snub nose pistol holster

[raftert]

How are you doing,

Here is a little holster I made fore a local Peace Officer. Please tell where I can improve.

Tim

[Mike Craw]

Hey Tim!

The holster looks good. The shaping looks good and the stitching is excellent.

The thing that jumps out at me is the safety strap. Carrying a concealed firearm, especially for a peace officer, is an intensely personal thing and your customer may have specified that configuration. If he did, then disregard my next statement.

The holster configuration requires that the drawing motion move from obtaining a shooting grip to sweeping the thumb up and over the top of the hammer to unsnap the strap. A "thumb-break" style would have the leather behind the hammer go straight up with the snap half facing the hammer. The strap in the front would have the other snap half facing "out" or the fastening shaft coming from inside the holster. That way, the strap from the front goes over the tip of the hammer and down between the hammer and the rear strap. When it is snapped in that configuration, obtaining the shooting grip would allow the officer's thumb to go down between the two straps, unsnapping the snap and continuing down into the proper grip position. The weapon can then be drawn in one motion.

I hope the explanation is clear. If not, then maybe one of the other holster makers can explain my explantaion

Mike

[twofour878]

So basically you're saying it might be better for the snap to be attached to the other piece of the safety strap? And possibly shifted towards the inside of the holster closer to the body? Just tryign to make sure I read your post right.

Hey Tim!

The holster looks good. The shaping looks good and the stitching is excellent.

The thing that jumps out at me is the safety strap. Carrying a concealed firearm, especially for a peace officer, is an intensely personal thing and your customer may have specified that configuration. If he did, then disregard my next statement.

The holster configuration requires that the drawing motion move from obtaining a shooting grip to sweeping the thumb up and over the top of the hammer to unsnap the strap. A "thumb-break" style would have the leather behind the hammer go straight up with the snap half facing the hammer. The strap in the front would have the other snap half facing "out" or the fastening shaft coming from inside the holster. That way, the strap from the front goes over the tip of the hammer and down between the hammer and the rear strap. When it is snapped in that configuration, obtaining the shooting grip would allow the officer's thumb to go down between the two straps, unsnapping the snap and continuing down into the proper grip position. The weapon can then be drawn in one motion.

I hope the explanation is clear. If not, then maybe one of the other holster makers can explain my explantaion

Mike

[Mike Craw]

Hey Tim!

What I'm trying to describe (and not very well - I wish I could draw the explanation) is called a "thumb break." As it shows in your photo, the strap from the back goes over the tip of the hammer with the snap pointing up. The strap from the front of the holster has the other half of the snap facing down, and it snaps on top of the hammer. The user must find his shooting grip, and then bring his thumb back up and brush the flap of the front strap up and out, to unsnap the strap. He must then, as he draws the weapon, move his thumb back down the left side of the frame to his shooting grip position.

With a thumb-break, the snaps are in the opposite relative position (as though the back strap was on top in the arrangement you have now) only the rear strap is shorter and the front longer. This moves the secured strap around the left side of the hammer, between the hammer and the wearer's body. I usually double the leather on the rear strap to stiffen it.

When the officer draws the weapon, as his hand moves to his shooting grip, his thumb goes between the two straps as it starts down the left side of the frame and unsnaps the straps. As his four fingers tighten around the grip and pull the weapon up out of the holster, his thumb is on the left side of the frame, where it should be.

I hope this helps.

Mike

Tim, if you search in this thread for a post "New Holster for my Makarov" by ArtS, he has some great close-up shots of a thumb-break. Thanks Art!!!

Edited October 30, 2008 by Mike Craw

[ArtS]

I was looking at the same thing Mike. Other than that it looks great.

Here are some pictures of what Mike is talking about.

Art

[raftert]

Thank all of you for your instruction. There was no ryme or reason why I did the snap like that. My experance with holsters has been single action pistols that I own. Thanks again for your instruction.

Tim