DeSantis Gunhide announced it was making a reproduction holster for the Ithaca Auto and Burglar shotgun. The Auto and Burglar shotgun was a specialty firearm made in the early 20th century. More recently, the gun has been resurrected as the Howdah 45/410 handgun being made by Davide Pedersoli. DeSantis Gunhide states these rigs will fit the new Howdah. Although the company doesn’t seem to explicitly say so, I would imagine the new Pedersoli guns are the true reason why DeSantis is now making this rig.

The original Ithaca Auto&Burglar. Normally used in 20 ga. There were two officers I knew who carried these back in the 1960’s. Long retired these old officers had some stories!

The new rig is called the Midnight Express holster. It can be had in two colors: tan or black. The tan version is made of premium saddle leather. The black version is made of steer hide. Both models are coated with a polyurethane finish to make them waterproof. Right and left handed models are being offered.

The black model has a suggested retail price of $54.99. The tan model is much pricier with a MSRP of $99.99.

The currently manufactured Howdah gun is a double barrel pistol that looks and acts a lot like a side by side shotgun. It has a double trigger and break open design that many scattergun shooters will feel comfortable with.

I had one for testing last year. While the gun was quite beautiful and had excellent craftsmanship, it is not a gun I would choose for personal protection. To me, it is a great looking and fun shooting range toy – but a toy nonetheless.