Some two years ago, Galco Gunleather rolled out its Masterbilt series, which consists of the storied company’s highest quality product tier. Last year, I was fortunate to write about the Galco Masterbilt Thunderclap holster for my government-sized Wilson Combat 1911. You can read this review at Shooting Illustrated.
A few months after publishing that piece, I got my hands on a Manurhin MR-73 (also reviewed for Shooting Illustrated), generously on a long-term loan from Beretta. Without delving off-topic into the realm of these fascinating French revolvers, the MR-73 wouldn’t exist were it not for one of Smith & Wesson's most legendary products: the K-frame revolver.
One thing led to another, and I ended up with Galco’s Masterbilt Revenger revolver holster that fits 4-inch K-frames (and 4-inch Manurhin MR-73s).
By the time anyone reads this on the Internet, that revolver will have been sent back to Beretta. However, I can still enjoy the Galco Revenger with my original Smith & Wesson pre-Model 15 and my No-dash Model 66. I spent some time rotating through these three wheelguns to get a better feel for the Revenger.
The Masterbilt Differentiator
As part of the Masterbilt product family, the Revenger is handmade by Galco’s most experienced leatherworkers. In my previous Thunderclap review, I used the word “artisanal” to describe it. Since there’s no need to mince words, I’ll use it here again. The Revenger holster is an artisanal leather good that’s finished to very high quality standards.
The steerhide used to fashion the Revenger can only come from the top two percent of the final yield of American steerhide supply of that year. The fit and finish is superlative. These handmade leather holsters are free of blemishes and have clean stitching. Furthermore, Galco’s experienced leatherworkers make these holsters in such a way that the buyer doesn’t need to break them in. They ship out ready for the belt and the revolver, which means that drawing a revolver comes extremely smoothly.
Because leather comes from animal skins, the material always has rough and smooth sides. Revenger holsters are crafted with an interior leather liner in order to remove the rough portion of the leather that would interfere with drawing the revolver. This is no different than having liners on a fine pair of Western boots.
The Revenger Holster Experience
As holsters, Revengers follow a classic and conservative OWB revolver belt-holster pattern. With its shape and slight forward cant, this holster works best by sitting at or behind the strongside hip of the wearer. The trigger-guard area of the holster features a stamped Galco monogram that also reads “Masterbilt.”
As already mentioned, Galco’s craftsmen finish these holsters so that they’re ready to accept a loaded revolver. While the drawing is effortless, the holster still performs its main duty of keeping the revolver secured in place. Besides clean stitching and the ever-so-critical, double-reinforced holster mouth, the Revenger also has a failproof loop-and-tunnel system that accepts 1.5-inch wide gun belts.
In a similar vein to the Thunderclap, the Revenger also accommodates a generous sight channel that doesn’t interfere with revolver front sights. To my chagrin, (and this is truly no one’s fault), I did notice that the Manurhin’s Patridge sights do tend to drag and draw out small divots of leather if drawn too briskly.
Granted, I really like Patridge sights, and my loaner Manurhin is the “Sport” model that comes with them. They work great for target shooting, especially when dialed to work with a 6-o’clock hold. However, snag-free draws are the reason that defensive and duty revolvers have always been built with ramped front sights. Drawing the Model 66 or Pre-Model 15 do not give me any issues. In fairness to Manurhin, it does offer ramped-sight revolvers. 
Galco Gunleather’s SB7 Fancy Stitched Holster Belt
I’ve been pairing this holster with Galco’s beautiful SB7 Fancy Stitched Holster Belt. Revolver or not, that belt has morphed into my EDC gun belt for nearly every occasion. Like the Revenger holster, the SB7 Fancy Stitched Holster Belt has a timeless design with a subtle nod to Western aesthetics without overdoing it. When I first got my SB7 belt, its tan perfectly matched the tone of the Revenger. Galco’s signature tan hue, which has a reddish tint, also happens to be very similar to the tanning found on my favorite pair of Western boots, and I never hesitate to combine those boots with the SB7 Holster belt.
Western as it may be with its stitching, the SB7 Holster Belt is neither too gaudy nor too rakish, and I feel extremely comfortable combining this belt with dress slacks, dress shirts and dress shoes just the same; it will also pull blazer duty just fine. Its solid-brass buckle isn’t big enough to be ostentatious, but it’s also not diminutive. In concert with its overall leather thickness, this belt has no problem supporting a steel revolver or semi-auto pistol.
Perhaps my favorite aspect about the SB7 is that its leather edges are rounded off. In leatherworking, this is one of the most complicated steps, and Galco’s marketing chief proudly mentioned that the company had no qualms investing on the specialized machines that round out leather edges–one of the fussier and most annoying steps in leatherworking.
The same is true of the Revenger holster, too. Part of its perfect craftsmanship consists of having all its leather edges evenly rounded off.
The Takeaway
The Galco Revenger is for revolvers what the Thunderclap is for 1911s or other semi-auto pistols. In the case of carrying a duty-size revolver, which is what 4-inch K-frames technically are, the Revenger affords an elegant and traditional solution. Though I’ve already mentioned it about the Galco SB7 Stitched Holster Belt, the Revenger itself also has a clean and conservative appearance that’s not too gaudy, nor attention-seeking. It can thus be worn honestly either when dressing casually or when augmenting one’s wardrobe. Its ultimate quality lies in its craftsmanship and materials.
Visit galcogunleather.com to learn more.
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