New Slim Holster

[mike6642]

this is slim holster for bursa 380, this is a improvement over the first one, the straps are stitched in place so as not to move, gun fits nice and tight thanks to the feedback from members on this forum.

[camano ridge]

mike6642, it is an improvment over the first. The stitch line is much closer to the gun. You should have a bit better retention. The only thing I see that I would question and it may just be the angle of the picture. When you go to get a grip on a firearm to unholster it you want to be able to get a full and complete grip. You should not have to reposition the hand or wrap fingers around after the fact. The clearence between the grip and the top of the holster looks a little close.

[mike6642]

Thanks for the feedback,other forum members felt that the gun sits to high and should be lower in the holster,but you can easily grip the gun with this position that's why I made this style.the holster hides well. The style only works on small guns. I see what you mean though , next time i'll angle the gun forward a bit.

Edited November 21, 2014 by mike6642

[Dwight]

I sincerely hate to be a harsh critic, . . . but if I see what I think I see, . . . that simply will not work.

First, . . . it looks as though the loops are attached only at the bottom by the snaps, . . . which will allow it to roll out away from your body if it is worn on the right hand side of the body. It would dump the gun out on the pavement.

Worn on the left side, . . . the loops would be on the outside, . . . with the holster between the belt and the britches, . . . and I'm guessing that it more than likely would squirt up and out of the holster.

I say that because I have owned a Bersa for a number of years, . . . and it is not an easy weapon for which to make holsters.

Second, . . . the snaps are on the bottom, . . . any serious resistance to the weapon coming clear, . . . the snaps could undo, . . . allowing you to present both a gun and a holster to your attacker.

I hope what I am seeing is wrong, . . . but from the angles presented in the pictures, . . . it looks frankly like a wasted exercise.

May God bless,

Dwight

[ramblinrovers]

Dwight,

the straps are stitched in place so as not to move,

[mike6642]

Those are good points,straps are stitched in place, the first time I saw the guy on youtube demonstrate the holster I said yeah right,but I said let me try it and see.the holster works well for small guns.your right about the bursa,if you got some scrap leather try it,that's what I did,the first one was made of horse.

[Red Cent]

The straight hang and anything else that points the barrel forward makes it difficult to expose the grip properly and keep the grip frames close to the body. It comes to manipulating the belt attachments whether they are slots or loops.

This looks to be bulky but it hides very well under almost any cover garment and protrudes no more than any pancake.

[mike6642]

I really like that holster,I'm going to try that style on my mp40. Thank you red cent fir that post.

[snubbyfan]

this is slim holster for bursa 380, this is a improvement over the first one, the straps are stitched in place so as not to move, gun fits nice and tight thanks to the feedback from members on this forum.

Nice job on the stitch line and dye work, looks good. If the design works for you, that's great. I like to design my holsters so they drop away from the grip.

[Splash]

great improvement from the previous. Like Snubby said, if it works for you, then great. The only thibg I would have done is to give a little more clearance on the grip side. Your design its flat on top and close to the grip unlike Red's holster. Look how much space he has between the grip and the leather, it makes unholstering easier.

[TwinOaks]

I'm going to second a lot of what Dwight said, even though it was a little coarse. It is always a good thing to try and innovate new products, new designs, and even new ideas....but there are only so many ways to wrap a dead cow (or horse) around a gun. When trying a holster design, please don't disregard the work of your peers and especially your predecessors. We, the people who've come before you, have done a LOT of the legwork for you in determining what works and what doesn't. In the case of handguns, safety is of UTMOST CRITICAL IMPORTANCE. At no time is an "oops" acceptable. There is simply too much liability, both Legal and personal, to risk having a gun fall out of a holster. Since such risk is involved, practice and learn on established designs, not what "some guy on youtube" instructed you to do. Odds are, he tried something and it "sorta" worked, so he made a video and it's become sacrosanct because the viewers didn't know what a holster SHOULD look like or how it SHOULD perform. Early in my holster making career, I had a heated discussion with Kevin from K&D holsters, arguing what I thought was best vs. what he (as a professional holster maker) KNEW was best. Much to my relief, the convo was lost in the crash of '07, so there's no actual record of how much of an ass I made of myself. Two or three years, and MANY failed holster designs later, I had the opportunity to apologize to him. He graciously accepted and offered some invaluable mentoring to my efforts. Nowadays, I use tried and true holster designs - some 'standard', some of my own. But before I offer them, I do the legwork on the design - I personally use the holster, I have trusted friends and fellow shooters use the design in training courses. Only when a 'new' design passes some pretty harsh testing do I even consider it for production. There's at least 20 designs where I tried to "Improve" an existing idea....and all of them failed.

Holster design is really pretty simple: The holster needs to hold the gun securely in ONE place; it needs to be comfortable enough for all day, every day carry; it needs to allow the wearer to instantly access the handgun by providing excellent access to the grip and cleanly releasing the gun....but only when it's supposed to; and finally...the holster needs to endure whatever it is you face on a daily basis without negative effect on its performance.

Once those criteria are met, then you can apply whatever aesthetics you want to the holster.

Specifically regarding the holster pictured above - If it works, then great. But I see the following issues with it (some already mentioned): It doesn't provide a clear grip; the molding/retention/stitch line can still be improved; and most importantly, the suspension for the holster is very likely to be insufficient. The straps (thankfully stitched) are thin and loose, which will allow the pistol to flop around, no matter how tight the belt is. This will become more pronounced as the holster gets some wear on it and the straps stretch a bit. You may be able to mitigate this by stitching them down a little higher so that the strap is laying as flat as possible along the back of the holster. The snaps on the bottom are a concern...if you used pull the dot snaps (aka security snaps) then it wouldn't be too bad as long as the release direction isn't vertical.

Lastly, I would like to add that comments like these are not usually intended to belittle you, mock you, or make you angry. Those of us with experience are willing and able to help you improve your designs and your construction methods....and let you know when something isn't likely to work. I haven't seen your first attempt, but this one has some people commenting on it being improved. That's a GOOD thing. For your second holster, it's a decent effort. Now, take the comments we've made into consideration and build the next one even better.

[mike6642]

Twinoaks you are right on all accounts,I'm seeing slot of things that should be changed. The stitching should be closer, better strap design for snaps,I really don't like that idea,the second holster has a good tight fit,believe it or not but the gun is easy to grip. thanks to you and many others on this forum have made me a better leather worker and for this I thank you and please continue to give your advice because that's how I'm going to get better.

Edited November 26, 2014 by mike6642