Bundesgrenzschutz Pistolenholster, BGS Holster, French Gendarmerie Nationale Holster

Today I'll be showcasing the latest project I just completed.  A "Gendarmerie Nationale française étui" or, French Gendarmerie Nationale Police holster for the MAC 50 pistol.  This will also double as a Colt .45 Euro-Style holster that looks very similar to the old Bundesgrenzschutz holsters.

I have been looking for a Euro-Styled, leather, flap holster, for my Colt .45 auto that had the look of the old Bundesgrenzschutz holsters,  I picked up a couple of unissued French Foreign Legion holsters for the MAC 50 pistols that seemed to fit the bill.  I made a previous posting on these holsters: 
http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2011/11/french-army-mac-50-holster-model-1948.html  
Check out the posting for the full story on these holsters.................


I picked up a bottle of the best leather dye ever made:  Lincoln Shoe Dressing, Leather Dye. After one application, the tan French holster was newly transformed!

This is the only dye that I will use if I need to make a permanent and professional dye job on leather.  This stuff is industrial!  In other words, read the warning label and definitely use it in a well ventilated area!  You may have to look around a bit to find this stuff.... try a traditional shoe repair shop.  I paid $9.00 for this 3 1/2 fluid ounce bottle.  The holster used about 1/2 inch of dye out of the bottle (not much, this stuff goes a long way!).

After the leather is dyed, you should put the piece near a heater or in the sun to help it evaporate the solvents or it will smell up the house for days............... unless you live alone and don't care a bit about marital harmony!


The dye job on the French holster turned out great!  Now the holster is an exact copy of a French National Police (National_Gendarmerie) holster, and a very good facsimile of a Bundesgrenzschutz holster.  The BGS never used the Colt .45, so this holster is as close as I will get for a duty holster for my pistol.  I have paired up the new BGS holster with my Bundeswehr belt to make a pretty impressive Euro-Style holster and belt set up for my Colt.  Here's a link to the blog page on the Bundeswehr belt:  bundeswehr-koppelschloss

Here is a before shot of the holster, before the dye job:

Here is a shot of an original National Grendarmerie holster.  The only difference between the Foreign Legion holsters and the Police holsters is the color.

Here is an album of the holster after the dye:

And to finish things up, here are some historical photos of the original Bundesgrenzschutz holster in use: