Oblong Holster Holes

[tardis86]

to those who make holsters, what size belt holes do you typically make and where did you buy the punch? (assuming you use a punch) I have tried by hand and it looks like crap.

thanks!

[Troy I]

1.5 inch punch...Springfield Leather

[tardis86]

hmm.. I would have thought to go a bit bigger, I would have thought it would be too snug to get an 1.5" belt through easily

[JLSleather]

1.5" from Weaver. Works pretty good, though I haven't had this one long enough to tell you how long it holds an edge.

[Troy I]

They make different sizes...1.5 inch is what I have the most need for...this is the typical size of a belt that can fit through the belt loops on jeans (or there abouts).

The belt holes do end up a little bit larger after you wet mold the leather, bevel your edges and then burnish them...the size may increase about a 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch...I've had no complaints yet that the belt would not fit through the holes...remember that a store bought belt is about a 1/16 to 1/8 inch shy of the advertised measurement in with.

[jdconn]

I was using a 1.5 inch oblong from Tandy and it was definitely too tight for a 1.5 inch belt. To fix this I had a custom mallet punch made at Texas Custom Dies.

I specified 1.7 x .38 inches for my pancake holster belt loops. They took less than a week and it was only $80... The quality is awesome and works perfectly.

[JLSleather]

You don't want it to slide through loosely. I wouldn't own a holster where the slots are wider than the belt. No, I'm not giving the long version of that.. just that I won't own one and i won't sell one. I don't put 1 3/4" slots for a 1 1/2" belt.

[Fredo]

I use a 1.25" round punch and a 1.00" wood chisel. First I punch my end holes with the round punch and then the chisel between. If I need a longer belt slot I use a wider chisel. Since I already had the chisels it made sense for me to go that route.

[dakotawolf]

I got mine from Texas Custom Dies. I had it made to fit a one and a half inch belt, so the punch is a little bit bigger so the belt can go through easily. The width is a little bit wider than one quarter inch so it can accommodate a heavy duty double layer gun belt. It cost me around $80, shipped. It is the best thing I have bought for Leather working yet. I had been drilling two holes using a forstner bit and then trying to connect them, but rarely did it turn out to my satisfaction. I did specify to Texas Custom Dies that I would be going through two layers of seven to eight ounce Leather and occasionally two layers of eight to nine once Leather. After reading through other posts in this forum I believe making that distinction to them is important for the angle they put on the tool.

[tardis86]

I'm considering the 1 5/8" punch. i think that might be a happy medium. just slightly over 1.5" but not way over

http://springfieldleather.com/16571/Punch%2COblong%2C%23151%2C1-5-8%22/

Edited January 29, 2016 by tardis86