Questions On First Iwb

[markush]

I'm about to make my second holster but first IWB and have a couple questions. What determines how far apart the belt loops should be...I've seen them placed close to the stitching around the gun and I've seen them placed farther away...why? Is the half inch spacing around the gun (a S&W 5906) enough? Should I enlarge the reinforcement piece to cover the trigger guard? Will the placement of the reinforcement along the length of the slide look OK once I start molding...should I move it closer or farther away from my stitch line? I gave it an extreme amount of cant to fit with my spare tires and give the full-size S&W 5906 the best chance of staying concealed on me. Is there anything here that just won't work?

[Shooter McGavin]

The cant angle concerns me. Have you practiced drawing from that angle before?

I space my reinforcement panels in about 3/8" from the stitch line. Seems to work out well. You can go over the trigger if you like, it's more aesthetics than anything anyway.

Rule of thumb is 1/2 the thickness of the gun plus the leather thickness = line spacing on each side.

I would radius the bottom corners some also.

Welcome aboard!

[markush]

The cant angle concerns me. Have you practiced drawing from that angle before?

I space my reinforcement panels in about 3/8" from the stitch line. Seems to work out well. You can go over the trigger if you like, it's more aesthetics than anything anyway.

Rule of thumb is 1/2 the thickness of the gun plus the leather thickness = line spacing on each side.

I would radius the bottom corners some also.

Welcome aboard!

Thanks! The draw is awkward if it's at the 3:00 position but the more I tuck it around back the better it feels.

Half the thickness of the guns slide, not including protruding slide stops etc, plus the thickness of one panel of leather right? How would you figure out spacing for a revolver? I've seen holsters with huge...side panels?...and then I've seen them with practically no side panels, which determines belt look spacing, Is that simply aesthetics also?

[Big O]

When you say "side panels", I take it you're referring to the parts where the belt loops attach. I'm not sure what the proper name for them is, but I call them "wings".

There are differing schools of thought regarding their spacing. Some say that wider spacing spreads the weight across the belt better, while others say that wide spacing simply allows more rotation of the holster, making it less stable. One thing's for sure, though: you want to be sure you have ENOUGH space to allow the leather to flex toward the belt, or it'll apply too much pressure to the pistol, making the draw more difficult.

Your rear belt loop looks like it's as close as would be practical. I might move that a little farther out. The front belt loop might be just a bit TOO far out.

I, too, think you'll find that cant a bit too extreme, unless you're planning on carrying at about 4:30 or 5 instead of 3:30 or 4.

Two other suggestions:

1. Don't cover quite as much of the rear sight with the leather. It could interfere with the draw.

2. You mentioned a spare tire. I have one of those, too. I've also carried a 5906. You might want to put some leather between the decocking lever on the left side of the slide and your "tread"......

[TwinOaks]

The spacing of the 'rear' tab, IMO, is dictated by 1. the thickness of the leather, 2. the position you'll be carrying, and 3. the size of your hands. If you've got big meat hooks for hands, you'll probably want to move the attachment point further back. It helps make a little space for your hand, as you don't want to reach for the pistol and have the snap interfering with getting your hand around the grip. The leather thickness is also critical, because as Big O mentioned, it needs to flex towards the belt. The purpose of the wing behind the pistol is to help pull the grip of the pistol back towards your body. It's simply leverage, and your body is the fulcrum. If you've got a 'flat' area where you're gonna put it, it doesn't need much leverage to pull the grip in tight. If it's right at your hip, it needs a little more. It also affects how well the holster conceals by pushing OUT on the waist band, filling out the area to create less printing. If you're gonna position the rig really far around the back, there's some things you need to think on- Anytime you put a block of steel/aluminum under your belt, you need to be absolutely sure that you've allowed additional space both in the belt and in the waistband of the pants. If you're a size 40, get size 42-44 pants. Anything else and you'll be putting lots of additional pressure on your body wherever the pistol rides. Another thing on placement is to be aware of where your nerve plexuses are. If you put the rig right over a gluteus maximus, then you're gonna be putting pressure on your sciatic nerve. You wanna discuss near crippling pain that lasts for hours???? Aggravate that nerve bundle. When carrying around back, be sure you don't cross your spine. That's my personal opinion, based strongly on Andy Aratoonian's view on it. I can't think of any time that I'd want a ~1 inch chunk of metal across my spine. Slip, fall, get hit....nothing like a chunk of metal hitting your spine (or vice versa) to ruin the rest of your day.

[markush]

Just wanted to show the finished product after I Incorporated some of your suggestions. I also posted over in the "Critique My Work" section so please let me know what else I could have done better.

I do have a question for you guys that I didn't mention over there...I had planned to hide the T-nuts between the layers but I messed up and removed too much material to fit them between the stitch lines so I ended up having to expose them on the back.

My question is...had I not messed up and been able to place the T-nuts between the layers....should I have been concerned that the T-nuts would corrode from the Vinegaroon and wet molding? If so, how should I go about placing the T-nuts between layers if I am going to use Vinegaroon and wet mold?

[jbilly]

Just wanted to show the finished product after I Incorporated some of your suggestions. I also posted over in the "Critique My Work" section so please let me know what else I could have done better.

I do have a question for you guys that I didn't mention over there...I had planned to hide the T-nuts between the layers but I messed up and removed too much material to fit them between the stitch lines so I ended up having to expose them on the back.

My question is...had I not messed up and been able to place the T-nuts between the layers....should I have been concerned that the T-nuts would corrode from the Vinegaroon and wet molding? If so, how should I go about placing the T-nuts between layers if I am going to use Vinegaroon and wet mold?

I would suggest using aluminum or stainless t-nuts, and would recommend using some type of sealant/coating/glue between the layers.