My First Paying "customer" :)

[CrashInBlack]

A buddy of mine from school found out I've been making holsters and decided he wanted one. All he told me is that he wanted it on the right side inside the waistband. I think (hope) he'll be pleased.

[Shorts]

Interesting design - you're on a good track. Tuckable? I'm going to be critical here so consider the suggestions for next time.

On the size of the belt loop, try to keep them as close to the size of the belt as you can. You want the fit to be snug so there is little to no up and down movement of the holster when the gun is drawn. Also, the tops of the belt loops, make that area round. Corners on holsters end up getting mashed and bumped, plus they can be uncomfortable if they're in contact with the body. They start poking the user. I do see that you've clip the corners to a 45*, but a good way you can finish that off is to use a dremel and sanding drum and just round up the top.

On the main portion of the holster did you go smooth in?

[CrashInBlack]

Thank you for the comments Shorts.

I'm not quite sure what size belt he uses so I sized the loops to my own. They seemed pretty tight until I put it on, but it doesn't seem to shift around much. I did end up using some sandpaper to smooth out the tops of them after I took the pictures. I went with smooth side in on the gun housing portion mainly to provide a little extra grip on the outside against the pants. Yes, it is tuckable (my first try at a tuckable design).

[Big O]

Very nice!

I like the reinforcement pieces on each side. They should give the struts some added rigidity. And I like the color contrast (tan/dark brown).

Critiques:

- one of my pet peeves: there doesn't seem to be a lot of clearance at the bottom rear of the trigger guard. I want my holsters to allow a FULL grip on the pistol right from the get-go. I tend to not cover the ENTIRE trigger guard, just enough to block access to the trigger itself.

- the dye job doesn't look very consistent. I do mine with multiple light coats, one right after the other, until I'm satisfied with it.

- how solid is the holster pocket opening when it's empty? Will it collapse under belt pressure, making reholstering difficult? If so, I'd add a reinforcement piece.

- why dark brown for the belt loops? Is this what the customer wanted, because he has a belt that color? And, if so, is that belt sturdy enough to support the gun? I ask this because the vast majority of the GUN belts I have seen are either black or tan. Holsters are merely one part of a carry SYSTEM. The world's best holster on a crappy $9.95 K-Mart special belt makes the entire system crappy.

When I make a holster with a sweat shield for a 1911, I always wet-mold the sweat shield to conform to the safety lever, in the "on" position. Sometimes I also mold it slightly around the rear of the slide, and then bend just the tip of the shield backwards so that it "locks" the pistol in place a little better, but is not too much in the way for easy reholstering.

I ask my customers lots of questions if they're vague to begin with. Ideally, I have them come and see me - bringing the pistol with them, and wearing the pants and belt they intend to use the holster with. I'll triple-check the pistol to be sure it's unloaded, and have them position it on their waist where they want it, while maintaining a full grip on the pistol. This gives me the EXACT angle and height. I make note of where the top of the belt crosses the pistol. Sometimes, it's unrealistic, and I'll explain why and have them adjust it accordingly. But.....before I agree to make the holster, I'm going to have them commit to EXACTLY what they want me to make for them, right down to the color of the thread.

[dickf]

I think it's a great start and really well if it's your first, second, or third.

The pattern has it's flaws, though. The most obvious one, to me, is that the rear 'wing' is going to conform and bend to the curve of the users' hip but it's not going to bring the rest of the holster with it because it's independent of the holster body. So, the butt of the gun will not stay tucked in. Others have noted more clearance under the triggerguard for a better grip and I agree. I also think, but can't tell for sure, that you're covering the mag release which is a no-no. If you could get the stitch line closer where the triggerguard meets the dust cover, that would be ideal.

I think after you make some adjustments to the pattern, you'll be set to move full speed ahead!

[CrashInBlack]

Thanks for the comments everyone. The critiques are appreciated. Let me go over some of them with you...

There is actually *just* enough room to get a full grip on the gun, though the next one I make will probably have a little more.

The lighter tan areas are actually an Eco-Flo stain, and this is the first time I've tried it. In person it looks kinda neat to me, but I may work on that more if my customer doesn't like it.

I wore this for a bit yesterday. The pocket held it's shape without the gun in it and re-holstered nicely. The belt runs over the forward half of the trigger guard, and that seems to help hold in the grip of the gun.

I made the belt loops dark brown because I figured that would work best in the greatest number of situations. The mag release for this gun is actually on the side held against the body.

I think this customer wanted me to surprise him, the only requests I could get out of him were that he wanted it IWB on the right side. Considering he had been carrying it in a leather sleeve with a clip on it that didn't fit the gun anyway, I think he'll be pleased.

And a question for you guys: I glued the reinforcement pieces and then stitched them. The part that holds the gun though is just stitched. Should I have glued this first also?

[Shorts]

Yes, glue. If you don't glue the leather can squeak. Also glue adds another layer to the structure. It'll keep the edges down and takes strain off the stitching.

[CrashInBlack]

Update: My customer saw the holster for the first time today and was impressed enough to ask me to make several more for his other handguns

When I do those I'll update this thread with them.

[CrashInBlack]

New one. This one is for me, so I didn't put quite as much time into the aesthetics as I would if it were for someone else. I tried to incorporate some of your critiques into the design, like with the belt loops and grip clearance.

Kind of an experimental piece with the suede section showing.