Need Advice On Making This Type Of Holster...

[Sixer]

I've been wanting to make a holster for myself and I think I've finally decided on the basic style. Problem is I've never attempted this style before, so I'm hoping to get a little help before I start wasting leather.

The OWB with snap on loops... seems simple enough but I've never seen one on a belt or with the loops un-snapped.

So I'm curious, how do you guys attach the belt loops? I'm assuming it's similar to an IWB with belt loops but I cant quite seem to wrap my tiny brain around it.

Here is a pic of the style I'm talking about....

I appreciate any help! Thanks

[Dwight]

Sixer, . . .

If I'm doing that holster (I don't, . . . don't like the design, . . . personal flaw, I know), . . . first you cut out 5 pieces: back, front, left loop, right loop, and front vanity piece. Cut the straps purposely at least one inch too long.

Sew the vanity piece on.

Wet the front, . . . lay it on the gun, . . . laying on the back, . . . mold the front, . . . let it dry.

Cut the front to match the back, . . . back to match the front, . . . whichever works for you.

Punch holes for the snaps in the FRONT piece of leather only, . . . then punch the left/right straps.

Mount the male piece of snap to the strap and the front piece, . . . hammer/peen in place.

Glue, . . . sand the edges, . . . stitch gouge, . . . sew, . . . dye, . . . burnish, . . . final finish,

Put the thing on, . . . pull straps over and under the belt, . . . with the inside of the strap very lightly moistened, . . . squeeze it together, . . . you have the impression of where you need to punch the hole for the female and decorative part of the snap.

Mount rest of snap, . . . bag, . . . sell, . . . spend profit on ice cream.

May God bless,

Dwight

PS: Whoops, . . . forgot about the sewn edges of straps, . . . you'll have to modify that measurement process, . . . do it earlier. Just don't put the outside parts of the snaps on before you dye and finish, . . . dye and finish CAN make the pretty part of the snaps not look so pretty.

Edited January 4, 2012 by Dwight

[malabar]

Sixer, . . .

If I'm doing that holster (I don't, . . . don't like the design, . . . personal flaw, I know), . . . first you cut out 5 pieces: back, front, left loop, right loop, and front vanity piece. Cut the straps purposely at least one inch too long.

Sew the vanity piece on.

Wet the front, . . . lay it on the gun, . . . laying on the back, . . . mold the front, . . . let it dry.

Cut the front to match the back, . . . back to match the front, . . . whichever works for you.

Punch holes for the snaps in the FRONT piece of leather only, . . . then punch the left/right straps.

Mount the male piece of snap to the strap and the front piece, . . . hammer/peen in place.

Glue, . . . sand the edges, . . . stitch gouge, . . . sew, . . . dye, . . . burnish, . . . final finish,

Put the thing on, . . . pull straps over and under the belt, . . . with the inside of the strap very lightly moistened, . . . squeeze it together, . . . you have the impression of where you need to punch the hole for the female and decorative part of the snap.

Mount rest of snap, . . . bag, . . . sell, . . . spend profit on ice cream.

May God bless,

Dwight

PS: Whoops, . . . forgot about the sewn edges of straps, . . . you'll have to modify that measurement process, . . . do it earlier. Just don't put the outside parts of the snaps on before you dye and finish, . . . dye and finish CAN make the pretty part of the snaps not look so pretty.

Dwight is it that you don't like about the style?

tk

[Dwight]

Malabar, . . . I come from old school military, . . . your weapon and you are one, never leave each other, tighly knitted, . . . etc.

This type holster will IMHO in time become somewhat floppy, . . . the normal nature of leather, given time, . . . and the back will begin to flex to where the gun will not be as securely held in as it was when the holster was new.

A pancake with belt slots OTOH, . . . holds the back of the holster from moving on the belt, . . . something I am not sure this design would do.

Call me a bit paranoid, . . . I just refuse to put something out there where I can see myself, . . . a propensity for future problems.

Take as a case in point the fellow a few months back who had a Glock in an older, floppy leather, holster. He sat down, . . . started to buckle in the passenger side of his car, . . . shifted his butt a bit, . . . BOOM. His holster had become old, floppy, and he didn't properly observe what was going on. As a result, he shot his own rear/leg, . . . a hole in his car seat, . . . his floor board, . . . and has been the "butt" of many jokes since.

I try to look ahead, . . . anticipate those type of problems, . . . head them off at the pass, if I can.

ANY holster I make for a Glock or similar striker fired weapon has a fully enclosed, . . . hard formed, . . . trigger guard, . . . or I don't make it, . . . and I won't sell it. Just like also, . . . Small Of the Back holsters, . . . I don't make em.

Anyway, . . . that's just me, . . .

May God bless,

Dwight

[Dwight]

Malabar, . . . I come from old school military, . . . your weapon and you are one, never leave each other, tighly knitted, . . . etc.

This type holster will IMHO in time become somewhat floppy, . . . the normal nature of leather, given time, . . . and the back will begin to flex to where the gun will not be as securely held in as it was when the holster was new.

A pancake with belt slots OTOH, . . . holds the back of the holster from moving on the belt, . . . something I am not sure this design would do.

Call me a bit paranoid, . . . I just refuse to put something out there where I can see myself, . . . a propensity for future problems.

Take as a case in point the fellow a few months back who had a Glock in an older, floppy leather, holster. He sat down, . . . started to buckle in the passenger side of his car, . . . shifted his butt a bit, . . . BOOM. His holster had become old, floppy, and he didn't properly observe what was going on. As a result, he shot his own rear/leg, . . . a hole in his car seat, . . . his floor board, . . . and has been the "butt" of many jokes since.

I try to look ahead, . . . anticipate those type of problems, . . . head them off at the pass, if I can.

ANY holster I make for a Glock or similar striker fired weapon has a fully enclosed, . . . hard formed, . . . trigger guard, . . . or I don't make it, . . . and I won't sell it. Just like also, . . . Small Of the Back holsters, . . . I don't make em.

Anyway, . . . that's just me, . . .

May God bless,

Dwight

[jlaudio29]

That incident you refer to, the person was using a UNIVERSAL holster that glock makes to fit a ton of differnt gun so the fitment to beginwith is very slopy, on top of the the position of the belt being on the outside, making it an inside the BELT holster put extra tension on an already universal holster that traditionally started flat from the manufacturer, so everytime you take your gun in and out of the holster its opening and collapsing softening up the leather, turning it into a wet noodle, on top of that we do not know if this guy tried to "take care" of his holster but putting oil into it. Its a very bad example to use to make your point. that guy and that product is wrong in so many levels and in no way shape or form relates or compares to any custom molded holster. Its a POS product bottom line, and negligence by the operator.

[Steven Kelley]

I make one of that style. The way I make it, the straps are part of the front half of the holster. They wrap over the top and around the belt, snapping back onto themselves in the center. The loops aren't a separate piece. It's really a pretty simple design. If making for a 1.5" belt, just make an extension on each side of the holster slightly wider than the belt. The front half of the holster will have the loops. I'm not looking at my pattern, but if I remember correctly, the measurements are about 4-5/16" from snap center to snap center. There is a t-nut sandwiched between the 2 layers to fasten the snap stud to.

Here is a pic.

[Shooter McGavin]

When I make that style, I cut the straps onto the front piece of the pattern, extending down the same as the gun profile.

This one however, I tried with the the straps facing upwards. I felt it wasted more leather so I started doing them straps down after this.

[mattsh]

I do the loops the same as Mr Kelley and Shooter.

[Sixer]

Awesome stuff guys! That really helps me get a grasp on the final pattern.

I may not end up making this one for myself... but it would be nice to have it as an option for others.

Does anyone happen to have a pic of the holster with the belt loops unsnapped?

Thanks again for all the great info!

[woodandsteel]

I make a holster like that as well. You can make them several ways.

One way is to have the separate straps attached to a pancake style body. like in the picture. With that, you make a holster out of the front and back piece, with a T-nut between them, to which you attach the snap loop, via a 6-32 screw through the male snap post. The advantage to this method, is that you can switch between different sized loops to accommodate for different width belts, and replace loops if they ever wear out or stretch. Also, it makes for a more efficient use of the leather when cutting out the pieces. The drawbacks are that it adds an extra layer of bulk and, because the straps are only attached at a single point (the snap), the loops of this design are probably the most prone to rotating/tilting away from the holster when worn. (More on that later.)

The other way to make this holster is to make the straps part of the front panel of leather, extending either from the top or the bottom, which wrap around the belt and fasten to a male snap post mounted on the front panel. Something recently pointed out to me from another holster maker, is that if you make the snaps come over the top, like I did below, they will tend to rotate outward unless you use two snaps per side. If you make them wrap the other way (with the loops snapping upward) they won't rotate outward, and you can get away with just one snap. I like the look of the snaps coming over the top better, but I offset the snaps toward the center of the holster to resist some of the outward rotation. I also added a convex curved the to inside edge of the straps, to help as well. It works better, but using two snaps per side will be probably the most stable design.

Here is a template for a holster I just made. When laying out your pattern, keep in mind how much room you'll need in curves for your sanding and burnishing tools.

Good luck with it!

Edited January 5, 2012 by woodandsteel

[malabar]

Malabar, . . . I come from old school military, . . . your weapon and you are one, never leave each other, tighly knitted, . . . etc.

This type holster will IMHO in time become somewhat floppy, . . . the normal nature of leather, given time, . . . and the back will begin to flex to where the gun will not be as securely held in as it was when the holster was new.

A pancake with belt slots OTOH, . . . holds the back of the holster from moving on the belt, . . . something I am not sure this design would do.

Call me a bit paranoid, . . . I just refuse to put something out there where I can see myself, . . . a propensity for future problems.

Take as a case in point the fellow a few months back who had a Glock in an older, floppy leather, holster. He sat down, . . . started to buckle in the passenger side of his car, . . . shifted his butt a bit, . . . BOOM. His holster had become old, floppy, and he didn't properly observe what was going on. As a result, he shot his own rear/leg, . . . a hole in his car seat, . . . his floor board, . . . and has been the "butt" of many jokes since.

I try to look ahead, . . . anticipate those type of problems, . . . head them off at the pass, if I can.

ANY holster I make for a Glock or similar striker fired weapon has a fully enclosed, . . . hard formed, . . . trigger guard, . . . or I don't make it, . . . and I won't sell it. Just like also, . . . Small Of the Back holsters, . . . I don't make em.

Anyway, . . . that's just me, . . .

May God bless,

Dwight

Dwight

thanks for the thoughtful reply. I'm experimenting with a similar design so I really appreciate the insight. I can see that the straps flexing could be a longterm issue, and am using replaceable straps on my design, but it's still in testing. But I think you're right -- nothing grips like a well-designed pancake. They're just not very convenient to mount and dismount.

I know the incident you're talking about. I'm a civilian firearms instructor and that got a lot of attention. I don't produce a belt side because I'm concerned about the exposed muzzle pushing the gun loose. That just kind of cinches it to me.

tk

[woodandsteel]

Dwight

thanks for the thoughtful reply. I'm experimenting with a similar design so I really appreciate the insight. I can see that the straps flexing could be a longterm issue, and am using replaceable straps on my design, but it's still in testing. But I think you're right -- nothing grips like a well-designed pancake. They're just not very convenient to mount and dismount.

I know the incident you're talking about. I'm a civilian firearms instructor and that got a lot of attention. I don't produce a belt side because I'm concerned about the exposed muzzle pushing the gun loose. That just kind of cinches it to me.

tk

Dwight, I've learned a lob from you on this forum but, to be honest, I don't see your logic here. How is this style of holster more likely to weaken or fail than a pancake or IWB? All of my holsters are hardmolded for retention.

[Sixer]

I make a holster like that as well. You can make them several ways.

One way is to have the separate straps attached to a pancake style body. like in the picture. With that, you make a holster out of the front and back piece, with a T-nut between them, to which you attach the snap loop, via a 6-32 screw through the male snap post. The advantage to this method, is that you can switch between different sized loops to accommodate for different width belts, and replace loops if they ever wear out or stretch. Also, it makes for a more efficient use of the leather when cutting out the pieces. The drawbacks are that it adds an extra layer of bulk and, because the straps are only attached at a single point (the snap), the loops of this design are probably the most prone to rotating/tilting away from the holster when worn. (More on that later.)

The other way to make this holster is to make the straps part of the front panel of leather, extending either from the top or the bottom, which wrap around the belt and fasten to a male snap post mounted on the front panel. Something recently pointed out to me from another holster maker, is that if you make the snaps come over the top, like I did below, they will tend to rotate outward unless you use two snaps per side. If you make them wrap the other way (with the loops snapping upward) they won't rotate outward, and you can get away with just one snap. I like the look of the snaps coming over the top better, but I offset the snaps toward the center of the holster to resist some of the outward rotation. I also added a convex curved the to inside edge of the straps, to help as well. It works better, but using two snaps per side will be probably the most stable design.

Here is a template for a holster I just made. When laying out your pattern, keep in mind how much room you'll need in curves for your sanding and burnishing tools.

Good luck with it!

woodandsteel,

Perfect! I'm a visual learner type guy so these pics will be a great help.

Much appreciated!

[woodandsteel]

Dwight, I've learned a lot from you on this forum but, to be honest, I don't see your logic here. How is this style of holster more likely to weaken or fail than a pancake or IWB? All of my holsters are hardmolded for retention.

[Rhide]

woodandsteel,

Perfect! I'm a visual learner type guy so these pics will be a great help.

Much appreciated!

Yep. Fixed something I was struggling with.

Thanks from me too.

[Colt Hammerless]

Sixer, here's a post about a mag pouch I made: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=36575

Hopefully that shows up as a hot link. Anyway, at the bottom of the thread there's some pictures of how this goes together. I decided to go with seperate straps on that one for the advantages that Woodandsteel mentioned. Also, I like them to come up from the bottom of the holster or pouch for when I'm putting it on or taking it off while sitting (i.e. in a car) as I don't have to lean so far as the straps enter the belt from the top vs. coming from the bottom. No doubt a minor point, but still convenient. It's an idea I gleaned from somebody here. Might have been Lobo, can't remember.

Colt Hammerless

[Sixer]

Sixer, here's a post about a mag pouch I made: http://leatherworker...showtopic=36575

Hopefully that shows up as a hot link. Anyway, at the bottom of the thread there's some pictures of how this goes together. I decided to go with seperate straps on that one for the advantages that Woodandsteel mentioned. Also, I like them to come up from the bottom of the holster or pouch for when I'm putting it on or taking it off while sitting (i.e. in a car) as I don't have to lean so far as the straps enter the belt from the top vs. coming from the bottom. No doubt a minor point, but still convenient. It's an idea I gleaned from somebody here. Might have been Lobo, can't remember.

Colt Hammerless

Colt,

Looks great! I think if (when) I make this style I'll use that method. I like the idea of the loops being seperate.

Thanks for the link and help!

[TOM123]

sixer

One more thing to think about, ----the snaps

on this style I like to use PULL THE DOT snaps

just a thought.

[Bronson]

We have an upholstery shop at work and when they make straps they sandwich fabric like a lightweight denim inside the leather straps. This keeps the straps from stretching out since the denim doesn't stretch. Has anybody tried anything like that on holster straps?

Bronson