BOOMSTICKHolsters

So was that the 86 Cheetah with the tip up barrel? I got talked into making a holster for one of those when I worked at a local guns store. That was what brought me out of a three year hiatus from holster making, and that's when I began considering picking up the hobby again, and eventually making it a business.... Anyhow, nice job for a first attempt. I think that the large majority of holster makers start out that way. My first holster was for an H&K VP70Z, and my second was for a Browning BDM, both of which I couldn't find leather for at the time. Eventually I started making holsters for every new gun I acquired, and occasionally for someone else, but that was pretty rare.

ArtS is right on the money. In my experience, most CAS gun belts are 3" whether they have cartridge loops or not. John Bianchi's got a great video series on making CAS gear if you get a chance to see them.

Are we talkin' Cowboy Action Shooting gun belts, law enforcement gun belts, or modern day concealed carry gun belts?

I didn't expect this thread to pop back up! Thanks for the compliments. MADMAX22, PM sent. TwinOaks, It has more to do with practice and leather weight than specifically who made the leather, but it is definitely easier to get results with Hermann Oak or Wickett and Craig leather.

If you plan to case and bone the holster, don't oil it. It will cause the hoslter to lose its shape, and therefore lose its retention. As Dave said, sealing the inside of the holster is fine when you're using smooth leather. If you plan to line with a softer skin, make sure it isn't chrome tanned as that can hurt the gun's finish.

Thanks again for the compliments, guys. rickybobby, I use a bone folder to detail the holsters after I press them in a rubber press to bring out some of the lines, but is is possible to do the same job by starting out with your thumbs (it just takes a little longer, which is why I use the press). The real answer to your question is lots of practice. I make a lot of 1911 holsters, so over time I have been able to decide how I want them to look. When I make holsters for a new pistol it deosn't come out as clean yet because I haven't always figured out which lines to bone. BradB, Wicket and Craig or Herman Oak Leather are much easier to work with than any of the others I have tried personally (but they cost a bit more, too). You can get the same detailing in much less time as the leather doesn't offer up as much resistence, and takes shape easier (oth are also much easier to tool, but you have to be careful when you sew them because they are also easier to mark and scar). Also, you don't have to soak the nicer brands of leather to make them pliable. You can dip them for under a second or spray them to case and bone them. That saves a lot of time since you don't have to wait nearly as long to start doing the boning and shaping (starting when the hoslter is too wet is probably the biggest mistake that most people make when shaping their holsters). The leather I learned on actually took 14 seconds in 150 degree water to get the results I wanted. I can get the results I want with W&C using hot water straight from the tap. The draw back is cost; after getting the leather to the specs I want, it costs more than horsehide.

Thanks for the compliments, everyone. rdb, caiman and alligator are a little challenging to use on an Askins Avenger style holster because there is a certain amount of stretching that they have to do, and that material doesn't stretch as well as some others. I tend to apply alchohol to the caiman before I bend the holster to sew the edges and that helps a little. As far as the stitching goes, I just take it slow and I dont try to force it. You want the stitches to be as even as possible, but sometimes that won't work because of the ridges so you have to occasionally run a stitch a little long or a little short to avoid obstacles. The bigger challenge to this holster was that the customer requested a steel reinforced band insid the throat, so I had to work around that when I was putting the holster together. All in all, I'm pretty happy with my 1911 holster pattern at this point. It only took who knows how many tries to get there......

Hey guys and gals. It's been a little bit since I posted, so I thought I would show a few pics of a holster I made yesterday. It is a 1911 holster with 15 degree cant and 1 1/2" belt slots, and the throatband is laminated with Caiman. I really like using this Wicket and Craig leather for my belt holsters, and I've been very happy with how they have turned out since switching to that leather. This picture is of the holster before I have applied the acrylic finish, so you guys can see how nice this leather looks. Questions, critiques and comments are welcome.

Nice work! It was fun to watch through the progress of the design and the build. Thanks for sharing.

Call Weaver Leather and ask for a wooden #9 slicker.

Nice worke, Bruce. What did you use to do your boning?

I would go ahead and add the slot between the two snaps, for the sake of belt placement. Some folks like to postition their mag holders over their belt loops so they don't go anywhere.

In my opinion, take every precaution to protect a gun's finish, but consider what the magazine is for when you decide to build your mag holders. A 1911 mag is rubbed against metal every time it is inserted into the gun. There is no need to baby them, especially if you use a brass eyelet, which is softer than the steel of a magazine. The only time you might consider another method of attachment is if you are really worried about mags that have a nickle or chrome finish, or polymer mags. You can protect them if you want to, but in the end the magazine is still going to be ejected onto the bare ground, kicked and stepped on, or worse. While good mags are extremely important to the proper function of a pistol, they are also disposable and should be treated as such. Those who won't treat them that way are seriously inhibiting their training and probably handicapping their performance. If you still feel strongly that you don't want any metal in contact with your mags, be sure to space the top of the belt loop to match the off-set at the bottom, or you will wind up with a mag holder that leans out and "prints".

Nice design, Bruce. That's classy!

Sweet looking holster, Dave. I enjoy seeing your holsters because they always have your "flavor" in them. How did the top edges come out with the molded part on the inside and a smooth layer on the outside?

Nice start, Shorts. These are a little more complicated to build, aren't they? If you don't mind some unwarranted advice, you might consider narrowing the tunnel loop so it doesn't overlap the profile of the pistol. If the loop follows the shape of the pistol, it can be really difficult to feed a stiff gun belt through it. It looks like you've already done a good job leaving room in the tunnel loop for the belt, but I would recommend making a form that is slightly smaller than your belt to shape the loop around, so there's no guess work. As for the inside stitching, if you are hand sewing you can get away with cutting a groove on the inside of the holster after you punch the holes but before you stitch them. If you start using a machine than you should dampen the inside of the leather before you stitch it, and then "set" the stitches by tapping them with a smooth faced hammer. Don't forget to show us some pics of the improved pattern!

In all honesty, I would not take orders. If I were you I would build some holsters that I enjoyed and offer them up for sale (on the classifieds of specific pistol forums, after you establish yourself with some legitimate posts, of course). If somebody asked for something you could build it at you leasure and let them know when it was available, but taking orders gets really taxing on you when you are operating out of pocket. It's your call, but that's the best advice I can give you.

Good advice, Billsotx. I put the thumb strap there at the customer's request, because he wanted the holster to work with and without the laser attached. If it was where it ought to normally go, the gun could rock backwards out from under it when the light wasn't attached because of all the extra room. I attempted to explain to him that the holster should be dedicated for use with the pistol and light combo alone, but he wanted it this way and at the time I needed the business. This was my last holster for a pistol with an attachment. Since that time I have quit making them and I even destroyed all my patterns. I whole-heartedly agree with your advice and I have to say I'm really glad to get your input on this forum, whenever you give it. Please feel welcome to interject with your opinions on any of my other posts. I can always use the input -

No worries. It's a great looking sheath all the same.

Sorry, I meant what company tanned the leather - Very nice design, BTW.

Spiffy! What leather did you use to construct it?

If you want a more finished look, I believe most chicago screws are 8x32 threads. You would have to be sure of what length screw you need, but you could use them in stead of the t-nut (but at the cost of making it more difficult to adjust the tension).

Jordan, these are really tricky. I actually quit taking orders for this kind of holster because it's too easy to get to the trigger even when the pistol is fully seated in the holster (because extra room must be left to allow the light to pass). In the first place, I only made holsters like this for customeres I could speak with in person and determine that they had safe gun handling skills. When I made the holster pictured below, I used dowel rods to fill the gap where the light would pass, and only boned the area above the light. I know this isn't a pancake style, but you are welcome to copy as much of this design as you want (just remember that I'm not responsible for how the customer or anyone else viewing will use any holster bearring resemlance to the one pictured, as it is everyone's personal responsibility to learn how to safely use a holster under proper supervision - end disclaimer). I don't normally make thumb snaps, but in this case it was necessary to ensure the pistol stays in the holster. It was located where a normal grasp of the grip will release the snap. I also placed a tension adjusting screw to act as a stop for the pistol when the light isn't attached, which helped it stay in place without much slop in the fit. My final advice to you is this: Be sure to get well compensated for your time, especially when you consider that it takes quite bit of time to design and research a holster of this build type, and the probability of re-using the pattern is very low. If your customer doesn't want to pay what it's worth to you to build it, there are plenty of cheap nylon holsters out there that will suffice.

I would recommend these parts. 8x32 Socket Cap Screw (you're gonna have to determine the appropriate length here, so I would recommend getting sizes ranging from 1/4" up to 7/8", depending on the magazines and holder design). Black Brass Countersunk Washer for #8 Screw (McMaster-Carr part # 92918A135) or substitute with the appropriate finsh if you don't want black. 8x32 Pronged T-nut. I would love to get these in Black, but it's not cost effective for me at this time, and the zinc or nickel plated ones don't show up anyhow. Either some clear Maritime Fuel Line or the regular black Fuel Line will work for a padded spacer to cover the screw and force the leather apart. I'm not sure which is more readily available where you are right now; be sure if you have to get the clear line that it is rated for water craft, or it won't be springy enough to use as a spacer. I would also recommed getting some good snips if you don't already have a pair handy. The prongs on the T-nuts are too long and often need trimmed to keep them from protruding all the way through the leather (and possibly scarring the magazines depending on the type used and how the mag holder is designed).

I've actually considered doing the same thing with my dummy guns, Shorts. I just haven't found a way to make them hold up. I even broke the molded saftey off of my Springfield Micro dummy recently and that really made me think about it (I'm pretty rough on my dummy guns when I mold holsters, so it would have to be really sturdy). I have basically decided that the only real way to do it is to mill a slot into the side of the dummy gun in the shape of the safety, and bend some aluminum bar stock to fit the pattern and Gorilla Glue it in place. I'm certain that would work, but I'm already far enough behind, and that would take a lot of time to accomplish on all my dummy guns (not to mention the cost of shoptime to get someone to cut the slots in for you if you don't have access to a mill). If it helps any, Ring's does offer a few of their 1911 dummies cocked and locked if you ask them for it, but I'm sure you knew that. Concerning the safety position, I believe that you should carry the pistol the way it was meant to be carried. 1911 pistols are much safer with the safety on than if the hammer is lowered on a chambered round. The alternative is to carry without a round chambered, but that's putting yourself at such a disadvantage you should really consider buying a different pistol that's compatible with your philosophy, or even better, getting some proper training (this is the real heart of the c&l vs. hammer down matter, in my opinion). Those who are scared of cocked and locked carry are typically poorly educated and inexperienced when it comes to handguns. There is also a school of thought that molding the safety in the down position for someone who is going to carry cocked and locked is actually more likely to get you sued than advocating C&L carry. The reason is that your holster may be held responsible for inadvertently knocking the safety in the off position, which in turn leads to a negligent discharge by the user (again, this would still be avoided with proper handling which is a bi-product of good training). Either way, I'm not a lawyer so I would look into this matter yourself and get a lawyer's opinion about what kind of disclaimer you might need for whatever holsters you build.