where to get a Khar K9 dummy gun

[NYCGUNLEATHER]

Do any of you fellow holster makers know where to get a Khar K9 dummy gun. I checked a couple sites and can't find

one. I checked Blue Guns.com and several others that make aluminum dummy guns with no luck. Any help locating one

would be appriciated.

[K-Man]

I dare say the only place you're going to find one now is on eBay, or if a holster maker is selling off inventory. Duncan's used to make those quite regularly, but stopped offering it a number of years ago. The NLETC has never offered it. Ring's generally sticks to law enforcement style/choice of guns.

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

If you're pretty desperate, ASP makes a red gun for the K9. The model number is 07318. You will need to check the overall specs to make sure they are close enough to work.

[K-Man]

Yep, I definitely would want to be assured of the accuracy of the specs on the red ASP guns. They're notorious for being the wrong size when it comes to use for holster making.... I personally would not order any others from them, nor would I recommend using them if you're serious about accuracy on the holster making. I have only one and I lucked out when I got it. YMMV.

Edited December 27, 2007 by K-Man

[Johanna]

Guys, I never used any dummy guns, but it certainly would have been more convenient. What can someone expect to pay for one? How many models does one need to cover regular requests? Are any of them interchangeable? Do people doing production work order a dozen of each at a time? Do you use them for the whole production process, or just to get the basic shape, and finish with the real gun? I'm curious, because it seems like a big investment in inventory, but then I've never been working on too many holsters at one time. We did custom work, and the customer gave us the gun. If we would have wanted to get ahead and make up some generics, dummy guns would have been handy. We could have done them assembly line style in slow times and sold them easily. The holster market was always there.

Cheers from a balmy Ohio,

Johanna

[gunfighter48]

The blue guns that I have bought generally run somewhere between $34 to $38 each. I only buy ones that are popular, 1911s so far, and will be getting some of the glock, S&W. Ruger. I also use my own guns to make holsters. If the customer is local then I get their gun for about 3 days to do the fitting and molding. I am not large enough yet to spend a bundle on blue guns!! I will be taking some holsters to the local gun show in April and have a sheet for them to put down which models they would like holsters for. If there is enough demand then I will try to get a blue gun.

John

[Jordan]

That is a good idea, I need to get to a few gunshows this winter. I would rather use a blue gun than mess with the real one, got mine for about 34 dollars. Unfortunately there are none available for alot of guns like my bersa or others that are not as popular. I experience alot less stress about something going wrong when I use a dummy! It allows me to concentrate on the holster rather than worry about the pistol. If a machinist were interested I am sure that the market would be good, as Rings blueguns are the only ones out there that has the quality size fit and close to the weight. I really would like to see some books out there that deal with modern auto holsters, Hmmm, maybe I can increase my revenue stream. Like maybe "Leather Holster Design and Small Scale Manufacturing for Modern Weaponry" or "How to make a Holster that isn''t a Cowboy Rig". And there is always " Holster Making for Dummies" LOL.. Jordan

Edited December 27, 2007 by Jordan

[JohnsCustomLeather]

We used to buy welded up guns from the manufacturers, This was a long time ago. These guns had welded barrells, cylinders, etc. We mostly use the customers guns unless on of us has the particular gun.

John

www.johnscustomleather.com

www.jclleathermachinery.com

[Randyc]

Jordan

You might be onto something with your "Holster Making For Dummies" book idea. It's a good thing we have all these great holster makers right here on this forum because there sure isn't much in the way of books out there.

Randy

[K-Man]

If a machinist were interested I am sure that the market would be good, as Rings blueguns are the only ones out there that has the quality size fit and close to the weight.

While that may seem like the route to go, which it certainly is an option, the costs to set up and make it happen are exorbiant. The equipment alone to make the mold for the gun is over $20k, closer to $30k. Then you have to figure in the time/labor of the tech scanning and making the computer file to give to the machinist to cut out the mold ~$250-$500/each. You can't just throw the gun onto your home computer scanner in an instance such as this and expect it to work. You have to start with a genuine version of the gun in order to make the mold, so you have to figure in that cost. Then you have to figure in the cost of the mold. You have to decide what material to use to actually make the dummy gun out of, and the availability/cost of that material. It's a multi-step process. And to be somewhat profitable, you hope you choose the guns/molds that are the most profitable to make. It's a gamble at times, especially with the number of gun types available in the market place. Rings usually takes quite a while before opting to make a mold. I don't know what their criteria is for choosing to make the gun. So long story, short here is once the machinist has made the mold, their work is done. And the demand versus cost to produce that mold is oftentimes viewed as less than profitable.

Some of the gun manufacturers do offer a non-functioning version of their guns. Most do not. For example, you can get a revolver from Ruger (provided it's a current production gun), but they do not offer any of their semi-autos that way. The wait for a dummy gun from them is anywhere from 2 days to a year. It's just one of the quirks in the business. BTW, you have to prove that you're a legitimate holster-making business, not just a hobbiest.

Edited December 27, 2007 by K-Man

[Jordan]

What you say makes alot of sense in the mfg. arena, I probably should have been a little more detailed, I was thinking in terms of a retired or hobbyist machinist because the related costs and stuff are kinda nulified by the passion of working metal. LOL Jordan. Costs vs. profitability and all that does prevent or limit what is available in the market.