malabar

So a fellow calls me up one day and tells me he bought a 1911 holster from me and he put his 1911 into it and now he can't get it out. I tell him to stop by and he does.... He bought the IWB holster from a local gun shop that stocks a few of my holsters. It's clearly labeled for a standard 1911. The gun that is stuck in the holster is a railed SIG 1911. I ask him if he knew the difference, and he admits he does but says he thought the holster would stretch. He told me it was pretty tight, so he figured he would just cram the gun into the holster and stretch it out. That's when I ask him why its cocked and locked. He blushes and says that's the proper way to carry it. So, I ask him, you figure shoving a cocked and locked pistol into a holster is a good way to stretch it? I get my kid, he keeps the gun pointed in a safe direction, I use a piece of wire to decock the gun, and the two of use carefully wiggle the gun out of the holster. The punchline to the story? The guy was a cop....

Jack, first paying customer? CONGRATULATIONS on both the sale and the fine gear. tk

Most of the holsters I make have the steel-reinforced throat. It improves retention, reholstering and presentation. No downside I can see, except it raises the cost. tk

So here's a thought -- the customer isn't always right. And if it doesn't work out the way he envisioned it, guess who gets the blame? Some of my best designed have been developed with experienced customers. But I've also told some, "Sorry, that's a bad idea." tk

Did the same thing last year. Needed a 1911 anyway. tk

They are close enough. Just keep in mind that SIG essentially makes four series of 1911s -- Square-slide; Square-slide with rails; traditional; traditional with rails. So you would need four pistols to be covered on all counts.

You're going to let her take that to school? It's wonderful!

Looks like you did pretty well with the zipper. They're challenging and I've yet to tackle one.

Mike might sound a little harsh but he's on the money on all accounts. There's more to holster design than there seems at first glance. The devil is in the details. One other thing: I would lower the slots a bit. That will reinforce them by getting material over the top of the slots. But let me tell you, that's very good for your first holster. You don't want to see my first holster. I certainly don't want you to see my first holster <g>

Magnificent!

Hermann Oak is great stuff. If you want a real "revelation," try their drum-dyed black leather. You also might try the Angelus products, you might like them better.

Silkfatblues, Very nice work. Are those staples in the keeper? How do you apply them? tk.

Lobo, that's genius. Thanks for sharing that. tk

Mike, glad to hear you're back in the saddle again <g> place hasn't been the same without you..

Very elegant. I'm sure the client will be very happy tk

Let me be the first to say WOW! Beautiful job, from the tooling to the color. tk

It's kinda "woven" through the back layer. The clip goes through a little strip and then anchors down between the layers and is held in place with a chicago screw that is also sandwich between the layers. It would be simple -- in fact, simpler than what I'm doing -- to feed the entire back of the clip between the layers. tk

Kevin, mine goes down between the layers too, but I've got more exposed. I think I'll try your technique. thanks!

I had the same thought about 18 months ago, but ended up dropping the idea precisely because of the reason Camano identified.

This is what I offer for folks who want a holster for a big hunting pistol.... 10-ounce, drum-dyed Hermann Oak leather lined with veg-tan kipskin. Reinforce attachment loop. The photo below was for an x-frame S&W.

This is what I offer for folks who want a holster for a big hunting pistol....

Rosewolf, gotcha. I can see where that style would be a big plus for being behind the wheel or on a horse. I really prefer crossdraw for my fixed-blade knives, but my customers don't wear them for work (although we do have some bug cattle ranches less than an hour from here). Thanks for the explanation. tk

The back looks fine -- plenty of the stock exposed so that you can get a proper grip, and mag release is in the clear. The belt slots can be tricky. If you're going to do more than a few holsters, a 2-inch bag punch from Osborne is a good investment -- but there are a number of very experienced holster makers here who use the hole and chisel technique. Just takes some practice. Better watch out -- looks like you're catching the disease <g> tk

MStarmer, That is a far better first effort than mine -- or my second or third, for that fact. The shape is good looking, the stitching is nicely spaced and that's quite a nice dye job. A few observations/suggestions.... -- I use a number 4 edge beveler when working on leather this thick, but it's a round one, and from the look of your edges, you're using a flat one. You might find the round ones easier to use when burnishing the edges (if you are using a round one, then it's just my eye) -- try to get your stitch lines a little closer to the gun. This makes for better long-term fit, and enables better molding to the gun. -- The shape of the guard in the back of the holster looks good. Between that and the overall shape, it looks like you can get a good grip on the pistol while it's fully holstered. Personally, I would change the front profile slightly to cover more of the trigger guard area, but if you do, you need to make sure you taper the top edge down to the slot more sharply, to ensure you can continue to get a good grip on the pistol. -- Your design looks well thought out so you're probably covered on this, but make sure that you leave the mag release exposed in the back. If the leather covers the mag release, then a blow to the holster can release the mag. Can't wait to version 2.0! tk

TR, That's a good thought about the wear on the leather keeper. I could certainly make the keeper larger, or do you have another suggestion? Without it, the sheath tends to "flap" away from the clip. How do you handle the edges on an overlay? tk