Leather weight for high ride OWB?

[mrfixit]

I've made a few holsters and almost all of them have been horsehide.  And of course when you order horse you don't get alot of choice in weight.  I have a need to make a holster for a Glock 43x, this will be my church gun.  I'm currently carrying my 1911 in a pancake I made many years ago and wore on duty for years.  This holster for the Glock will also be a pancake.

My question is in regard to the leather weight.  I would like this to be a a really high ride. I'm thinking the belt will cross from the middle of the trigger guard to the end of the barrel.  I usually make my pancakes with a double layer of reinforcement around the mouth, but this one could be done with no reinforcement if the leather is thick enough.  

So, thoughts and suggestions are all welcome.

[Dwight]

Used to be a fellow on here . . . called Katsass . . .  he did some serious pancakes . . . always 4 pieces of leather . . . 2 back to back for the back . . . 2 back to back for the front.  

He would get the pieces where he wanted them . . . by dampening the leather . . . squeezing them together to make the two shapes . . . let it all dry . . .  and hand stitch them together.  

You might be able to go back in history under his handle here . . . and see some of his work.  

The key final though he told me to take that stitched holster . . . SOAK that thing . . . put the plastic mold in it . . . and lay it out in the sun.  Let it dry . . . fully dry . . .  out in the noon day / hi afternoon hot sun.

The last one . . . I did both sides that way . . . one side at a time . . . and quite honestly I got a 11th shot holster out of it. 

I think I could shoot my 8+1 out of my 1911 . . . for # 10 . . . I could try to hit the dude in the head by tossing the pistol . . . if none of that worked . . . I could take off that pancake . . . and darn near bust his skull with  the holster . . . it was that hard.  Still is . . .

I never sold that holster . . . I keep it to prove to people how stiff leather can become.

The entire holster is made out of light 7/8 oz leather.  It's all real close to straight 7 oz . . . and it is hard  . . . hard . . . hard.

You should be able to do that with your high ride . . . unless it is an XD-45 . . . or something similar that has a pound of swinging weight up in the magazine of the gun..

AND . . . because you are wanting it to ride high . . . leave the back side come down 3/4 of an inch or so below the muzzle . . . as a flap helping keep it from flopping sideways.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited May 8 by Dwight

[AlZilla]

7 hours ago, Dwight said:

none of that worked . . . I could take off that pancake . . . and darn near bust his skull with  the holster . . . it was that hard.  Still is . . .

I never sold that holster . . . I keep it to prove to people how stiff leather can become.

The entire holster is made out of light 7/8 oz leather.  It's all real close to straight 7 oz . . . and it is hard  . . . hard . . . hard.

If you're looking for hardness, use hotter water.

My very first holster effort, I made using multiple layers. I soaked it with boiling water, formed it in my vacuum sealer and then dried the crap out of it in the sun.  It's as hard as Kydex.  The holster is a disaster in many respects, but the firearm clicks right in and out.

[chuck123wapati]

43 x is about a 20 oz gun, so it doesn't really need horse hide to hold it imo, but if you need the stiffness to keep you awake in church, then go for it. 

[DoogMeister]

Made this holster for my Kimber Ultra carry - also my church gun.  8-9 oz, with a 2nd layer of 8 oz behind on the upper part.  The decorative piece on the front is also 8 oz.  

The holster has proved itself through a couple of years' use. 

[mrfixit]

Thanks folks. 
To be clear, I mentioned horsehide not because I'm planning on using it this time but to say that's all I'm really familiar with.  I plan on using some Veg Tan cow hide this time.  It will be easier to grab since I can run by my local Tandy and grab something.  I just wanted to see what weight might be a good idea to start with.

The previous holsters I used horsehide because I was going to be using them on duty and I wanted them to look pretty.  This one will be a true concealed so I'm going with a dark color and high ride to hide it in the shadows of my cover garments.  

[Stetson912]

More than 1 way to skin a cat. In mynopinion. 7/8 oz is about perfect. It gives a good balance of structure and molding detail. If you want heavier you can go with 9/10oz, you just loose some definition in molding, and that may not be an issue for you and isn't one functionally.

I like to use 2 layers of 3/4oz or 4/5 for each panel i just laminate the leather then cut out the panels and assemble as I normally would.

After wet molding, you can dry in a very low oven or a hot box or leave it in the sun and it will aid in stiffening the leather, im in az and my garage gets hot enough on its own so I dont bother, but I like the idea of a hot box. 120 to 150 degrees or so is probably about right.

 

I also seal my holsters by dipping them either in angelus satin acrylic finish 100% or resolene diluted maybe 20% with water. I like this, some dont. But I feel like a good seal helps.

 

[Stetson912]

Also, have you considered an avenger style? The fold in the design may help structurally even without reinforcement. Just a thought

[chuck123wapati]

7/8 oz.is good.

[TonyV]

I make my holsters with 7/8 lined (if I line it) with 2oz.  This includes my 1911, 1858 NMA and other heavy lead slingers.  Note these holsters are not absolutely inflexible as some people prefer for concealment.  They are wet molded and baked at 170* F or sun dried.  Quite stiff, but still some flexibility, which I find more comfortable , but these are all open carry holsters.

I also have a Bianchi holster made with I think 8/9 oz lined with 2 oz for 10/11 total.  It's a little thicker than I prefer, but it holds the revolver close and tight.

I suspect you may want to find your balance between concealment and comfort, somewhere in the neighborhood of 9/10 oz total, or a bit heavier if you mold it to your body curves.