Home made Holsters

[32_d3gr33s]

anyone tried making their own?  Looked at a few pictures and a couple threads online and figured it wouldn't bee too difficult.   

dropped about 120 bucks on everything i needed to get the project going.  Spent a few more bucks on some of the "hardware" for them...

first try was just a belt holster for the Walther (not my gun, even though i think the pink suits me)



didn't turn out too great, but it was good practice.  Turns out it fits my stepdaughters bb gun perfect, and she was thrilled to have it lol

then i tried making a shoulder holster for my M&P...  turns out i made it waaaaayy too small, and i couldn't fit the gun in...  so in goes the Walther, again...




Then I gave IWB holsters a shot...   These turned out pretty decent.  Wore the one for my Ruger around all day today after i finished it.  actually very comfortable.  for the M&P i have a crossbreed that i have ordered, but i made one to fit the gun with my tac light on it. 







Also made a carry pouch for my Speed Loaders for my shoulder rig (i didn't make the Galco holster in these pics lol)




And now I'm working on my shoulder holster for my M&P again...  this one fits.






Just a side note.  None of them are quite done.  plan on doing some finishing work on the leather (dying and such)...   Did most of the work today on the holsters.  had the first holster and the mag pouch done a couple days ago, and started on the shoulder holster for the Walther yesterday, but everything else was today.  I figure its a good investment considering the Speed loader holster from Galco is somewhere around 70 bucks, so i definitely and getting my money's worth.  I still have about 8 square feet of leather, and only used about a 5"x14" piece of kydex (out of 4 square foot piece).  I will surely be making some more holsters

[klewisd]

You need to make me a belt slide like in the 1st pic for my Bersa.

[Bronson]

anyone tried making their own?

Yes.

























Bronson

[32_d3gr33s]

^yours definitely look nicer than mine.  Hopefully Ill have a few turn out that good down the road.  Im still acquiring tools to get the best quality.  finished up my first couple.. 

[Bronson]

^yours definitely look nicer than mine.  Hopefully Ill have a few turn out that good down the road.  Im still acquiring tools to get the best quality.  finished up my first couple.. 

Thanks.  If you haven't done it yet register over at www.leatherworker.net  They have a dedicated section for holsters/sheaths and the leather working knowledge over there and the participants willingness to share it is fantastic.

Also, you can get good results without the tools/equipment....it just takes longer.  Better tools typically just make you faster and more efficient but the results can still be achieved without them.  Most of it is technique over tools.

If you don't have them yet you can get books by Al Stohlman from www.tandyleatherfactory.com  I really like "The Art of Hand Sewing Leather" and "How to Make Holsters"  The second one focuses more on old style holsters but there are some great tips on designing a holster that can be gleaned from the book and some patterns that can be fairly easily modified for more modern carry.

You'll get there...you're already well on your way.  Focus on good design...like making sure there is enough distance between the forward side of the grip and the holster to get a full firing grip, and not covering the magazine release whenever possible.  Focus on the tiny little details like smooth edges (which is an art all on its own), consistent distances between stitches and edges, curves instead of corners, etc.

Here's the article that got me started on leather holsters: http://www.jdlawhon.com/tutorial.html

And here's a free tip I picked up on a kydex sheath making forum:  Sand the edges of your Kydex to get the rough shape then polish the edges with just a little bit of acetone on a rag.  They'll shine right up with a LOT less work than trying to sand the edges with higher and higher grits and polishing them.

Bronson