What Leather For Holsters?

[MOA]

Brand new to leather and trying to make holsters. I got a bag of scrapps from the local hobby store to practice my stitching and figure out my own patterns, but i'm confused on what leather to get to make the final product out of. I now i need veggy tanned, but what weight? Can I go with 12-14 oz saddle skirting and not double up on the throat? I am making inside the waist band and pancake holster for myself and family. trying to do simple work. also who is a good supplier for single sides?

Edited January 9, 2011 by MOA

[Big O]

I've never used saddle skirting, just shoulders.

12-14oz is godawful thick. ENTIRELY too thick for IWB holsters. I made one using 8-9oz, and that was even too thick. Felt like smuggling a brick.

I could see using 12-14oz leather for a field holster, which is meant to take heavy abuse. For IWB, I'm thinking anywhere from 5-7oz would be good.

[MOA]

Would 8-9 oz work ok? I want it stiff enough not to collapse when the gun is drawn, but not be like packing a brick. The OWB I made is thick, maybe 7/16" at the throut, but the inner layer is tin, probley 4-5 oz and soft, but its just scrap leather from the hobby shop. No place local to buy veggy leather. A saddle maker local may have some scrapps for me to use, but I got to get over there to see. Its just hard to commit to buying a shoulder or side for a lot of money and not now if it will be to thick or thin. I have a style of work i do that always has a reenforced throat and my stitching looks good, I just need to get better leather.

[Russ]

Moa;

I make concealed carry holsters, mostly for police officers, and I use 5/6oz for IWB bodies, 6/7 or 7/8oz for OWB with a throat reinforcement, and 7/8oz or (occasionally) 8/9oz for OWB pancake holsters. I found that I can use thinner leather when I bake the holster, to stiffen it up and keep it open when the gun isn't in it. When I wasn't baking the leather, I was using leather that was a couple ounces heavier. I use 12/14oz Herman Oak leather for my CMSA gunleather, but that's a different animal.

I've also experimented with Herman Oak leather vs. Tandy's leather. I didn't find much difference. The flesh side of the HO leather was better...smoother, looked better. The grain side can be better, but with small things like holsters you can find decent areas in almost any hide to cut out the holster. I end up using HO leather for a holster that's tooled, as I can justify a slightly higher price. If it's not tooled, or it's dyed black, as most of my CCW holster are, then regular Tandy leather works fine.

I generally have a side to cut my holsters out of, but if you can get some scraps to get started, that's a great way to practice and experiment. If you end up with scraps that are a bit heavier than you need, then you can thin them out. The saddlemaker can give you some tips on that, we saddlemakers spend a LOT of time thinning leather down to what we need.

I suggest you search for Particle's posts, and read up on his learning experiences. Then go to his website, and watch the video of him making a holster (Adams' Leather). I know I picked up a lot of tips and owe him a debt of gratitude for posting what he's learned.

Russ

Would 8-9 oz work ok? I want it stiff enough not to collapse when the gun is drawn, but not be like packing a brick. The OWB I made is thick, maybe 7/16" at the throut, but the inner layer is tin, probley 4-5 oz and soft, but its just scrap leather from the hobby shop. No place local to buy veggy leather. A saddle maker local may have some scrapps for me to use, but I got to get over there to see. Its just hard to commit to buying a shoulder or side for a lot of money and not now if it will be to thick or thin. I have a style of work i do that always has a reenforced throat and my stitching looks good, I just need to get better leather.

[MOA]

Actually particles youtube video is what I watched when I first got the idea. watched it several times. I have read several of his post. Ill search more.