Where to start: 1911 full size conceal carry

[VTleather09]

Hey gentlefolk, 

I have an old service buddy who has seen a few possible pouches, bracers, sheaths and dog collars I have made and they are asking me to make them a 1911 holster for concealed carry.  Can anyone give some pointers?  I know I need a mold, but I want to make sure it's the right mold and good price.  Also, I want to know the leather weight.  I am assuming 8-9 oz.  Lastly, I could use some advice on the elements that constitutes concealed vs open carry in regards to holster design.  Thank you in advance. 

 

VT

[Dwight]

First of all, . . . does he want an "In the waist band" or "out of the waist band" holster?  You'll see them referred to as IWB or OWB.

If he is content with an OWB, . . . it is hard to beat a pancake design, . . . for ease of construction.  Make it out of 7/8 oz veggie tan, . . . cut from the butt or shoulders.

Take a look at my website on the product page, . . . at the very bottom, . . . are a black and brown, . . . right and left hand versions of my design, . . . called a Cactus.

You can emulate that with a pancake, . . . making the back flat, . . . the front you want to soak in water until it is a floppy, sloppy wet "thang", . . . and simply mold it over the gun.  You cannot get a better mold than the actual gun that will be in the holster.

If you notice the bottom of my Cactus design, . . . it is somewhat "tapered", . . . making it easy to insert down in the pants, . . . and allowing stuff that inadvertently gets into the holster to fall through.  

Easy way to do it is cut out the back piece, . . . wrap the gun tightly in Saran Wrap, . . . throw that floppy, sloppy wet piece you will use for the front down on the gun and start the molding process with your fingers.  I don't wear gloves, . . . but watch your fingernails, . . . they leave scratches.  Mold the leather to the gun.  

Go get a cup of coffee and a doughnut, . . . find something to do for an hour and a half or so.  Come back and touch up the molding, . . . hang it up to dry.  AND I MEAN DRY.  Don't mess with it until it is dry and hard, . . . might take a full day, . . . depending on your climate and where you put it.

Next lay the dried front onto the weapon, . . . then lay the whole thing down on a pillow, . . . adjust the back to where it needs to be, . . . take an ink pen and outline the back onto the front, . . . cut out the front.

Put in the snaps for the strap that will be closest to the belt buckle, . . . sew that half of the holster.

Wet the back in the center part where it will touch the weapon, . . . and mold it to the backside, . . . hang it up to dry.

When it is dry, . . . sew the back side after attaching the other strap & snap.

BEFORE YOU SEW, . . . COAT BOTH SURFACES WITH WELDWOOD CONTACT CEMENT, . . . LET IT DRY, . . . PUT EM TOGETHER, . . . sand the edges smooth, . . . run your stitch gauge, . . . and sew the thing.

After sewing, . . . dip dye it, . . . and if you can do it, . . . hang it where the temp will be above 120 but not above 145, . . . let it dry in there.  

Buff all edges, . . . nice and shiney, . . . buff off any excess pigment from the dye with an old wash cloth, . . . don't let your wife ever see it, . . . 

Apply your desired finish, . . . I like Resolene.

Have fun, may God bless,

Dwight

 

 

[byggyns]

I agree on the pancake design for concealed OWB. Other designs tend to stick out too far. I made myself an Avenger, and while it's fast and comfortable, it's not especially easy to conceal.

For IWB, there are several options including pancake and fold over with clips or straps. 

If he is wanting OWB, some people like a thumb break for security. That adds another layer of complexity. Also, you will want to use slots rather than clips or straps for the OWB.

For pancake, I agree with the leather selection and weight Dwight provided. You can go up to 9oz without issue. When I do them, I prefer the flat back and use a heavier weight or multiple layers for the back side. I'm also not a dip-dye person, so I use spirit dyes before I mold the holster.

You can look up tons of different designs on this site and others that have tutorials attached to them.

[JLSleather]

For a full-size, I like 7/8 oz or 8/9 oz.  Each his own, really. 

[MisterSmith]

Dwight and the others had some great advice up there. if youre starting from scratch draw an outline of the pistol on some heavy posterboard, and sketch out your holster design to cut out and use as a template, better to waster cheap poster board than leather. if you're pensive about wet molding around your own, or someone else's firearm I recommend bluegunstore.com for molds. They've never done me wrong and have accurate, hard plastic molds that will stand up to forming leather around them.