Molding Bulky Guns

[JoshDuvall]

Ok so I've made quite a few holsters now (1911's) and have gotten to where I can mold them well and feel like (and have been told) that my work looks professional. But.... I just tried to mold an M&P 40c and got a huge reality check. How the heck do ya'll mold these bulky wide guns. It just seems like there's no flow to them at all. They're like molding around a block. I get to the trigger guard and slide area and it seems like theres nowhere to go but either straight up or straight down. What do ya'll do?

P.S. - It's really not so much the molding but the boning that is giving me trouble on these.

[bitone40]

That's funny you say that because I did a xd40 and a g22 today and thought the same exact thing, I usually do not to a lot of boning on my larger IWB's except at the trigger guard, but I did on these but did not overdo it, just did the trigger guard nicely and the the slide lines, it came out nice and simple and I just hope the v'roon comes out ok , I did it because it could possibly land me a nice setup with a PD who my cousin is a sheriff for and him and all the guys are looking for off duty holsters and waiting on these two examples

Ben

[Shorts]

Make sure to get the leather wet enough that you can feel where the gun lines are. Press them good. From there, plus looking at a pic of the gun for reference, draw your lines. Some of it is going a bit on faith but once you get the feel, you'll do better.

I just did an M&P40 and the lines felt very shallow. The holster was molded though. Retention is there.

[JoshDuvall]

Make sure to get the leather wet enough that you can feel where the gun lines are. Press them good. From there, plus looking at a pic of the gun for reference, draw your lines. Some of it is going a bit on faith but once you get the feel, you'll do better.

I just did an M&P40 and the lines felt very shallow. The holster was molded though. Retention is there.

Wow shorts that's beautiful. Maybe I was trying to do too much and I should try to keep the boning simpler. I think I might have been trying to put too many curves where there aren't any. Especially around the duster/rails. Thanks guys/gals for the advise.

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

Good lookin' holster, Shorts!

I agree - shape the holster and get a feel for where the lines are, and look at a picture of the gun or another mold if you need to, then chase the molding lines where you feel they should be. No two makers do things exactly the same way. Here is how I boned some M&P holsters:

[K-Man]

For the most part, it just takes practice. I use warm water to get the holster wet, put it in a press, and then use a ruler, bone folder, and modeling spoon to highlight the lines of the frame of the gun. This is an M&P Compact:

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

Another good lookin' holster, K-man. I love seeing how every one shapes theirs a little different - we need to do a comparison thread some time just for fun. K-man, is that 7/8 oz. leather?

[K-Man]

Another good lookin' holster, K-man. I love seeing how every one shapes theirs a little different - we need to do a comparison thread some time just for fun. K-man, is that 7/8 oz. leather?

I'll pass on the comparison thread. The main body of the holster is H.O. split to 7 oz, the layover piece is H.O. split to 4 oz.