Prefered Holster for 1911

[Dorado]

I've gotten myself a 1911a1 government. It's a Rock Island Armory GI model. I really like it and would like to start carrying it as my concealed carry gun. Problem is, I don't have a good holster so I'm looking at making one. I was wondering if y'all have a design that seems to work for you.

I'm looking at a few options:

1. IWB Kidney carry.
2. Shoulder
3. Appendix carry.

I currently use a smart carry holster with my Springfield XD40 service model. It works fine for that but the hammer on the 1911 digs into me so I'm leaning more towards kidney carry and the shoulder holster. I do want a shoulder anyways just for fun, but I'd like something easily concealable.

 

What are y'all's opinions?

[CaptQuirk]

Everyone has their own preferences, so you will get a lot of back and forth. So, that said, I'll throw in for a shoulder holster. Even the heaviest of pistols carry comfortably... and it won't drag your britches down.

 

[Dwight]

Take a look at the front page at www.dwightsgunleather.com  , . . . it and others similar to it are THE single most comfortable, . . .  all around.  

Seated, . . . you are more advantageous with a shoulder holster, . . . standing or kneeling, . . . this is the style.  

And if you look closely, . . . it is totally concealable, . . . yet only one extra movement, . . . you are  armed (pulling up the shirt, . . . out of the way).

I've worn shoulder holsters, . . . and personally (since I also own a Rock Island like yours) you will probably be like the rest of us, . . . shoulder holsters are fine if you are carrying a single stack plastic fantastic firearm.  All steel is better on the waist.  IMHO.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Dorado]

Dwight, I like that Cactus design. I'd hate to just copy your design though. However that is along the lines of what I was thinking of for IWB carry. It would be a problem sitting though. That's why I was looking at multiple options. If I'm going to be seated a lot then I'd prefer the shoulder holster, if I'm going to be up and moving then the IWB. Wear according to what I'd be doing.

What I was thinking on the shoulder holster was something like the Galco Miami Classic with a strap to connect the holster to the mag pouches behind my back. That way if I do need to draw it'd be held in place and not pull forward. It'd also help if I bent over to keep it from rotating out. I would not attach it to my pants. I'd have three pockets, Two for spare mags and one for a flashlight as I'm always finding myself needing a flashlight. Even a small one would work.

[Dwight]

Wearing the Cactus or any other similar design at what is called 4 o'clock, . . . you will never know it is there.  I've got mine on, . . . look at the pictures.  It is also tucked inside the shirt, . . . so I can go to the door and no one ever has a clue.  

The one pic shows a red arrow, . . . indicating the front strap holding the holster to my belt.

Just a bit of info from the guy who not only makes holsters, . . . but has worn them for upwards of 50 years, . . . on and off.  A shoulder holster and a full size 1911 do not go together much of any real way, . . . and the Galco you mentioned is one of the poorer choices you could make.  It is great for a plastic fantastic handgun, . . . a .380 or a .32, . . . or a single stack small 9mm, . . . forget it for anything bigger.  Looks great in the movies, . . . but so does 007 knocking the bad guy off the water tower 1/4 mile away with his .32 Browning pistol.  Neither one is very practical in the real world.  

AND Amazon will only soak you about $175 bucks for it.  Good thing about it, . . . when you throw it in that bottom drawer in your dresser, . . . it won't eat much and won't have to be walked very often.

If you want to carry a 1911 (I've had one on and off since Saigon in 1966), . . . you need first a really good belt, . . . and no fiber, braided, or textile belt will be better than a dual layer leather, . . . 1 1/2 inch, . . . glued and sewn for the project.  A roller buckle is good for most people, . . . but not necessary.  

THEN you need the holster.  A pancake is 1st choice for OWB, . . . something similar for the IWB, . . . just different attachments.  AND, . .  a flat backed holster will be 5 times more comfortable unless you happen to be, . . .  (politely said), . . . of the "larger waisted" in size, . . . providing the extra padding.

Seriously, . . . don't waste your money on the shoulder holster, . . . if you lived close enough, . . . I'd bring one over to you, . . . let you wear it for a couple days, . . . you would most likely say thank you as you handed it back to me.

Edited to add:  I also just checked, . . . a Rock Island, full size 1911, . . . 2 ea / 8 rd Wilson mags, . . . in a Galco shoulder holster, . . . the entire rig is 4 pounds 10 ounces.  Three pounds of steel hanging under your left arm pit, . . . is the pits.

May God bless,

Dwight

 

Edited October 22, 2016 by Dwight

[Dorado]

Oh, I know the shoulder holster is impracticable. I more or less wanted to do it for shits and giggles. I do want one like the WWII issued shoulder holster. I have the Issued belt holster, I'd like to also have the shoulder model as well.

I'm getting the materials ready to do one similar to your Cactus design. I have some 8/9oz leather handy and I should have enough for one. Double layer on the inside and single on the outside that rides against the pants.

I've never wet molded something with detail like that. How would you suggest I go about that? Do I cut a rough pattern first then mold with it clamped to a board? Or should I mold first, sew, then cut off excess?

[Dorado]

As much as I hate to. Dwight, I think I'm going to copy your cactus design. I'll modify it a bit to make it my own. I'll try to taper the bottom a bit but leave it more open.

I'll be using my 8/9 oz leather. I may have enough to do the entire thing.

[Dwight]

By all means my friend, . . . it is said that the most sincere form of flattery is copying one's work.

It is made in 6 pieces:  

Back

2 straps

Stiffener (across the top of the front)

Leading edge 

Body / trailing edge

Holler if you run into problems, . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[Dorado]

Thanks Dwight, I'm hoping to get started on mine sometime soon. I have a couple of other things demanding my attention at the moment.

[Dorado]

Dwight, I've been working on mine using some left over leather from my gunbelt. I'm doing the best I can but it's not near as pretty as what I'd hoped it'd be. I didn't quite have enough leather for the main body and I had to cut out a bad section of leather after I had glued it. I got turned around and accidentally glued the bad spot on. So one side where the belt loops will go is thinner than the other. I'm going to start stitching it up soon and I'll use it until I get enough material to remake it properly. I've never had to reverse engineer something before. It was kinda fun but my results are gonna be ugly.

[Dwight]

You'd be surprised at how many people you will pass with your concealed carry holster who will never see it and get to comment on the bad stitches, bad leather, bad dye job, extra holes, . . . or whatever.

Ugly, . . . like beautiful, . . . is only in the eye of the beholder.  AND in the case of CCW, . . . what they cannot see, . . . they cannot critique.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Dorado]

Well...yeah. I know you're right on that. It's just not as good as what I can do is the problem. I made a stupid mistake and now that's eating at me.

[Dorado]

I had to set my project aside for a while as things got a bit busy. I came back to it yesterday. It looks like it's been chewed on. I must have dropped something on it or hit it with something heavy. I don't remember. It's got a big gash across the middle. I'll have to start over. As much as I like your design Dwight, I don't have the skills necessary to make it at the moment. I need more practice before I attempt it again.

Instead I think I'll go with JLS's OWB Pancake design. It's similar to what you did and should give me the experience I'll need to make your design. I can always use a good holster anyways.

[gregintenn]

This works well for concealing...

...and something like this if you're feeling fancy.

[Dorado]

Those look great Greg. I'm just not skilled enough to make my own pattern off of a picture just yet. This is really my second holster to make and my fifth leather project. I still need a pattern to follow. I'll invest in some in the future as my skills progress. For now the ones that JLS provided are more than enough for me. Honestly their great. Simple enough to follow and easy enough to modify to fit my needs. I already got the holster made and I took it for a test run yesterday. Worked great and was extremely comfortable. I really like how it came out. Right now I'm working on a mag holder that will hold two magazines. I've got it stitched and I'm wet forming. I'm waiting for it to dry at the moment. Once it's done I'll take post some pictures for y'all to see.

I'm a bit miffed though. I broke my awl. I wasn't paying attention and torqued it wrong. Before I realized it the blade snapped. I need to go find me a new one.

[Dorado]

Here's what I ended up with. When I have a pattern to follow I'm fairly quick and I don't think I do a half bad job. The color is simply neatsfoot oil and finished with SnoSeal. I wanted to avoid dyes as there's always the risk of bleeding. I used 8/9oz veg tan leather and brown Ritza (sp?) tiger thread. For sewing I first punched the holes with a diamond punch awl and followed that up with a stitching awl. I ended up breaking the needle on the sewing awl and had to switch to a saddle stitch and finished by hand. The leather I used had some of what you'd consider flaws but I though added a lot of character included the stripes on the holster and the spots on the mag holder. I rather like the rough finish on the edges and the character marks on them.

I still need to get better at stitching. I know I'd be better if I had a stitching horse to hold my project while I sew. It's kinda hard to hold the leather with one hand and stitch with the other. The sewing awl made it quite a bit easier but I'd still like a stitching horse. I don't suppose any of you have one that you could spare for a poor guy just starting out do you? I'd probably ditch the sewing awl and switch to saddle stitching full time if I had one. I like the looks of saddle stitch much more that what the sewing awl gives me.

So, what do y'all think? Did I do alright. It is comfortable to wear and holds my pistol nice and close to the body. Even with just a polo style shirt over it, it disappears. I hardly notice that it's there while driving.

[Dwight]

Looks good from here, . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[Bolt Vanderhuge]

It looks like a nice clean usable holster and mag pouch set. Your stitch lines are nice and even around the holster and the lines around the gun pocket are smooth flowing and straight. Lack of these traits can make an otherwise nice pattern look not as good. So good job with that. The mag pouch is the same for 99% of it. There is a tiny spot where the line got crazy at the bottom. It is a very small section so it doesn't stand out.

I prefer finished edges myself. You are actually half way there. If you ever do want to try finishing edges I think you will have no problem getting really nice edges just continuing down the path you are already heading. Again good job. 

[Dorado]

Thanks guys.

I'm getting better with stitching. I'm going to invest in a stitching pony before I start my next project. I think that'd help with my stitching. Also, I could use a better groover. I slipped in a couple of places but I was able to compensate and hide most of that. I do have a couple of spots that I don't like.

I would have finished the edges and still might, except that I got something on my edger and it leaves some weird colors behind. I'll get me a new one when I get a stitching pony and I'll see if I can't fully finish out the edges.

As far as functionality goes. I wore these for the second half of the day yesterday and other than the weight I could hardly feel that they were there. Very comfortable and I was able to get in and out of my truck easily and without hanging on anything. I can still access my gun while seated if I need too. I think I'll be using this one for a while.

I need a better belt though which will be my next project. I'll start on that this next month. I'm thinking that I'll carry the look of the holster over to the belt. I'm thinking that two layers of 6/7oz leather at 1 1/4" wide should do I could probably go to 1 3/8" without problem. I don't really like wide belts. Would 1 1/4" be wide enough for a gun belt?

[Dwight]

Lots of us offer 1 1/2 or 1 1/4 inch gun belts, . . . and while I don't do many of the 1 1/4, . . . I also haven't had but one complaint.  But, . . . HE, . . . didn't measure it right so I got away with that one.

One thing to think of though, . . . make it as wide as you can to accomodate those slots you cut in the holster.  

Personally, . . . I hate, detest, and am aggravated to no end by a holster that wants to wiggle forward, backward, etc, . . . and pancakes are to me, notorious for that.  I'm probably in a small minority there, . . . but I also don't wear one mostly for that reason.  My one pancake that I like does not have slots, . . . but rather tunnels in the back for the belt to go through, . . . it does NOT tip fwd or back.

But if you can get through that, . . . go for the 1 1/4.  

Also get a caliper, . . . and for what I've found to be the most comfortable, . . . you want your two layers laminated to something in the .200 to .230 range.  Getting less than .200 they sometimes seem flimsy, . . . and up around .250 or more, . . . they get to be pretty stiff to use.

May God bless,

Dwight

[JLSleather]

9 minutes ago, Dwight said:

am aggravated to no end by a holster that wants to wiggle forward, backward, etc,

Yep, me too.  I ASK when a customer orders a holster, what belt they are wearing (or perhaps they need one).  I can "get over it" for 1/8" over, but I don't run 1 1/2" belt through 1 3/4" slots.... anybody who has ever needed to pull the pistol QUICKLY knows what we mean by "wiggle" "move" or "rock".

11 minutes ago, Dwight said:

200 to .230 range.  Getting less than .200 they sometimes seem flimsy, . . . and up around .250 or more, . . . they get to be pretty stiff to use.

Right there with ya again.  Seems like about 14 oz-ish works real nice like.

[Dorado]

I see. I was thinking of the 1 1/4" as I cut a belt hole a bit on the small side. I can widen it to allow a 1 1/2" belt.

As far as the thickness goes. From what I gather 1/4" or a bit thicker would be best?

[gregintenn]

On 12/22/2016 at 9:29 AM, Dorado said:

Those look great Greg. I'm just not skilled enough to make my own pattern off of a picture just yet. This is really my second holster to make and my fifth leather project. I still need a pattern to follow. I'll invest in some in the future as my skills progress. For now the ones that JLS provided are more than enough for me. Honestly their great. Simple enough to follow and easy enough to modify to fit my needs. I already got the holster made and I took it for a test run yesterday. Worked great and was extremely comfortable. I really like how it came out. Right now I'm working on a mag holder that will hold two magazines. I've got it stitched and I'm wet forming. I'm waiting for it to dry at the moment. Once it's done I'll take post some pictures for y'all to see.

I'm a bit miffed though. I broke my awl. I wasn't paying attention and torqued it wrong. Before I realized it the blade snapped. I need to go find me a new one.

I can give you a bit of advice. Lay your handgun on a sheet of posterboard or a file folder and trace it's figure with a pencil. Then, draw the holster around it, allowing enough extra room for the gun's width. Cut it out, lay it over your leather and trace it. Voila, you've made your own pattern.

Hope this helps and Merry Christmas,

Greg

[Dwight]

2 hours ago, Dorado said:

I see. I was thinking of the 1 1/4" as I cut a belt hole a bit on the small side. I can widen it to allow a 1 1/2" belt.

As far as the thickness goes. From what I gather 1/4" or a bit thicker would be best?

Uhhh, . . . no, . . . see the post about measuring your belt.  

A 1/4 inch belt is a lot of leather, . . . especially after it has been dyed, . . . then finished, . . . they become stiffer than rawhide in Idaho in February, . . . 

You want it to measure in the .200 to .230 range, . . . and I only go all the way up to .230 if my customer is on the large side.  Never if he is under a 40 waist.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Dorado]

On 12/23/2016 at 5:50 PM, Dwight said:

Uhhh, . . . no, . . . see the post about measuring your belt.  

A 1/4 inch belt is a lot of leather, . . . especially after it has been dyed, . . . then finished, . . . they become stiffer than rawhide in Idaho in February, . . . 

You want it to measure in the .200 to .230 range, . . . and I only go all the way up to .230 if my customer is on the large side.  Never if he is under a 40 waist.

May God bless,

Dwight

Yeah...sorry I misread what you said.

I'm putting together a belt right now. According to my caliper it says I'm about .227 or so depending on where on the belt I'm measuring. It's going to be a 1 1/2" belt or just under as I had 1 1/2" strips and they've been sanded down a little bit. Not much though. It is definitely the thickest belt I've ever had and the strongest built, but it'll last and will look good enough for casual wear which is what I'm after. I'm matching it to my holsters so no dye, a light coat of neatsfoot oil and sealed generously with SnoSeal. That should allow it to keep it's flexibility and still not be damaged by sweat. I've run into a problem though. I ran out of thread. I thought I had two rolls of the brown thread but it turns out I only had one. I used it up now I'm stuck until I can get some more ordered in. I may have to wait a week or so.

As far as length, I wrapped the belt around me and gave myself 6" for overhang. I'll wait until I have the buckle before I punch the holes. I can still shorten the belt as needed once I have the buckle so that I have the right length.

 

 

Once this is done I think I'll try making a shoulder holster rig for CAS. I have a good belt rig. I'm just wanting something different. I'd like to copy the rig Doc Holliday had in the movie "Tombstone".