Tuckable Pancake

[supercub]

I had a notion to put together a new IWB holster for a Glock 30. I wanted it to be comfortable and capable of being very concealable. I like the performance of the tuckable hybrid type holsters made by Galco and others, but I'm not all that fond of kydex. Like the kydex holsters, I wanted it to be rigid with the ability to re holster easily. I also wanted it to be fairly thin in profile since the Glock 30 is already pretty chunky. Finally, I wanted to try out a few construction techniques I hadn't done before.

What I ended up with was a prototype of a tuckable pancake with an integral steel reinforcing band. It is quite comfortable and nearly as rigid as a kydex holster. Since this is a prototype, there are lots of things I will adjust on subsequent models.

I sandwiched a strip of 20 ga galvanized steel between two layers of 4/5 oz for the front. The result was a very rigid throat with very little extra thickness over a non reinforced throat. It seems to work well and I will keep trying it on future holsters. I molded the front and then attached it to a 9oz back so the back of the holster would remain relatively flat.

I found that detail boning of the laminated front was a lot more difficult than for a conventional single thickness piece. Some of this might be due to the poor quality piece of scrap leather I used, but it is probably not all that important from a functional standpoint since it is a concealed holster. I also will adjust the wings and belt loops for better grip clearance next time. I had planned for this effort to pretty much just test the utility of the steel throat reinforcement and the two layer front. Internally, the molding gives excellent retention and the gun "snaps "right in.

The belt loops are attached to a piece of kydex with a pull the dot snap stud that is just a little too fragile for my tastes. I may use 6/32 machine screws to attach the snaps next time. That will also allow changing out the belt loops to use on different size belts. The next loops will also be attached to leather covered steel tabs and attached to the holster with buried T nuts instead of the kydex strips currently used.

Anyhow, this one was fun and I learned a lot during the construction.

[chiefjason]

I'm getting ready to do something similar for a Commander size 1911. The customer refuses to put the 1911 in kydex. He already has an OWB pancake of mine. I like the reinforcement. I've always just used a layer of 8-9 oz leather there. I've been doing all my holsters with flat backs lately. There is a lot to like about that technique.

For the loop posts, I traded out with a buddy that makes single layer gunbelts. He wanted an IWB hybrid, and I got a near lifetime supply of 13-14 oz leather belt ends that make fantastic posts. I have a big ol box of them under my table in the garage. Me and a couple guys test drove the loops with kydex posts and we came to the conclusion that they are just too noticeable. They tend to dig in and scrape your side. The leather is hardly noticeable at all once it's edged and burnished.

[buzzkiller]

I have been kicking around the idea of going flat back with an IWB, is the retention effected any or are you able to get enough of the trigger guard molded in?

[supercub]

The retention is almost too good. The trigger guard and the ejection port mold very well internally. I like the flat back better than the conventional pancake. The double layer of 4/5 coupled with the steel strip ( while a little more work to build) makes all the difference in comfort and the ability to re holster. The next one will be an OWB pancake built the same way.

[chiefjason]

Retention is a function of your stitch line on a flat back. A very tight stitch line will draw in the extra material towards the back. That decreases the amount of room for the gun and increases the retention. I can get one tight enough to get close to not practical even with a flat back. I have backed my stitch line off and try to get it exactly where the leather meets so it does not close the holster any. Doing it that way you get a nice snap into place, still have good retention to hold the gun, but also have a smooth draw.

Speaking of stitch lines, you have a harder time getting them wrong too. Instead of working up a pattern, sewing, and forcing the gun into it; you are pre molding the front and placing your stitch line exactly where you want it. That is one of the things I really like about it.

The flat back is the idea that hybrids are totally based on BTW. Same concept. I have gone completely over to flat back holsters and have had zero complaints about it so far. And I now have folks coming back for repeat orders.

[supercub]

Speaking of stitch lines, you have a harder time getting them wrong too. Instead of working up a pattern, sewing, and forcing the gun into it; you are pre molding the front and placing your stitch line exactly where you want it. That is one of the things I really like about it.

Exactly. The only downside is having to wait for the front to dry sufficently so you can sew without leaving too many marks.

[chiefjason]

Exactly. The only downside is having to wait for the front to dry sufficently so you can sew without leaving too many marks.

170 degrees, lowest setting, in the oven for 18-20 minutes will get it pretty close to dry. I would watch it closely after that. Second positive effect is that it stiffens the mold. I do this on the side, so I'm never in a position to finish too many steps at once. Most of my holsters sit overnight after getting baked. I'm currently quoting 3-4 weeks and turning most of them in about 2-3 weeks.