Pocket Holster with backing plate tutorial?

[RyanWyvern]

It is.  I made the prototype prior to him telling me he wanted it wrong sided.  ill just flip the pattern.  I am making enough changes that this pattern won't get used in its current state anyways but yet itll be flipped

[JLSleather]

35 minutes ago, RyanWyvern said:

ill just flip the pattern

But NOT the "reinf" eh?  He'll still be right handed

 

[RyanWyvern]

I tried to talk him out of it.  Wants the backing plate against the leg.  The reinforcement piece on top I am free to change.  Do those typically span both sides of the slide in something like this?  All I am adding it for is to add rigidity to the leather that covers the gun. 

[Dwight]

Ryan, . . . quite honestly, . . . you are basically going about it ALL wrong.

1.  A pocket holster has to be "floppy" to a certain extent, . . . as you never know what position the leg will be in, . . . the garment will be in, . . . or how you are going to have to stick your hand into the pocket to retrieve it.  Making a hard holster for  pocket carry is asking for your customer to rely on something that has a very strong propensity to get him shot barn yard dead while he is attempting to retrieve his weapon.

2.  Here is a picture of a revolver pocket holster, . . . sewn in front, . . . but only contact cemented in the back.  This allows the holster to "adjust" to changing garment conditions if necessary, . . . and will open up a slight bit if somehow it gets bound up, . . . probably won't happen, . . . but beats the heck out of not being able to get the weapon out.

If the customer wants a plate on one side or the other, . . . put the plate on with a couple of hand stitches at the top and the bottom, . . . OR, . . . a rivet at the top and one at the bottom.

One of the sad things about the holster industry as a whole, . . . WAYYYYY to many makers have forgotten that the holster is a tool that is fully necessary to function or it should be tossed in the trash.  Far to many makers out there are more committed to the  looks of the final product than they are to the function.   You seem to be heading down that road, . . . and I hope you get off it.  

Learn to make functional firearm accessories,  . . . then later you can detail them.  Your customers will appreciate you much more for a plain holster that they love to use . . .  than that fancy piece of crap they paid good money for and is in the drawer with the rest of the "has been" holsters.

May God bless,

Dwight

[RyanWyvern]

Thanks for the feedback Dwight.  Maybe I haven't represented what I am doing effectively.  

I had picked up some 5-6 oz for the project that is "floppy" IMO.  I didn't have any intention on making it hard.  Ignore the trigger moulding in my photo as that was just me goofing around with the prototype.  

As to the "plate" I was going to attach it either with stitching or screw posts similar to JLS's pocket holsters.  The oddity with this one is that the user wants the "plate" to be between the gun and his leg as opposed to facing out. My understanding is that the plate is typically carried away from the leg so that it prints like a wallet.  In this case the user isn't worried about printing as this will always be carried in a cargo pocket.  

All of that being said I don't have a desire to make something that is unsafe for the user, but I am thinking the concerns you expressed are more a symptom of my failure to effectively explain what I am doing more than the actual design.  Maybe I can draw something up that will effectively communicate my thoughts. 

[RyanWyvern]

Again apologies for the crudeness of the drawing.  Backing plate would ride between the leg and the firearm with the idea being that it would fill the cargo pocket and keep the weapon oriented correctly in the pocket.  Again this is only going to be used in cargo pockets.  Thoughts?  I am not trying to question your expertise but I want to understand why something like this could be dangerous.  I am struggling to see how he would fumble for the firearm. I wouldn't think the draw process would be much different than JLs's design but maybe I am missing something.  I

[JLSleather]

1 hour ago, RyanWyvern said:

Wants the backing plate against the leg.  The reinforcement piece on top I am free to change.  Do those typically span both sides of the slide in something like this?  All I am adding it for is to add rigidity to the leather that covers the gun. 

If teh guy wants the "backing plate" on the inside, let him have it that way -- don't matter.  

But my point was, you want to NOT change the reinf piece... he'll still be right handed.  You are correct -- it's a STIFFENER.  I generally lay out the "stiffener" to become also a PUSH OFF (unless, like this project, sometimes it's requested diffrnt).  So his thumb still gonna be LEFT of the slide, no matter where you put a "backing plate".

And while you certainly can run this 'stiffener" around the whole slide, I don't see it necessary in most cases.

SHOOT .. you postin whilst I'm typin'...  gimmeaminute to do something that sketch

 

[JLSleather]

Is he going to SEPARATE the "plate" from the holster?  I mean, as in removable?  Cuz if he's gonna use this plate ALL THE TIME, then it's efficient cost and time to simply SEW THROUGH both layers of the "holster" AND the "backing plate" all at once.  Lay in on where you want it, sew the whole thing solid.  Will keep it from flexing / rotating.

Where does your pistol fall on your drawing?  That Glock is 5" tall... is your plate gonna be the whole width?  Or does the grip stick out past the plate?

If he's right handed, you'd likely want the "reinf" piece on the OTHER side (which is a better way of saying what i was  trying to describe before).

 

 

[JLSleather]

This is ROUGH... video thing I tried but didn't like, left handed holster for a guy not left handed, and trying to hold the camera and stay out the lamp all same time

S T I L L ....  give a guy an idea how easy this should SLIP off

Okay, that's not going well. -- I just send it to ya

 

 

 

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by JLSleather

[RyanWyvern]

I believe I understand what you mean about the reinf piece.  I am trying to to call it plate to limit confusion.  The grip is going to fall outside of it a bit but I didn't want to run the backing plate too close to the maximum size of the pocket for fear that it would be very hard to get the whole thing in and out of the pocket. He doesn't plan on separating the plate at this time.  I have tried to convince him to allow me to make it detachable so he has the option to run it correctly but so far no success.