. Tucker’s standard cant is 13-14 degrees, which for most, is ample. When putting the holster on, I adjusted it to my familiar 4 o’clock spot and presto, comfort and no wrist break.

As mentioned above, the HF-1 is a rock. While the hand of the leather is luxurious, the rigidity resultant of the design is total. The cowhide lining (optional) makes for a cozy and smooth resting place for my prized pistols.

I also opted for the body shield as my Baers have extended thumb safeties (read, diving board), which can get rather aggressive over a day of carry. The shield is a minimalist arrangement; just enough to protect my tender love handles.

In a world of look-a-like knock-offs, the Tucker HF-1 is pleasantly visually unique; a real eye catcher.

THE BELT:

As I am 6’4”, a 1 ¾” belt doesn’t bother me. I ordered it with the “Thinner, 3/16” option. The standard Tucker belt is stated as being ¼” thick. Having received mine and measured it, I now know why they say, “Everything’s bigger in Texas.” Evidently, this also applies to their rulers. My “thinner” belt came in at a skosh over ¼”. I can only imagine that the full tilt, standard version is gonna be a hefty 9/16+. You cannot accuse Tucker of scrimping!

I opted to have the belt tapered down from 1 ¾” to 1 ¼” at the buckle (a top notch, solid-brass boat anchor), which keeps it from goring my tummy, when seated.

The weird part about this belt is just how supple it is. I’m telling you, this thing is like a piece of medieval leather armor, yet it flexes and conforms like spandex. I’m beginning to think there is some sort of Voodoo connection here…

The bottom line is that this William Tucker dude has got this stuff FIGURED OUT! This is a guy who has carried 1911’s for most of his life and has been building holsters to suit them for nearly as long. He knows ALL the tricks. He has paid his dues.

We are just lucky enough to reap the benefits.

As I have stated in the past, doing business with Rob Longenecker is a pleasing and informative interaction. He is no salesman, but rather a Gunleather consultant. He is as invested in getting you exactly what you want and need as you are. That said, he’s about as nice a guy as you’ll ever find; a true gentleman, par excellence.

I strongly recommend jumping on one of these magnificent holster rigs ASAP. Before Tucker and Longenecker figure out what they’ve got here and start charging what they’re really worth! Shhhhhh

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Guns kill people the same way spoons make you fat.

Ping Ping,
Thank you for a most excellent review and photos of your new Tucker HF-1 Rig. I ordered a holster back in early November. Being close to the end of my waiting time, your review will have me watching for the mailman even more closely.

I lament that I didn't go for the full rig, as you have. That is a beautiful combination of form and function. My congratulations to you, sir, and thanks again for such a comprehensive review.

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Steve
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Great looking outfit! You just can't beat that Black Cherry for a deep rich look.

Excellent review Ping Ping. I definitely will consider one of these for my Baer. Also, love that black cherry.

I'm glad it got there in time. An email from a very intentional lady made certain that Tucker got it done for Christmas. Every guy should have a woman who won't take no for an answer when ordering a Christmas gift for her fella.
Thanks for the great review!
Rob

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www.TuckerGunleather.com
www.TuckerGunleatherBLOG.com

Nice work Ping, and a fine rig you and the Tucker folks have assembled. I'm a convert.
And speaking of holiday cheer, I think the barn door is open on that last photo. Must've happened while you were hanging upside down from the rafters...

In all my enthusiasm and excitement (hence the "open barn door, Erniestu), I completely blew my guess on what the standard belt thickness might be... But heck, its a random stab anyway.

Should have read, "...a hefty 3/8" ."

Whatever, mine is not only comfortable, but rock solid in supporting pistol and mags.

__________________
Guns kill people the same way spoons make you fat.

Ping Ping,

You should not have done that. I have two of the Tucker HF-1 holsters and mag pouches, one for my 1911's and one for my SiG P225 (works great for my CZ PCR also) and I have been wanting that black cherry rig for some time now. Looks like I'm going to have to break down and order it. Now see what you have done.

Tucker makes great equipment, very please with all of it, none better.

Rob is great to work with also.

TM

Hey Ping-Ping that was a fine article on your new rig from Tucker. That sure is a great looking outfit. Good luck with it.

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No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
Thomas Jefferson

Steve,

Thats high praise, coming from you. Thank you.

I'll bet you a beer and a shot that if you order the rest of the rig in parts, given Tucker's consistency and artistry, they will match up perfectly. You might ask him to take a pic of it before it ships and give him a heads up that youre interested in completing the set.

After all, if youre anything like me, the belt will see more wear than the rest; you;ll wear it more than any other.

My next move is to order a mag pouch/surefire pouch combo for daily carry. Tucker said he could do it!

__________________
Guns kill people the same way spoons make you fat.