Avenger - Kimber Custom & G26

[olliesrevenge]

Both are made from a 7/8 oz shoulder (Wickett & Craig I think) I picked up from MacPhersons here in Seattle. This shoulder has a very smooth and "finished" feeling flesh side that I really like. Both were sewn on a Boss w/ 277 thread.

The Kimber's holster was "shake and baked" in a freezer bag w/ Fiebings light tan, then airbrushed w/ Fiebings Pro mahogany 'cause I didn't like the way the light tan looked. This was the 1st holster for a 1911 I ever made, and I decided not to screw it up with any of my crude attempts at "detail boning". I was pretty exited that the mods I made to my G17 pattern worked OK on the 1st try, although next time I will probably reduce the size of the rear wing area around the belt loop.

The G26's holster I made after taking a "free" class at my local Tandy and watching the store manager use his cocobolo tools on a practice holster I ginned up. For a guy who doesn't make many holsters he sure made it look easy. This one is my best detailing attempt so far, which admittedly leaves much to be desired, but at least it is passable to my eyes. This one was airbrushed with Fiebings Pro mahogany and accented w/ Pro black using my 'el cheapo' Harbor Freight airbrush kit, and employing the technique I learned from Particle's video.

[MADMAX22]

They look great. If you are too afraid to do the boning sometimes just some hard work with your fingers gets very nice mellow results. It does take a while to get good at it though atleast for me.

On the 26 does it hold the gun well enough being that low on it. I have not made one that low and was wondering how well it holds when your wearing it.

One other thing, how do you like machphersons, I was thinking of one of these days taking the ferry over there to check it out but have not been able to find the time.

[rickybobby]

Nice job!! I am interested in how the Glock holster will feel when wearing, it looks very high. Given the shape of Glocks, it is difficult to get them lower, I carry a G30 everyday and have struggled with getting it so it does not "pull" from the top. I have found, using a heavy gunbelt does help and I suggest a matching belt to the customer when they order the holster. ( extra $$$ !! )

I like your 1911 holster alot! When doing a mouthband or upper trim like you did, detailed boneing is less of a issue for visual appeal, open up a new can of worms (swear words and stress) and try some exotic hides for your upper trim! Just when you think you have a comfort level, working with exotics will humble you. It is a whole new learning curve! I have some extra pieces I can send you so you can get a feel of them without breaking the bank to learn. Let me know if you want them.

Nice stitching! It appears you have the Boss dialed in and are producing some very even stitches. Keep it the gears in it lubed and clean, and a drop of oil in the bobbin groove on the cylinder and it will keep stitching like a champ!

Rick J.

[Rayban]

Nice work! I am a big fan of the Avenger style, and you seem to have it down.

I haven't made many holsters so bear with me on this question. I tend to want to bring my pouch up to, or close to the front sights, then taper/curve it down to below the trigger guard. You have yours cut much lower....almost looks like it's top-heavy with gun. Is there a specific reason for doing it this way? Or just preference?

Anyway, again, really nice work.

[olliesrevenge]

They look great. If you are too afraid to do the boning sometimes just some hard work with your fingers gets very nice mellow results. It does take a while to get good at it though at least for me.

On the 26 does it hold the gun well enough being that low on it. I have not made one that low and was wondering how well it holds when your wearing it.

One other thing, how do you like machphersons, I was thinking of one of these days taking the ferry over there to check it out but have not been able to find the time.

Thanks for the kind words Max. My personal preference toward detail boning is that I could take it or leave it. I guess the only reason I want to get good at it is to be able to sell holsters at some time in the future.

The holster being cut low in the front doesn't seem to affect the 'hold' on the gun too much. If I put the gun in the holster and lightly shake it upside down, it will hold nicely without slipping. I have seen it written that "most of the retention comes from the trigger guard area", and In my limited holster making experience, I have found that to be true.

I work near MacPhersons, so for me it has more to do with convenience than with the fact that I really like it, but it seems like a pretty well stocked leather store. It is essentially a large open warehouse with a retail area of about 1200 sq ft. They have a good leather selection incl' exotics, a limited Craftool section, and a pretty good selection of upper end tools like the Osborne bag punches and such. They have alot of snaps, buckles and other hardware. They have a pretty good selection of dyes too, and they carry your brand IIRC (Angelus). You probably won't do much saving if you shopped there, but if you had to have something now it might be the ticket.

Take care

[olliesrevenge]

Nice job!! I am interested in how the Glock holster will feel when wearing, it looks very high. Given the shape of Glocks, it is difficult to get them lower, I carry a G30 everyday and have struggled with getting it so it does not "pull" from the top. I have found, using a heavy gunbelt does help and I suggest a matching belt to the customer when they order the holster. ( extra $ !! )

Right on, this is a fairly high holster for a short barreled pistol like the 26. You've brought up an interesting holster design issue. IMO the problem for pistols like the G26 is two fold: 1) When the pistol is oriented so that it feels high enough for a good draw, its center of gravity is well above the belt 2) There is almost no barrel length extending below the belt to act as an opposing lever below the "fulcrum" (the belt) to prevent the gun from tipping out laterally. I agree that it is all about having a heavy gunbelt. My well broken in Galco gunbelt doesn't work well with this holster, but my brand new 1/4" thick "stiff as a board" custom belt works great. IMO it also helps to mold the holster to the exact dimensions of the belt to be used, so there is no play at all between holster and belt.

If I can muster up even more nerve I may try something like this...

http://garritysgunle...AC-Glock-23.jpg

I like your 1911 holster alot! When doing a mouthband or upper trim like you did, detailed boneing is less of a issue for visual appeal, open up a new can of worms (swear words and stress) and try some exotic hides for your upper trim! Just when you think you have a comfort level, working with exotics will humble you. It is a whole new learning curve! I have some extra pieces I can send you so you can get a feel of them without breaking the bank to learn. Let me know if you want them.

I haven't even thought of trying exotics yet, but I am pretty good at being humbled! Maybe I should try it. If you sent me something I'd almost feel obligated to send something in return, maybe I could use my G20 to mold a holster for that G30 of yours, I just can't guarantee it would be pretty...

Nice stitching! It appears you have the Boss dialed in and are producing some very even stitches. Keep it the gears in it lubed and clean, and a drop of oil in the bobbin groove on the cylinder and it will keep stitching like a champ!

I'm so glad I bought that machine from you. It's nice to be able to measure holster making time in hours rather than days. I'm still working on getting the look of the backside dialed in, but I'll keep it lubed up and running.

Thanks Rick

[olliesrevenge]

...I tend to want to bring my pouch up to, or close to the front sights, then taper/curve it down to below the trigger guard. You have yours cut much lower....almost looks like it's top-heavy with gun. Is there a specific reason for doing it this way? Or just preference?...

There is a reason for the low cut front, and I used to think it really mattered, but now I'm not so sure. The theory is that having the low front allows the muzzle of the pistol to clear leather faster, thus resulting in a faster draw. I don't necessarily buy it because IMO, a good draw should result in the pistol being lifted straight up and out of the holster, up toward the armpit area, and then being pushed out into a firing position. If you looked at it in slow motion it would look like an arc, rather than a straight line, from holster to firing grip, and so I'm not sure an extra inch in the front will make a difference.

There are those who would argue that it might make a difference in a

type of draw, where you fire from the hip as soon as the gun clears the holster. But even then I would be willing to bet that if you took a couple good shooters out to the range with a shot timer, and compared draw times between a high & low cut front holster, you'd find any difference to be essentially splitting hairs. Of course Todd Jarret or Jerry Miculek might disagree with me, who knows.

So why do I go with the Lobo style low front cut, rather than the higher Particle style? Mostly just style preference, and it doesn't seem to affect retention either way.

Thanks for looking.

[NoahL]

I really like that Kimber holster! I don't like detail molding, personally, so I think it looks perfect.

~Noah

[Eugene]

One other thing, how do you like machphersons, I was thinking of one of these days taking the ferry over there to check it out but have not been able to find the time.

I really like MacPherson's it's where I usually buy most of my leather.

Eugene