jprieto Report post Posted May 29, 2012 i noticed that most holsters have similar design (pattern) im looking to do something different im attaching three designs i did that i do not see as being common in the stores or online are there any other "different looking" designs you have seen? im looking to get inspired for new ideas here are my designs, so far Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
artycpt Report post Posted May 29, 2012 Holsters seem to come pretty standard. One idea might be a holster that rides in the small of the back and holds the pistol in a horizontal or "butt up" way that is capable of retinaing the pistol through standard ranges of motion of the wearer. I have only seen a very few that work that way. Just an idea. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mlapaglia Report post Posted May 30, 2012 The problem with a small of the back (SOB) holster is if you fall on your back you might crush some vertebrae's. It has happened in the past. The police depart around here as an office on perm disability due to an off duty fall with an SOB. Not saying dont do it just giving my viewpoint. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TexasJack Report post Posted May 30, 2012 I have to admit that there have been some posts where I wanted to reply, "I don't think you know what 'innovative' means." Guns have been holstered for a couple of hundred years now and chances are pretty good somebody's done the same thing - maybe not to the same extent or maybe not as well, but still the same 'innovation'. IMHO, the mark of a great holster is when it meets these 5 basic criteria: 1. It works well for the particular application, 2. It fits well, 3. It's comfortable, 4. It's well constructed and made to last, and 5. It's attractive to the eye. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big O Report post Posted June 2, 2012 There are basically only two ways to enclose a handgun in critter skin. One is to wrap one piece of critter skin around it, and the other is to sandwich it between two pieces of critter skin. Pretty much all "innovation" occurs outside the interior stitch lines. A holstermaker named Thad Rykba came up with the idea of wrapping the one piece around "backwards", with the fold at the trigger guard, and a welt along the top. That was pretty cool. I tried to copy that once. He did it way better. Another one named Roy Baker came up with idea of making a pancake holster with THREE belt slots instead of two, so that the holster could be worn at one of two different angles. I tried to one-up him with an extra belt slot once, to make it a 3-way instead of 2-way. His way was way better. I even tried to "innovate" with a two-way Avenger design. Again, the original, boring, traditional way was way better. People keep asking me for "innovative" cavalry-draw SOB holsters. I keep refusing, because I will not play any part in their predictably perforated kidney, unless I'm pulling that trigger myself, and for good reason. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katsass Report post Posted June 2, 2012 (edited) FWIW from the old grump: Holsters are made to hold handguns --- and handguns are still made in basically the same shape as they were since the earliest days. All any kind of gun is, is a machine that has a place to hold and control some kind of propellant and a projectile, attached to a tube to make the projectile where you want it to go. They can be made to shoot one time or a whole bunch of times with innovation, but they still retain a basic, ergonomic or usefull shape. About all the innovation that can be had for a holster (and still do what it's made to do) is in it's 'enhancements' or decoration. JMHO Mike Edited June 2, 2012 by katsass Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jprieto Report post Posted June 3, 2012 uhm... crossbreed remora N82Tactical and... http://www.lasersightpro.com/ those holsters, to me, are innovations "Innovation" = introducing something new (in this case, as it relates to the post, a new visual design, or a new design to enhance functionality) notice the attached photo: very innovative gun with any type of Rail Accessories can still fit in the holster you still think there is no more room for holster innovation? what say you? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted June 3, 2012 That "innovation" of having the open side of the holster is more than likely the result of having a piece of spring metal forming a clamp (of sorts) for the frame and slide of the pistol.........which was done back in Katsass' day, but was typically seen on a shoulder holster, and most often for revolvers. Crossbreed is working off of design concepts developed by Tucker Gun Leather. Heck, I had a fantabulous idea of bonding leather to the inside of Kydex and started testing, researching, and developing some patterns.......then I found where someone else had been doing it for a few years. I've wrapped the holster backwards (like Rykba) thinking I had the next great thing.....until I found it already done on a Galco. Build 50 or so holsters and USE them on a daily basis....it's called product testing.....and you'll get an idea of why the tried and true designs keep showing up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katsass Report post Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) uhm... crossbreed remora N82Tactical and... http://www.lasersightpro.com/ those holsters, to me, are innovations "Innovation" = introducing something new (in this case, as it relates to the post, a new visual design, or a new design to enhance functionality) notice the attached photo: very innovative gun with any type of Rail Accessories can still fit in the holster you still think there is no more room for holster innovation? what say you? Well, I have an open back original Hoyte rig from about 1955 or so, that works the same way --- but it ain't square. The concept appeared good, but too damned many of us dropped and damaged an expensive shooter out of them when it decided to walk right out of the damned thing. . Then there were the open front, or 'break front' holsters many of us carried back in the 60s & 70s. The newest and neatest --- that didn't work out too well either. Take a look at the book "Packing Iron", you'll see that even back in the 1800s they were playing with 'innovation' --- and mostly, it didn't work out so well. Too many drawbacks that outweigh the positives, that's why I'm pretty much a traditionalist in my work. Mike P.S. You want innovation? How about the 'Safety Speed' holster, or 'clamshell' as we all called them. It proved to be a bad design also. Any holster that relies upon some kind of hinge, spring or gizmo is just begging for failure. OH, and here is a pic of one of your new innovative open backed rigs --- from arounf 1960 or so. JMHO Edited June 3, 2012 by katsass Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites