BOOMSTICKHolsters

A press is beneficial if you have arthritus (or some other physical inconvenience) or you are trying to save time. Otherwise, I wouldn't spend the money on one. If you use a press because you can't bone leather otherwise, then you are using a serious crutch, and that isn't what this is about. When I hand bone holsters I start making impressions with the side of my thumbs and then my knuckles. When the general shape of the gun comes through, then you can decide where to use a tool to get sharper detail. There are all kinds of tools used to bone leather. I have used everything from pens, antlers, tool handles, spoons, and table knives to tools made specifically for boning and creasing. The tools that I use most often these days are a $10 bone folder from Springfield Leather and a 1/4" PTFE Book Binder's burnisher. Play with different tools to see what kind of impressions they make in the leather to see where to use them to get the results you want. ***TRADE SECRET*** One nice little trick is to chase the boning lines with a sharper tool once the holster is dry, but before the finish is applied. This gives the boning lines a crisp and clean look.

Call Texas Custom Dies and have one made. You won't find one that wide otherwise.

Great looking, functional gun leather as usual, Bruce!

That's your best one yet. It's nice when you can work on the same holster/gun combination over and over. You really get a chance to tweak the design, and you get a good feel for how to bone the holster better. After you get the design where you want aesthetically, be sure to put them to some real world use. Try carrying for long periods of time and making some road trips, and try doing a lot of defensive draws, both moving and stationary. That will help you recognize whether the design needs further refinement, and it will help you see how well the design and the construction method holds up to abuse. Keep up the good work.

It is actually fairly simple to get good retention with a revolver holster. Just make the holster completely cover the cylinder and bone the leather in above the cylinder a little bit. Just be sure to flare it back out at the mouth so it is easy to insert the pistol without fighting with the holster.

Nice work on the first holster. If you don't like the newest attempt, scrap it and start over. The P7 is a tricky little devil to make a holster for due to the squeeze cocker, the short barrel, the large trigger guard and the butt-heavy design. It's almost the "perfect storm" of design challenges. It make take a few attempts to end up with something you like. Just hang in there and you'll figure out what does and doesn't work for you. Off the bat, I would suggest a slightly sharper draw angle, stiff leather, and a design that leaves some leather below the barrel to counter the P7's tendency to lean out. Good luck!!

That is what I would recommend. You proceed as normal with the exception that once the two pieces are glued together, you will sand, finish and sew any edges that would normally be a single thickness before you carry on with the normal construction process. This is so the edges will resist separating or rolling under normal usage. The reasons I don't like Suede for lining modern holsters: Most of it is chrome tanned and will hurt the firearms finish or even cause corrosion. It eventually traps dirt, sand, and other grime which scratches and mars the firearms finish. It doesn't add any strength to the holster for the space it takes up, whereas regular veg tanned leather will.

Well, to simplify my answer to the OP's original question: You could, but you SHOULDN'T. Nowhere have I implied in any way that Particle's work is half-assed. I did imply that I would rather turn a customer down than to build a holster that may or may not fit right because I can't get access to the pistol to take measurements (which I would personally consider half-assed). I have no intention of starting a feud with anyone over ideas. I don't care if everyone or no one agrees with me, as long as I am doing things to my own standards and to my satisfaction. I gave Particle advice based on my standards. He is welcome, as is anyone who frequents this forum, to look at the body of work that I have presented here, the history of my posts, and the reviews of my products, and surmise for himself whether to discount my advice or not. Standards are subjective, but the whole reason we [should be] posting here is to learn how to improve our work and raise our standards. I am growing tired of threads where people are simply posting looking for praise or validation, and getting their feelings hurt if somebody has some constructive criticism for them or asks a simple question that makes them feel threatened. If they want everyone to tell them what a good job they did, post in the show off section. If they are looking to improve their work or get questions answered and advice given, post here. If anyone gets their feelings hurt based on technical advice, I would suggest that they take a step back and consider why they are posting in the first place.

I didn't read dickf's comment as a recommendation that you have to have every combination of gun/safety out there. I read it more as cautionary advice, which I personally agree with. It is important to understand that the fit and compatibility of a holster are largely due to the dummy gun used, but they also have a lot to do with the holster's design and construction method as well. That is one of the big reasons why you will get so much conflicting advice from different holster makers concerning the compatibility of dummy guns with the real thing. The way that one maker builds holsters, any 1911 will fit close enough that he is satisfied. I know there are some makers that only have four dummy guns to do all of their 1911 holsters, and that works just fine for them. Due to my construction methods and fitment standards, I actually have over a dozen separate 1911 dummy guns, and I only accept orders for specific models based on what dummy guns I possess. Concerning the OP's original question, I would borrow the gun to make the holsters, or contact Duncans to see what models they have that include a CTG. If neither of those options are a possibility, I wouldn't be afraid to tell the customer "nope, can't do it" either. I think it is better to turn a job down than to do one half-assed becasue you aren't sure of the dimensions.

dickf is correct, the safety is completely in contact with leather. There is a real liability to holster makers, in my opinion, in using a non-cocked and locked dummy to form a 1911 holster. An uncocked 1911 can't change it's safety position because the safety is mechanically locked in place, so it doesn't matter what holster it is used in; it can't change its existing condition. The worst thing that happens using an uncocked 1911 in a holster that is made for cocked and locked carry is that the sweat shield won't fit right. If the opposite is done (using a C&L 1911 in an holster molded off of an uncocked dummy gun), there is a good chance of the holster disengaging the safety due to the tension from the sweat shield and the give in the safety. I used to carry c&l pistols exclusively, and I have seen this happen. In the end, it still comes down to the user's gun handling discipline, but you know how that goes........

Bronson, I never adjust the pattern when I line a holster. I use Masters cement and bond two pieces together that equal the weight of my normal leather. I normally use 8 oz., so I like to use 5 oz. with a 3 oz. lining when I line a holster. I don't use suede; it is more detrimental to a finish than beneficial, and it doesn't add to the strength of the holster like veg tanned leather will.

Actually, the dust cover of several 1911's are unique to their size and place of manufacture. Case in point, a 3" Springfield Micro has a dust cover that is 1/4" shorter than a Colt Commander, which is about 1/4" shorter than a full sized 5" Govt. model. Different manufacturers also use different dimensions on their dust covers, so all dummy guns are not good for all actual pistols. Case in point, a holster molded on a Springfield dummy may be loose on a Colt series 80.

That turned out nice!

I forgot to answer your question - I go about construction in this order: Trace and cut the pattern. Dye the individual pieces. Bevel and finish the single thickness edges. Mark the stitch lines. Rough up and glue the necessary areas. Stitch the holster. Wet the holster and insert the pistol, then let it set until it looks almost dry but is damp to the touch. Press the holster with rubber to expose the lines. Bone the areas that need to be close, and relieve the areas that need more room. Pull the pistol out and put the holster in the oven on 115 to 120 degrees for 45 minutes. Pull the holster out and set it in front of a fan to finish drying. Sand, bevel, and finish the double thickness edges. Dress up anything that needs it. Apply acrylic and let it dry in front of a fan over night, or at least several hours.

Let me be clear that you shouldn't just stick the leather in the oven to stiffen it. The faster that water evaporates from damp leather, the more tannins that are brought to the surface. Since the tannins are what keeps the leather flexible, removing a percentage of them makes the leather stiffer (the state that it would be in if it had no tannins keeping it supple and flexible, kind of like rawhide). Putting a dry holster in the oven can also certainly make it stiffer, but it will also severely shorten the holster'sservice life (because the fibers will be much more brittle, and therefore more likely to tear and eventually make the holster soft or even rip apart).

When you bone the holster, you close the pores of the leather. This affects the holster's ability to absorb dye. Because part of the pores are closed and part of them are unscathed, the leather absorbs dye at different rates depending on where the boning is. Concerning the pattern around your stitching, sometimes the leather stretches when you punch the stitch holes which also closes the pores. It is more prominent on the throat piece because it is stitched on flat and stretches even more as the holster is shaped. You can alleviate the pattern somewhat if you make sure your awl is sharp and wax the tip before you punch your holes. The pattern probably wouldn't occur as much with a higher quality leather that absorbs more easily. I personally dye my leather before I stitch or shape the holster so I don't have to worry about these issues. I recommend you try it once or twice and see how it works for you.

The bezel is exposed. I would rather leave it closed to cover negligent light discharges during the draw or the return, but I couldn't find a good way to do it to my satisfaction. The riveted portion is done so the pistol can't set too low in the holster and obstruct a full grip. I didn't sew it because I wasn't sure how close the seem needed to be until the holster was shaped. If I standardized the design I would make patterns and pre-sew them for the specific pistol and light combination, but this was a one time thing so I guesstimated the design and stitching patterns and set the rivet after shaping the holster.

I almost never agree to build holsters with weapon mounted lights on them. Doing these in leather just isn't too practical for various reasons. I did have a friend manage to talk me into building one for him recently (did I mention he's the best salesman I know?), so I thought I would post some pictures. What kind of holsters have any of you all built for pistols with lights or lasers on them? Let's see some pictures of what you have done. I'll start first..... BTW, I used the snap springs from High Desert Leather for the retention snap on this one. It's really handy to have these on hand so I don't have to cut them myself, and it makes building a snap retention holster much less of a pain in the rump

I have a cocked and locked model if you want to borrow it. Just let me know.

Tac, I have the press that you show in your post and it is not suitable for leather. I don't actually even use mine for kydex anymore.

The faster you dry a holster, the harder it gets. Just don't use too much heat or you will cause cracking or make the leather brittle, which will hurt the longevity of the holster's service life.

It's amazing what a difference a good design will make, huh? I'm glad it is working well for you. It's a unique approach that you've taken to accomplish your design goals. I think that's one to be proud of.

'Good looking holster with a solid design. It doesn't look like there's a whole lot to critique. I would probably cut a little more off of the sweat shield to allow the thumb to set higher to make a stronger/more comfortable draw, but that's really the only thing I can think of that I would change. I guess you could run the rear slot a little bit closer to the pistol so it will hold the grip in a little tighter to your side, but it looks like it will do a sufficient job as it is. Nice work.

Randy, I personally use 120 degrees for forty-five minutes right after boning (I don't bone until the holster looks dry but feels damp). You can put as many holsters ad you have room for at one time. If you can find them, get some ceramic bricks to put in the bottom of the oven and they will help to keep the temperature more consistent. Once I pull the holsters out I set them in front of a fan for another 45 minutes. At this point I sand and finish all of my stitched edges, before applying acrylic. I have found that the fastest way to get the acrylic to set up is moving air. I am able to handle them after about 30 seconds in front of a fan on the high setting. I leave them in front of a fan overnight to completely dry.

Larry, that's pretty good for your second holster. For this particular style, I can offer a couple of ideas that might improve the design if your carry criteria is in line with mine. First off, instead of making the tunnel loop come straight down, go ahead and make it wider at the top, almost to the rear edge of the holster but just short of the outside edges stitching. It can taper down to the normal length at the bottom so your other stitch lines won't interfere with the loop itself. The wider loop will make the holster more stable, and the loop's placement will force the pistol's grip to stay closer to your side and "print" less under a lighter cover garment. Also, I'm assuming you want the mag catch covered because you are trying to prevent accidental activations? This construction method actually results in more accidental mag drops in my experience. I find that the best way to reduce inadvertent mag catch activations is to get as close as possible to the mag catch with out actually touching or covering it. If you are still worried, go ahead and cover the opposite side with leather to help protect from accidental activations (the coverage on the opposite side adds more resistance to the mag release). Using this method, it is also easier to design the holster to allow a full three fingered grip on the pistol. The grip on those little 3" 1911's is already short enough without forcing your shooting hand lower, and having to reacquire a shooting grip during the presentation or firing with a low grip on the front strap is definitely sub-optimal, especially with a compact pistol. If you need me to further explain what I mean, I will be happy to try. Good luck on your next build.