Need Some Wisdom Concerning Wheelgun Holsters

[BHPshooter]

I am fairly inexperienced with making holsters for revolvers. Nearly all of my holsters have been for autoloaders.

I have someone that wants me to make a holster for their model 19-5 Smith in .357. Ring's makes a mold for a K-frame in .38 special, but I don't know if there is a difference in cylinder length between .38 and .357 models, and if so, I don't know if that difference is significant enough that I should be looking for a different mold.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

Wes

[camano ridge]

The Blue gun does not have the ejector shroud.. If you go to Duncans Outdoor they have the K frame .357 Mag 4" http://duncansoutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Dummy-Gun-Inventory-2014-5-2.pdf

[Lobo]

If your customer is local I suggest getting him to bring in the Model 19 for patterning and forming. If not, ask around and you'll probably find one (there are millions of them all over the country).

All K-frame S&W revolvers share the same frame dimensions. Beyond that there are a number of differences between models. Cylinders, barrel profiles, ejector rod housings, adjustable sights, all of which can affect holster fitting.

A holster closely formed on the basic K-frame revolver (Model 10, etc) will not accept the Model 19 due to differences in barrel diameter, barrel rib, ejector rod housing, and adjustable rear sight. However, a holster formed on the Model 19 will readily accept the Model 10, although the fit will not be ideal.

Another little difference that can come up is the hammers. Over the years S&W has made revolvers with at least 4 different hammer designs. This seldom results in much trouble with open-top holsters or simple retention straps, but with thumb-break retention you need to know which hammer the revolver has. A thumb-break made to fit the standard hammers will not work with the target hammer.

In the shop I use two dummy guns for the K-frames as well as four actual revolvers to form holsters for most of the variations.

I have three dummies for the N-frames and four actual revolvers.

I have two dummies and two actual L-frame revolvers.

In the J-frames I have three dummies and four actual revolvers.

There are still S&W revolvers that I cannot fit holsters for. Probably a new model or two introduced while I wrote this.

[muzzleblast]

Back in November I asked Jason at Duncan's for a picture of the K-frame mold he had available. The pistol used to make the casting was a 4" Model 10, 38 Special. I do not know if he currently has a Model 19 mold, but, you should make sure to confirm before ordering.

Also, the Ring's K-frame appears to be a 4" Model 10.

The Bunkhouse S&W Magnum is a 4" .357 N-frame. They also offer 4" and 5" K-frame 38 Specials, as well as 6" and 8" Colt Pythons.

I do not know of a source for a Model 19 mold, so have been using my real ones.

Good luck. If you find a source, please let us know.

Edited May 6, 2014 by muzzleblast

[BHPshooter]

Thanks for the info, guys. I appreciate it. I may just have to borrow a friend's Model 19 to get it done.