stu925

I think it looks great, carving came out great. Nice job. Stu

I'm sure I'm not the only one around here that's going to tell you that your first holster is a whole lot better than my first one. Nice work. The stitching is what I struggled with most when I started out and I still have issues from time to time when I'm stitching particularly thick pieces. Keep at it and it will all come together. Stu

For a retention strap I use a thumb break type strap over the back of the slide. My holsters are generally pancake style or IWB holsters though. Stu

I agree about the trigger guard but overall I think you did very well for a first holster. Nice clean design and stitching looks good too which I really struggled with in the beginning. You should be proud of that piece. Stu

Not bad for a second attempt, keep at it and they'll keep getting better. Stu

If you don't want a snap then wet molding will be a necessity for retention (at least if you're planning a bushcraft style sheath). You might be able to get away with a button stud if you're not looking for a wet molded bushcraft style sheath. Take a look at some of the old Puma knife sheaths for ideas using the button stud. Stu

Thanks guys I appreciate it. He hasn't gotten it yet so I'm still waiting to hear back from him on it. Hope he likes it. Stu

A far sight better than my first one. Looks pretty good. I generally try to keep my stitch line perpendicular to the frame and trigger guard but I think the s curve stitch line is a nice change of pace provided retention is good and the gun doesn't move around in the holster. Stu

My nephew decided he wanted a crossdraw sheath for a little Bark River Huntsman fixed blade. He was concerned that the belt loop wouldn't fit his 1/4" thick belt so I double up 8-9oz belt blanks and wet formed the loop for him. My only issue was the stitching on the belt loop, 5 layers of 8-9oz leather is a lot of leather to punch holes through. I started the holes with the diamond chisels and finished them off with a diamond blade awl. I still had trouble with it and a couple of holes went crooked hence the weird stitch pattern on the loop on the back side. He was thrilled with the pictures but we'll see what he thinks when he gets it in hand. Stu

That looks great. Nice work. Stu

Looks great, Nice work. Basket weave looks great. Stu

Seems to me that was the only difference between the full size and officer's model 1911s too but maybe I'm wrong on that one. There may have been other differences that I just can't recall currently. Stu

We'd like to think it's impossible anyway. Red Cent, those rigs look great, very nice work. Stu

I was going to say probably but now I'm not so sure. The EMP has a full 5" grip fame where the Micro appears to be an Officer's model although I can't find any specs for it on Springfields web site. More research is in order on this one. You might try asking this one over at The Firing Line forums, someone there might be able to get an answer pretty quick. Stu

Looking at the pictures I was thinking to myself that I wouldn't want the chicago screws up against my gun. Then I read the lower portion of the post and saw they were recessed in, nice recovery on the mistake. Looks great, very authentic. I like the color but I agree that the neatsfoot oil might have been a better choice. Stu

Wow that looks like a lot of work. I'm not sure I have the attention span to handle a project that big. Great work, I'd love to see more. Stu

I wish I had time to make a sheath or holster for every gun and knife I own. Seems like I can barely keep up with my orders. Of course I'm only doing it part time nights and days off too. Stu

Very nice, I especially like the theme of the tooling I think the arrow and specifically the broadhead are very well done. Nice work. Stu

I think your friend will be much happier with those JLS patterns than the universal holster (probably the same one sold by sportsman's guide). Good luck with the build. Stu

What he said. I'd recommend an Inside the Waistband holster as a good all around holster. He'll be able to wear it year round and still be able to conceal a full size 1911. A strong side high ride pancake design would be a good second choice but will be harder to conceal during the summer months. Of course if your customer is dead set on what he wants then build it but I think eventually he'll want to upgrade to dedicated holsters for different methods of carry and you may find that he's not at all happy with the holster you built him. Better to get it right the first time than to have him piss away money on a holster he won't use. Stu

Looks great as usual Snubby. Stu

I like both holsters, the basketweave on the second one looks great. The scar in the leather might be an issue for some and it does detract a bit from the basketweave but I think it's a great use of a piece of leather that otherwise might have ended up in the garbage. Nice job. Stu

Check out the Bill Jordan Border Patrol style holster. Made famous by Bill Jordan himself and would look perfect with that old S&W. A Tom Threeperson's holster would look great too but my vote would be for the border patrol. Stu

I think this is going to depend on where on the belt you're wearing it. I usually carry at about 3:30-4:00 so I don't have much digging issues, appendix carry would present a lot more issues. My IWB (which I did not build) carries at about the same depth you mention with a commander style 1911. Stu

I got the L frame holster back today and JLS is correct there's quite a bit of slop in it. I kind of suspected the K frame would be sloppy in it the first time I heard the rumor but I'm glad I got the chance to see how bad it really is myself. The more I look at that Rossi the more convinced I am it's compatible with the L frame. In any event a K frame holster probably isn't going to fly with that under lug. Stu