Reunited With Ambi
In my eternal search for good stuff, I've rediscovered an item that's worthy of your attention. It's really an entire line of items, from Ambi Holster.
I first learned about Ambi a number of years ago. One of Dad's friends owned a small gun shop, and he carried them. At the time, they were simply packaged in plastic bags with a label stuck on the bag specifying which guns each holster would fit. No labels were on the holsters themselves.
I bought a couple of these, which I still use. These quality, inexpensive black nylon holsters were a welcome change from their competition.
Our friend later moved and reopened his shop elsewhere, and no more Ambi's were to be found; he had bought his from a traveling salesman, and had no way to contact him. There the matter rested for a few years.
Then, I found Ambi holsters once again, this time on the Web. I got lucky and ran across the right link, which led me to Mike Williams' online store (now defunct). After a few years of "making do" with lesser nylon holsters, I was delighted to know that Ambis are still available!
These products are just as good as ever, and they've got a whole lot more to choose from these days, like shoulder holsters, magazine pouches, holsters with mag pouches built in, gun cases, really too much to list here.
I immediately contacted Mr. Williams to make sure his products were from the same company I remembered, and they were. The only differences are that now they wear a label ("Ambi Holster Made in USA"), and the wider selection of products.
Here's the rundown on these holsters:
The basic construction consists of a black nylon (Cordura?) shell, with a soft cloth lining that wears well, while at the same time going very easy on your gun's finish. Most of them don't use snaps, which can really eat the bluing off of a gun in a short time. The only snaps I've seen on these are situated so they don't ride against the gun.
As the Ambi name suggests, they are ambidextrous; a wide belt loop on either side permits right- or left-handed use (there are some exceptions, like the thigh and ankle holsters). The outside of each nylon belt loop is covered with the "fuzzy" sort of Velcro, and a nylon strap with a patch of the other "hook" type on each end, secures the gun. As is true with many simple designs, it works great!
Many of their holsters these days are also available with thumb-break straps for a faster draw. These holsters aren't built for beauty; they're well-made, rugged holsters, made to be used.
For about ten years, I wore one of these while hunting, toting a Smith & Wesson 357 with a 6" barrel. I rarely strapped the gun into the holster, as the Velcro makes a world of noise (very noticeable when you're in the woods), but I never had a problem keeping the gun in. I have ridden many miles on my 3-wheeler wearing that holster, and hiked many more. The holster is still in great shape.
I knew about their belt holsters already, so this time I got a shoulder holster rigged for 2 different guns. On his "Non-Belt Holsters" page, Mr. Williams offered a unique option: build your own shoulder holster. What you would do is buy the shoulder harness and whatever you like for either side.
I got the harness, a vertical-carry holster for a "large 8-inch revolver" (works with Ruger Super Blackhawk 7-1/2"), a horizontal-carry holster for a "large auto" (works with Colt Commander or 1911), and the Y-strap. The Y-strap is needed between the shoulder harness and your belt, if you choose not to carry anything on the opposite side from the gun (such as a magazine pouch or a backup piece).
I've never seen a better design; with the same harness, I can tote either a big revolver or an automatic. If I felt the urge, I could easily carry one gun on each side with this rig, and switching holsters or accessories from right to left is very easy.
It's very comfortable and easy to adjust to fit, and is very well-made. The vertical large revolver holster pouch or the "chest holster" would work very nicely for hunting handguns, and the chest holster (which is basically a high-riding crossdraw holster supported by a strap across the chest) is available for scoped guns.
The horizontal holster pouch for the 45 can also be worn on the hip in a pinch, as it sports standard belt loops as well as buckles for the shoulder harness, and has a thumb break.
The only negative thing I can think of about these holsters is that the Blackhawk fits pretty tightly in its holster, which rules out drawing it in a hurry. Of course, who the heck's gonna try to fast-draw a revolver with a 7-1/2" barrel from a shoulder holster?
For a long-wearing, low-cost, tough field holster, it's hard to beat Ambi.
Note: These holsters and other shooting products are currently manufactured by KNJ under the KNJ name (they no longer use the Ambi name). They offer a lifetime guarantee on their American-made products. Visit the KNJ Web site for more information.
-Russ Chastain
I first learned about Ambi a number of years ago. One of Dad's friends owned a small gun shop, and he carried them. At the time, they were simply packaged in plastic bags with a label stuck on the bag specifying which guns each holster would fit. No labels were on the holsters themselves.
I bought a couple of these, which I still use. These quality, inexpensive black nylon holsters were a welcome change from their competition.
Our friend later moved and reopened his shop elsewhere, and no more Ambi's were to be found; he had bought his from a traveling salesman, and had no way to contact him. There the matter rested for a few years.
Then, I found Ambi holsters once again, this time on the Web. I got lucky and ran across the right link, which led me to Mike Williams' online store (now defunct). After a few years of "making do" with lesser nylon holsters, I was delighted to know that Ambis are still available!
These products are just as good as ever, and they've got a whole lot more to choose from these days, like shoulder holsters, magazine pouches, holsters with mag pouches built in, gun cases, really too much to list here.
I immediately contacted Mr. Williams to make sure his products were from the same company I remembered, and they were. The only differences are that now they wear a label ("Ambi Holster Made in USA"), and the wider selection of products.
Here's the rundown on these holsters:
The basic construction consists of a black nylon (Cordura?) shell, with a soft cloth lining that wears well, while at the same time going very easy on your gun's finish. Most of them don't use snaps, which can really eat the bluing off of a gun in a short time. The only snaps I've seen on these are situated so they don't ride against the gun.
As the Ambi name suggests, they are ambidextrous; a wide belt loop on either side permits right- or left-handed use (there are some exceptions, like the thigh and ankle holsters). The outside of each nylon belt loop is covered with the "fuzzy" sort of Velcro, and a nylon strap with a patch of the other "hook" type on each end, secures the gun. As is true with many simple designs, it works great!
Many of their holsters these days are also available with thumb-break straps for a faster draw. These holsters aren't built for beauty; they're well-made, rugged holsters, made to be used.
For about ten years, I wore one of these while hunting, toting a Smith & Wesson 357 with a 6" barrel. I rarely strapped the gun into the holster, as the Velcro makes a world of noise (very noticeable when you're in the woods), but I never had a problem keeping the gun in. I have ridden many miles on my 3-wheeler wearing that holster, and hiked many more. The holster is still in great shape.
I knew about their belt holsters already, so this time I got a shoulder holster rigged for 2 different guns. On his "Non-Belt Holsters" page, Mr. Williams offered a unique option: build your own shoulder holster. What you would do is buy the shoulder harness and whatever you like for either side.
I got the harness, a vertical-carry holster for a "large 8-inch revolver" (works with Ruger Super Blackhawk 7-1/2"), a horizontal-carry holster for a "large auto" (works with Colt Commander or 1911), and the Y-strap. The Y-strap is needed between the shoulder harness and your belt, if you choose not to carry anything on the opposite side from the gun (such as a magazine pouch or a backup piece).
I've never seen a better design; with the same harness, I can tote either a big revolver or an automatic. If I felt the urge, I could easily carry one gun on each side with this rig, and switching holsters or accessories from right to left is very easy.
It's very comfortable and easy to adjust to fit, and is very well-made. The vertical large revolver holster pouch or the "chest holster" would work very nicely for hunting handguns, and the chest holster (which is basically a high-riding crossdraw holster supported by a strap across the chest) is available for scoped guns.
The horizontal holster pouch for the 45 can also be worn on the hip in a pinch, as it sports standard belt loops as well as buckles for the shoulder harness, and has a thumb break.
The only negative thing I can think of about these holsters is that the Blackhawk fits pretty tightly in its holster, which rules out drawing it in a hurry. Of course, who the heck's gonna try to fast-draw a revolver with a 7-1/2" barrel from a shoulder holster?
For a long-wearing, low-cost, tough field holster, it's hard to beat Ambi.
Note: These holsters and other shooting products are currently manufactured by KNJ under the KNJ name (they no longer use the Ambi name). They offer a lifetime guarantee on their American-made products. Visit the KNJ Web site for more information.
-Russ Chastain
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