Josh Ashman

Nice IWB for an XDs that can have shirt tucked in over it if desired. Everything is 4/5 HO, the main body is 2 layers cemented back to back as is the belt loop. the little mouth reinforcement takes the total thickness up to 3 layers at it. Fiebings dye and M&G cut 50/50 with water for a finish. Thanks for looking, Josh

I stitch my pancake holsters while flat then form them. I start forming on the front then finish up on the back. I use my thumbs to get started then finish with a smooth face hammer to add any boning lines, which I am not very good at. I'd guess mine end up about 60% formed on the front and 40% on the back, which is easy to do as cased leather is pretty pliable. Before I had a sewing machine I'd stitch the top line, form and then sew the bottom side, just like Dwight does and they were probably more like 80% formed on the front. With the machine I think it's easier to stitch them up 100% then form so they are closer to 50/50. Anyway, I don't think there is much difference at all. I wish I had a picture of a finished holster from the same view as the sketch above to illustrate but I don't so your left to your imagination. To me the holster shown on the right isn't drawn correct, the "wings" should be formed in a curve. Even if the maker builds it flat when it's put on and a belt is tightened it will curve around. Most makers I know pre-curve them like I do. So once you imagine the one on the right with the wings curved the difference between the two is minimal. I drive to Utah from Missouri and back ever summer, it's a 20 hour one way drive that my wife and I drive straight through. We switch off the actual driving occasionally and I generally spend 15 or so hours of it behind the wheel. I carry a 5" 1911 at 3 o clock the whole time I'm driving. I usually take it off when I switch over to the passenger seat but not always. Does this mean my holsters are somehow "better"? I say it absolutely does not, it just means that I am used to carrying my gun in my holster and to me it's either comfortable or at least what I perceive as normal. I say put them together the way you like best and call it good. Saying one is better or worse than the other to me is just silly. All the best, Josh

No stiffener on mine Red Bear. The Don Hume was built similar to this with an all leather paddle. All the best, Josh

Nice K-Bar sheath! FWIW, "Doc" would have been in the Navy. Every corpsman attached to a Marine unit is actually in the Navy. The Marine Corps doesn't have any medical personnel, they are provided by the Navy. In the pic below our Doc is on the left, that's me in the middle and our LT is on the left. All the best! Josh

Thanks again everybody! Red Bear, it's posted, check out 2 posts above yours. Have a great day everybody!

I looked around on the internet for a minute and found a picture of the Don Hume holster. It was a righty version of this one. In my experience a lot of retired police officers have a fondness for this type of holster.

Steve, A while back a guy asked me to make him a J frame holster similar to an old Don Hume holster he had. It was an all leather paddle holster with an open main seam held together by a single tension screw. I modified that a little and came up with this; Fast forward to now and another guy asks for a Cobra holster similar to the J frame paddle except raise the front of the holster to cover the hammer better so it's less likely to snag onto stuff and he wants a sewn belt loop. I was looking over my first pattern trying to figure out how to make a sewn belt loop right and decided on the tunnel. Once I had that in mind it seemed only right to make the front reinforcement and back T nut cover/belt tunnel all one piece and reinforce around the top as well. so, Don Hume, customer input and drawing on a previous design I'd come up with. Glad you like the holster! FYI, the customer loves it, which is always a good thing! Thanks and have a great day! Josh

Thanks Devil Dog & Dakota! The washers and screws came from McMaster Carr. Look in the "hex cap screws" for the screws.

Supercub, you are correct about this being similar to that paddle holster. A guy had seen it and wanted to cover the hammer a little more and have a belt loop instead of the paddle so I made the few minor changes. Glad you like it! Rick, glad you like the holster. I understand opinions varying on the pink camo Colt but it's my wife's and she loves it. FYI, the finish was completely gone to include a homemade name engraved on the frame before it was turned pink camo. Thanks for the feedback gents and have a great day! Josh

I haven't posted anything for a while so I decided I'd better share something. Here is a little holster I worked up for a Colt Cobra. I was very happy with how it turned out. Leather is 8 oz HO, finish is tan Fiebings a light coat of NF then Fiebings Highlighter and a top coat of M&G cut 50/50 with water. Thanks for looking. Josh

There has been plenty of good advice to get you pointed in the right direction so I'll leave that alone. I will add that making a stitch groove on a holster probably isn't required and I skip it lots of times myself. But try skipping a stitch groove on a flat plate rigging or anywhere that you will have a lot of wear and/or friction and you will wear through your thread in an amazingly short period of time. Doesn't mater what type of thread you use it'll wear through. That's been my experience at least. Good luck and have fun, Josh

10/11 will be good for the sling. I'd go with 8/9 for the butt stock and fore end covers and 5/6 for the bullet loops. If you anted to avoid having to buy 3 different weights of leather I'd use 10/11 for everything except the bullet loops and I'd get them in a pre-cut strap. I think SLC sells them. As I recall the butt stock cover pictured below is 10/11 and I know the bullet loops were 4/5 and it worked out very well. Good luck, Josh

My 2 cents is to build your strap to fit condition 1 and it'll still fit fine if for some reason you were carrying with the hammer down. It will be too long by a fraction of an inch but that won't matter at all. Have fun with your project. I keep meaning to build a "western" 1911 rig for myself but never seem to get around to it. Josh

Thanks Rick and thanks again Steve!

I don't have either pistol but from what I understand BHP nailed it. The Micro is a 3" barreled 1911 with a shorter grip but the same frame dimensions in all other aspects while the EMP has a scaled down frame built specifically for the 9mm and 40. An EMP may fit OK, in a holster built and fit to a Micro but it'll probably be a little loose.

Nice job Toney!

That looks better!

Thanks Steve! Here are the pics the customer sent. Everybody's happy!

Thanks folks! Hopefully I can get some pictures with the pistol in it. Have a great Friday and weekend!

Thanks JLS! Rick, I'd like to oblige if I just had an N frame! I had the customer make a tracing, Stohlman Holster book style, and built the holster to match that. It'd never work for a boned holster but I've done it numerous times on western style holsters with good success. I'll see if I can get the customer to send me some pics then I'll post them. All the best, Josh

Very nice, good job Tanner!

Thanks Devil Dogs!

Customer wanted this to look similar to an old A. W. Brill holster. This is what I came up with. 8/9 HO front, 4/5 HO liner, Fiebings mahogany liquid acrylic after a good coat of NF oil. Topped with 50/50 mop&glo/water. All the best, Josh

Indidana, JLS Leather does have a lot of tried and true 5" 1911 holster patterns, I think several are even free. None of them look like the holster your friend wants to try out. I agree that running with a proven design so you can focus on the actual leather work aspect of holster building is a fine idea. If you do that then pancake style holsters and avengers are probably what you're looking for. If you want a multi use, SOB, possible strongside, possible crossdraw with a thumb break and retention screw then my guess is you'll need to design it. Good luck, whatever you end up doing. Josh

Thanks gents!