roys29

See if this helps. I re-traced all the original military drawings and created this set of patterns. They come out great and original. www.ktgunsmith.com/other/M1912_M1916.pdf

Bruno, Most of the patterns are too large to be printed on a single sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper. Import the pattern into your favorite paint or draw program (I use CorelDraw) and be sure it is sized correctly. If I remember right I put a 1-inch square on each pattern so you can size it correctly. Then you will have to move the drawing around so part of it prints on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. Once all the parts are printed you will have to cut them out and tape them together to make the full-size pattern. Yeah, ok, this requires some computer skill as well as leather crafting skill! As far as the patterns being knockoffs, sure they are; imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! I find photos, commercial catalogs, patterns or actual holsters and design my own patterns from them. Many commercial patterns just don't meet my needs so I tweak them a bit.

As stated in the topic I milled the buckle out of 1/4 inch flat bar stock. I have a small CNC mill at home.

Once again I took the original drawings posted on this forum and created a pattern. You can download the pattern here: http://www.ktgunsmith.com/other/mag_pouch.pdf Here are photos of how they came out. For shooting Wild Bunch matches I made 3 of the double mag pouches. Instead of a one-piece belt loop and cover I made them separate so I could detach the cover for competition. The cover attaches to the top of the belt loop with snaps. The actual pouch completely covers the magazine; not great if you are trying to change magazines under the clock. SASS rules state that at least 2-inches of the magazine needs to be covered so I place a block of wood in the pouch to hold up the magazines. The brass standoff for the center snap I milled with my CNC mill, but Will Gormley's (sp?) pattern uses two snaps. I wanted mine to be military correct for extra style points. The original military specs called for 5-6 ounce leather but I used 3 ounce for the pouch and cover. http://www.ktgunsmith.com/other/M1919.jpg Here is a photo of my complete Wild Bunch rig. I milled the buckle out of 1/4-inch flat brass bar stock. If you look closely you can see my loading strip tucked under the M1912 holster hanger. This loading strip holds ten .45 LC cartridges and six 12ga. shot shells which I carry to the loading table along with my long guns. My uniform shirt pocket holds the first loaded magazine which I load into my 1911 .45 at the loading table, and I have the 5 blued spare magazines ready in the pouches. The stainless steel magazine is the "Barney" mag. It holds only one round in case I drop a live round when clearing a jam. I can load this magazine, shoot the single round, have the slide lock back, then I'm ready to reload or stage the empty gun. http://www.ktgunsmith.com/other/wild_bunch_rig.jpg Anyway, thanks for looking at my work and enjoy the pattern.

Camano, to tell you the truth I cheated! I have a small hobby CNC mill at home that I used to mill the brass hanging washer. I milled a piece of 1/8 flat brass down to .100 thick, milled a 3/16 hole half way through one side, then cut it out 1.00 inch in diameter. I cut the head off of a 1/2 inch long steel Chicago screw and silver soldered the threaded part into the 3/16 hole. I then put the assembly in my drill and with it spinning, used a file to radius the front edge, and 400-grit paper to polish it. I used 1/4" eyelets on the two leather hanging parts which the 3/16" female Chicago screw fit into very nicely. The slotted head of the Chicago screw sets against my hip so it doesn't show, but the 1-inch brass head looks authentic.

Constabulary, I'm not sure that would be a good idea. It's not that I couldn't make one for you, but my stamp is not an exact copy, it's an approximate, looks good to the naked eye, probably not the same size/shape as an original stamp. If you tried to over-stamp an original holster it would probably make a double image which really wouldn't look good. I took the original M1912 drawing that had the US image on it, traced it with CorelDraw, then created the CNC code from that tracing; so it's close, but I really wouldn't want to overstamp a real M1912/M1916 holster for fear of ruining the original.

Ok, I cheated a little bit! I have a hobby table-top CNC mill that I used to mill the US stamp out of 1/2" aluminum. I purchased the mill off of ebay many years ago and use it to fabricate parts, gun grips, stamps, etc. It is a MAXNC 10CL which you can see here http://www.maxnc.net/product_p/maxnc10.htm . If you're real careful you can carve the US in the leather using normal leather carving techniques. Trace the US pattern onto cased (wet) leather, cut the outlines with a swivel knife, then use a smooth backgrounding tool to stamp down the background around the letters. Practice with scrap leather first!

Here is one I've used before. Print out all 4 pages, cut out the pattern, then tape together at the vertical and horizontal lines to create the full pattern. It is designed to fit a Ruger Vaquero 5.5-inch barrel so it might be a bit large for a Colt or Colt clone. VAQ55MEX.pdf

Here are photos of my replica M1912 holster I just completed. http://www.ktgunsmith.com/other/M1912-1.jpg http://www.ktgunsmith.com/other/M1912-2.jpg This was my second holster; I made a 1916 model for my son. I took the original M1912/M1916 holster patterns found here http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=41199&hl=ghostsoldier&page=3 and made a set of patterns using CorelDraw. I converted the patterns to a .pdf file and posted them here. Please feel free to download them and use. http://www.ktgunsmith.com/other/M1912_M1916.pdf Common parts are in black, M1912 parts in red, M1916 parts in blue. Each page includes a 1-inch square to ensure everything is to scale. The handle rest I made out of a piece of 1/2-inch thick pine. First I cut out the shape, then cut out the notch. I used a belt sander to bevel it width-wise to a narrow edge on the right side, then taper it from top to bottom. I then tapered the top from the top of the notch to the top of the rest. This shape not only forces the grip of the gun outward, but serves as a funnel to make re-holstering easier. For the M1912 holster I hollowed out the bottom to accommodate the leg strap so the handle rest would lay flat onto the leather; this is not necessary for the M1916 model. I coated it with 2-coats of polyurethane, then molded 3-oz leather around the shape. The rest of the holster and parts went together pretty easily. The brass hanging washer I fabricated out of a piece of 1/8 flat brass. The original pattern calls for a rivet; good luck finding that! I cut out a very rough circle slightly larger than 1-inch. I drilled a 3/16-inch hole in the center, but not all the way through. I then cut the head off of a 3/4-inch female Chicago screw and silver-solder it into the 3/16 hole. I then chucked the assembly into a drill and with it spinning used files to round and radius the washer. Pretty cool, huh?

Ebay, $5.00;. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Western-Duster-Coat-Shirt-Pattern-size-L-/181541476728?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a44b71978

Butterick has a western-style duster pattern you can purchase online or at a fabrick store. It is pattern #3830.

Sorry, it would help if I could type. Here is the corrected link: http://www.ktgunsmith.com/other/patterns.zip Put an s at the end of pattern and the link will work. Sorry for the confusion.

I've had many requests for my leather patterns, and my old Cowby Chronicle articles keep popping up here, so for those who are interested below is a link to download those patterns. I have compressed all of the patterns into one .zip file. RIGHT click on the link, then click on Save, Save As, or Save Target As, select a location on your PC, then click OK or Save and you should download the file. FYI these are just the patterns, there are no instructions that go with them. You'll have to have some knowledge of leather working. Enjoy Roy Seifert http://www.ktgunsmith.com/other/pattern.zip

Hi Bladegrinder, I make them with smooth-side out. The loops keep it inside the pants. I've never used horse hide so I have no idea what the difference is.

I did my pattern using Corel Draw. In fact, I make all my patterns using Corel Draw because I can get nice curves instead of trying to draw them by hand.

I realize this is an old topic, but I have a sine wave belt pattern.

Ok, for gun belts I use a ranger belt configuration. For ammo belts I use a 2 1/2" belt tapered to a 1 1/2" ends. Below is a generic file I use for making belts called Gunbelt Specsalong with a chart showing bullet loop measurements for different calibers and gauges using 3 oz leather. Download the article above for additional details on how to make an ammo belt. Bullet Loop Chart.pdf

Pounder and Golden Knight, PM me your email addresses and I'll get a zip file out to you. Roy

I have two brothers who ride horses, and one trains horses. When I got started making leather for Cowboy Action Shooting I made many leather accessories for my brothers. One was a leather-covered canteen which came out looking really cool! The below article shows you how I did it. Making a Leather Covered Canteen.pdf (Hmm, now that I found this forum I seem to be going a bit crazy with posts!)

A couple of notes about making pancake holsters: The side of the holster that fits under the grip has to be low enough so the shooter can fit the fingers of the shooting hand between the grip and the top of the holster. Ask me how I learned this the hard way! Bringing this top edge down to below the first 1/3 of the trigger guard seems to work well for me. Holster cant can be accomplished in two ways; tilting the gun, or moving the belt slots. In the pattern for this topic I tilted the gun, but the belt slots are level. Your pants belt should cross the gun at or above the center of gravity of the gun. This keeps the gun close to your body. I once made a holster for a full size 1911 that was so high, when it was loaded with a full magazine it fell away from my body because the belt was below (way below) the CG of the loaded gun! (Couldn't find a smiley for dumb@$$!) Anyway I hope you fiind these tips helpful.

Trevor, sent you a PM.

Although new to this forum, I have been making custom holsters for over 30 years. Here are some photos of my work.

Although I am new to this forum, I have been making custom holsters for over 30 years. In the late '70s I read an article in Guns and Ammo magazine on how to make a custom holster and that got me started. I've seen many requests here from folks wanting a holster pattern for a particular gun, but if you're already making holsters, why not make your own patterns as well. TandyLeatherFactory still sells the excellent Al Stohlman book "How to Make Holsters" and I recommend this as a source for ideas. The Internet and window-shopping your local gun/sporting goods stores also provide pattern ideas. I have made so many holsters over the years, both successful and unsuccessful, that I can pretty much look at a picture of a holster and make a similar pattern. Here is an article for making an IWB/OWB belt holster. This is my favorite pattern for making a pancake-style holster that will fit inside the waist band for deep concealability, or on the belt outside. Enjoy. 247_Holster.pdf

If you're a military rifle collector and leather crafter like I am you might find this article interesting. I made this sling for both my M1 Garand and Springfield 1903-A3. Brownells sells the frogs, but I have not found a supplier for the ring. Enjoy! M1907_Sling.pdf

Roy Seifert, aka Eight Bits here. No problem, I originally wrote those articles for the Cowboy Chronicle with the intent to share so please feel free to help yourself. My old web site is long gone, but I still enjoy sharing my knowledge, skils, and patterns. Believe it or not, I just found this forum, but I've been doing leather crafting for over 30 years.