Between belt and pants

[Stetson912]

Del fatti inspired my design here. I think its more comfortable that traditional iwb. I used 6/7oz holster strap from ALD and resolene finish. It is what i call a semi-flatback where the front is molded more than the back so it wont dig so bad

[Dwight]

Just for kicks and giggles . . . make another one . . . use most of the same techniques . . . 

Just change one part of it.

Make the back completely flat . . . mold the gun over a hard . . . flat . . . table . . . and then put it together.

It will be two pieces . . . front and back . . . and in actuality would be called a pancake except for the way it is carried with the belt loop.

You will be 100% amazed at how much MORE COMFORTABLE it will be . . . especially if you do not have an extra layer or two of body between your belt and your bones.

 I have two holsters made that way . . . got the idea from a couple Milt Sparks holsters . . . 

I sometimes carry a full size  . . . all steel . . . 1911 . . . or an officer's model . . . all steel 1911 . . . both weigh in at 3 lbs fully loaded . . . and I can carry them all day and not be noticeably bothered . . . because that back is FLAT against my poor boney body.

My usual carry piece is also a 1911 . . . but it is a little Springfield micro compact . . . in .45 ACP . . . looks identical to their EMP model . . . 

But you did a good job on this one . . . stitching is much more even than my hand stitching . . . which is why I use a machine.

One other suggestion . . . try super wetting your leather . . . and forming it with a vacuum sealer of some sort.  I use an actual vacuum pump . . . don't really have to do a lot to get the molding to come out the way I want it.

Thanks for the pics . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

 

Edited Thursday at 01:09 PM by Dwight

[wizard of tragacanth]

Nice work. There are a couple of things that I would do differently. One, make the sweat guard a little longer (taller), to go maybe 1/4" above the slide, for better comfort. Also, I would not do any molding inside the trigger guard. Had this discussion on another forum. IWB or BWB style holsters are cinched down with one's belt. There is no need for additional retention. It could possibly interfere with the draw.

Nick

[Stetson912]

@Dwight I will give it a try. I tend to lean more 80/20 on iwb/bbp but haven't tried all flat. I used my cowboy outlaw to stitch it. I have a diy vacuum press but its a pain to drag out and set up. More often than not i hand mold. I am trying to build up that skill but there's only so much you can do with a brick like this xdm.

@wizard of tragacanth thanks for the suggestions. Ill try on the next one without molding inside the trigger. The sweat shield i made short to prevent foldover. I usually make them too long but I can tweak that some too.

[wizard of tragacanth]

Regarding vacuum forming...

I got some of the smallest vacuum storage bags from Amazon (which came with a very  poor manual pump). I paid around $10 a few years ago, so now probably $12. The smallest bag is still double the size that I need for a handgun, so I just fold the bag in half with the valve on top and it works great. 

The cheap plastic hand pump was wholly inadequate. I simply use my home vacuum cleaner. I place a green scrubby sponge directly under the valve opening and tuck a flat edge of the holster slightly under a corner of the sponge. The hose on the vacuum fits flat around the outside of the valve on the bag. Takes just a few seconds to evacuate all of the air from the bag. Seal the bag with the cap. Lube the outside of the bag with spray silicone and work in the contours with the modeling tools of your choice.

Nick

[Stetson912]

4 minutes ago, wizard of tragacanth said:

Regarding vacuum forming...

I got some of the smallest vacuum storage bags from Amazon (which came with a very  poor manual pump). I paid around $10 a few years ago, so now probably $12. The smallest bag is still double the size that I need for a handgun, so I just fold the bag in half with the valve on top and it works great. 

The cheap plastic hand pump was wholly inadequate. I simply use my home vacuum cleaner. I place a green scrubby sponge directly under the valve opening and tuck a flat edge of the holster slightly under a corner of the sponge. The hose on the vacuum fits flat around the outside of the valve on the bag. Takes just a few seconds to evacuate all of the air from the bag. Seal the bag with the cap. Lube the outside of the bag with spray silicone and work in the contours with the modeling tools of your choice.

Nick

Nice. I made a bag and have an old vac pump. Its more finding space to use it. I have to clear my bench off and its a pain to have to do that. One day ill figure something out space wise haha. There's never enough of it it seems. I might look into the vac bags like that, as it is I have to continuously run the pump so, might be better anyway 

[wizard of tragacanth]

BTW, many of my "belt slide" holsters are "flat back" a.k.a "saddle" style. They are the most comfortable design, to ride on you hip. However, on thick, blockish guns, using a flat back requires extreme molding of the front. It can be done. I've done it but I think your 60/40 front to back is reasonable... and really a true pancake is molded 50/50 and not that much of a disadvantage. Why? Because with a BTB there is very little leather around the perimeter of the holster... and in fact, a larger perimeter would get in the way of placement between belt loops, effectively narrowing the real estate. Whereas extra leather, such as an ample sweat shield, does help to keep the gun from digging in and does not limit placement.

[Stetson912]

7 hours ago, wizard of tragacanth said:

BTW, many of my "belt slide" holsters are "flat back" a.k.a "saddle" style. They are the most comfortable design, to ride on you hip. However, on thick, blockish guns, using a flat back requires extreme molding of the front. It can be done. I've done it but I think your 60/40 front to back is reasonable... and really a true pancake is molded 50/50 and not that much of a disadvantage. Why? Because with a BTB there is very little leather around the perimeter of the holster... and in fact, a larger perimeter would get in the way of placement between belt loops, effectively narrowing the real estate. Whereas extra leather, such as an ample sweat shield, does help to keep the gun from digging in and does not limit placement.

I don50/50 on pancakes. The only time I think the offset molding would benefit on a pancake is if the feller is very thin. Even then, i keep my slots relatively close to the gun. About 1" to center of the slot. 

This xdm is quite a brick. Im looking into better carry weapons at the moment. It doesnt fit my fat hands either. The digging wasn't too bad but I agree I can extend the sweat guard a bit more. I've seen some reverse avenger style bbp holsters without the wing. That I think would allow more versatility in placement, but I like the thought of the wing helping keep things in place even though its mostly the belt