Prefered Holster for 1911

[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".

[Dorado]

On 12/23/2016 at 5:13 PM, gregintenn said:

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

I've tried that. I always end up making it too tight. Once I get better at making standard patterns I'll give making my own pattern a shot again. I'm still not good enough in basic leatherworking to do more advanced things. I'll get to where I can make any design holster for whatever gun I want, eventually. I just need more practice.

[Dwight]

Sounds like you are on the right track.

I always take a measurement from a belt lately worn by the customer, . . . measure from the front of the buckle to the most used hole.  I then make that measurement the center hole of 7 that I punch in the belt.  I punch em 1 inch apart and use an oval punch.  It gives the owner 3 full inches of pizza to gain, . . . or fat to lose, . . . 

So far this has been a good way to process my customer's belts.  Only had one guy who thought the spacing was a bit long, . . . but he is the kind of guy that would have wanted you to polish the solid gold car you just gave him for free.

Wish I could help you with the thread, . . . that is why I always use white for all the belts, . . . then when the belt is dyed, . . . the thread will be too, . . . and i don't have to stock umpteen different spools of thread.

Don't forget to post pics when they are all done.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Dorado]

That's what I get for not double checking my thread supplies.

I've ordered some more thread as well as a belt buckle. Once I get the buckle in I'll mark the center hole and punch out from there. Luckily I have a good oval punch. I got it when I made my CAS rig and it fits me near perfectly. I like to space my holes a bit differently. Instead of 1" apart I go with 3/4". Not much change but it allows me some finer adjustments according to what I'm wearing.

[byggyns]

My first holster was for my full size 1911. It was a flat back pancake style much like yours. I designed the pattern myself in the holster making class I took at my local Tandy. That class is what really kicked off my hobby.

Yours looks good for a first attempt. As pointed out, there is still much room for improvement, but you're on the right track. For thread, try out the 1.0 mm Tiger thread. I think it works great for holster weight leather & stitch length. 

My biggest suggestion would be to put effort into your edges. The squared edges seem to dig into everything, especially your side. They also tend to fray and fluff out very quickly. Putting a good bevel and burnish on those will make them more comfortable and will let them look good longer.

 

Edited January 10, 2017 by byggyns

[1961Mike]

Hi, I always had a lot of trouble with either Kidney or Appendix carry in the car.  I had a 2007 Subaru and I couldn't have shot a car jacker on a bet.  With a Kidney Carry, the 1911 was behind the seat belt and between me and the seat.  I also have just enough gut to make Appendix carry annoying.  I ended up with a Shoulder holster for in the car.  I also swapped to a itty bitty Beretta for carrying in a pocket.

Just my $0.02