asbandr Report post Posted October 22, 2014 Hello! I have a small holster making business and have had great reviews so far. One suggestion a friend made was to reinforce the mouth of my IWB holster for easier reholstering. I use 6-7 oz leather that is wet molded to the gun. I've seem where people add an extra strip of leather to the top of the holster. I make a pancake style double clip holster and was wondering how to best add this. Does it need to go all the way around the front and back? Or can I just put it in the front? How effective is adding it to reinforcing the mouth? I'm guessing after curing the leather I would stitch this on, then stitch the front and back together then wet mold it all. I'll add a pic of what I make and am welcome to taking suggestions for improvements or alternatives to the leather strip for reinforcement. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Splash Report post Posted November 19, 2014 the procedure you described is correct and just added to the front, However, I would use 8-9 oz leather, 6-7 oz is too light IMHO Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lobo Report post Posted November 21, 2014 The holster shown in your photo is of basic two-panel pancake construction, having stitching to join the front and rear holster panels along the outline of the pistol. This creates points at which the holster can flex when pressure is applied. The IWB-style holsters are constantly under pressure from the waistband & belt and the user's body. When the handgun is removed it is to be expected that the holster will flex inward to some degree from those pressures. Adding another panel of leather on one side or the other will not change this; if anything the added leather panel can be expected to increase pressures applied to the holster due to additional bulk. In order to be truly effective holster mouth reinforcement must pass completely around the holstered handgun to eliminate or minimize mouth collapse under pressure, reinforcing from front to rear. The reinforcement may be of leather, molded thermoplastic (Kydex, etc), metal, or other substantial materials (or combinations of materials). In every case there will be one common factor, and that is additional bulk in the holstered handgun "package". Pancake-style holster construction does not readily allow for effective mouth reinforcement. Scabbard-style holsters can be easily reinforced. The intended purpose of holster mouth reinforcement is to ease holstering of the handgun. When applied to IWB-style holsters it is possible to achieve the intended goal, but only by significantly increasing the bulk of the holster. Other factors must also be taken into account with IWB-carry such as the proximity of the trouser waistband and the cover garment(s), which can also interfere with holstering of the handgun. Whenever a customer expresses a requirement for ease of holstering, one-hand holstering, etc, my response is a recommendation to consider any type of holster other than IWB-style. Everything in holster design involves compromises among the 4 basic factors of comfort, accessibility, security, and concealment. Whenever one factor is emphasized there will be compromises in the other factors. Only the user can decide which factors are more important for his needs and how much compromise he is willing to accept in the other factors. IWB-style holsters emphasize concealment by keeping the bulk of the handgun inside the trousers. This comes with inevitable compromises in accessibility (ease of drawing or holstering the handgun) as well as comfort (for many users). Increasing bulk necessarily decreases concealment and comfort (the two major attributes of IWB-style holsters). IWB carry is useful for many people, but there simply is no way to carry in this manner and have the same levels of comfort and accessibility offered by other holster types. As an aside, years ago a customer requested that I make a holster similar to the one shown in the OP's photo (two belt clips mounted fore-and-aft of the handgun). I do not regularly offer that design, but this was a repeat customer requesting some special attention, so I went out of my way to complete HIS IDEA of the "perfect holster" for him. A few weeks later a very angry customer contacted me; it seems his wife was very upset with him about the scratches left on an expensive dining room chair by his belt clips, and he actually demanded that I pay for the damage caused by HIS IDEA of the "perfect holster" for him. I have little doubt that if I offered an IWB-style holster of pancake design with slabs of leather stitched on one panel or the other (or both) as reinforcement I would soon be hearing from customers upset because their "reinforced" IWB holster was no easier to holster the handgun in than one without reinforcement. My $0.02 worth. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Josh Ashman Report post Posted November 21, 2014 Lobo, I'm impressed by the time you take when sharing your knowledge with the members of this forum. Thank you for chiming in from time to time, it's nice to have an experienced maker like yourself share your views. Best regards, Josh Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ramblinrovers Report post Posted November 22, 2014 I have no idea what IWB is... haha Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camano ridge Report post Posted November 22, 2014 (edited) IWB inside the waist band holster. It sits between the inside of the waist band of your pants and your body. OWB is outside the waist band. usually worn on the belt. Edited November 22, 2014 by camano ridge Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ramblinrovers Report post Posted November 23, 2014 Ah yes, that makes sense, thanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
