Springbreak shoulder holster building

[charleskterry]

Can anyone recommend sources  for the springs in order to make Springbreak shoulder holsters?  I’ve looked locally @ Home Depot, Lowes etc but I can’t seem to find anything but very mild steel, brass, or aluminum.  I’d appreciate any assistance.  
thank you in advance 

Charles

[DieselTech]

4 minutes ago, charleskterry said:

Can anyone recommend sources  for the springs in order to make Springbreak shoulder holsters?  I’ve looked locally @ Home Depot, Lowes etc but I can’t seem to find anything but very mild steel, brass, or aluminum.  I’d appreciate any assistance.  
thank you in advance 

Charles

Like these? 

Also holstersmiths have different versions. 

[Dwight]

Kydex . . . properly molded with a hair dryer . . . can double for the steel spring . . . 

You can sew it into the holster . . . works great . . . my derringer holsters use it quite effectively (and I hate to make em)

May God bless,

Dwight

[charleskterry]

Thanks Dwight.  I wondered if Kydex might be an option.  Did you mould it into the L shape like shown in the Andrew’s leather video?

[charleskterry]

Diesel tech: no, not thumb breaks but springs for springbreak holsters. You used to see them used more big revolvers carried vertically in a shoulder holster. You could unsnap the retention and draw the pistol almost as if it was being carried horizontally because the belly of the holster was open and held the weapon in place under spring pressure.  It’s a pretty neat older idea I want to attempt on a few of my own semi automatic pistols.

[Dwight]

7 hours ago, charleskterry said:

Thanks Dwight.  I wondered if Kydex might be an option.  Did you mould it into the L shape like shown in the Andrew’s leather video?

No . . . you mold it to the weapon . . . and if you buy it from Tandy . . . get their thicker batch.  There should be a shiny side and a dull side.  The dull side goes inside like it would lay on and touch the gun . . . the shiny side faces out.

Put a row or two of masking tape over the top of the weapon . . . gets rid of the need for a sight channel . . . take it up to just before it gets to the rear sight (that's how I do it) . . . if you've got a piece of thin suede . . . wrap the gun it it . . . it helps with the spacing.

Put the grip in a leather padded vice and lay the kydex piece on top of the gun . . . heat that center piece until each side falls down . . . pull the edges together and rub the top with a wet wash cloth . . . it will set the kydex from any bending right now.

Lay the gun on one side . . . heat the top side of it . . . and wearing a pair of leather gloves . . . mold the kydex to the weapon . . . over top of the suede.  Again . . . once you get it molded good . . . hit it with the wash cloth to stop it from moving.

Flip it over . . . do the above steps again on the other side.  BE CAREFUL WITH MAGAZINE DISCONNECTS . . . and other levers / buttons /  or whatevers . . . don't get them involved deeply in the molding process.

Then comes the fun part . . . with the kydex all molded . . . nice and cold . . . put the bottom of it in that leather padded vice . . . so the top of the mold where the sight track of the gun is . . . that part is up on top . . . and level.  You should notice a definite "spring" sensation as you try to close the bottoms of the pieces together . . . and what you will do now . . . is reverse the spring. 

As it is now . . . it will want to spring apart when you squeeze the bottoms together.  

What you do is apply just enough heat across the top to relax that springiness.  Hit it with the wash cloth . . . and when you take it out of the vice . . . the bottoms will want to touch or come within 1/16 of an inch in doing so.  When you pull the bottoms apart . . . it will want to spring back together.

Trim the kydex only enough to get it inside the leather  stitching. 

Double check the springiness . . . you may have trimmed enough off the edges that you may want to repeat that last heat / mold you did.

You then mold the inside . . . leather lining of your holster . . . I like 5/6 oz for this job.  Mold the leather as tight to the weapon as you can . . . maintain a sight track . . . be mindful of those buttons and levers on the side of it . . . BE CAREFUL WITH MAGAZINE DISCONNECTS . . . STEER CLEAR OF THEM.  I have actually cut totally around them for 1911's . . . just a hole there where the leather and kydex used to be.

Here you check and see if you have a decent grip on the gun using the kydex as the spring.  It has to at least keep the gun in the leather and kydex if you hold it so the gun conceivably could fall down and out.  CONTACT CEMENT THE KYDEX TO THE INNER LINING.

Next . . . finish the holster with the outside layer of leather . . . belt loops . . . snaps . . . whatever . . . and sew her up.  If you use any glue or contact cement . . . steer clear of the kydex.

Wet the holster once it is finished the construction . . . and put it in a hot box to dry . . . 140 degrees F . . . Doing that twice will harden up the whole process like you would not believe.  Be careful not to go over 140.

You now should have a fairly springy holster.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited 13 hours ago by Dwight

[charleskterry]

Thank you Dwight, I appreciate the detailed instructions.  I’ll give that a try.  Did I understand correctly that you did not glue the lining to the Kydex? ( steer clear of the Kydex)

Edited 10 minutes ago by charleskterry