Holster by me for me

[sqlbullet]

So, over the Christmas break I decided to scratch an itch I have had for a good many years.  I am sure most of you have felt my pain trying to find a holster for some of the more eclectic guns you have.  Even things I would think have enough sales base to make it a no brainer seem to lack holster support if they aren't a 1911, Glock, HK, Sig or S&W.

So I read an instructable or two, visited my local Tandy Leather where I spent about $150 on a full sheet of 10-11 oz vegetable tanned leather, a basic stitching kit, some glue and a spare roll or two of thread.

Results so far in order of creation:



The Jericho 941F which I recently got from Classic Arms was first.  Lessons learned, use less leather.  I didn't know how much shrinkage to expect so I left it pretty loose.  From this point on I made them so the gun could only be put in the holster with great effort pre-forming.  In a couple cases it wouldn't go in.



Having practiced on the Jericho, I moved next to a holster for my Witness.  This was the real target of this exercise, and for many years I have been on the fence about buying a custom holster from HBE or Adams.  I reduced the Jericho back by about 10%, and the front by about 20.  After glue up and stitching the gun would go in about 75%.  A hot bath in 160° water for 10 seconds or so and I was able to get it fully seated and bone in some detail.  I finished it with some Neats oil and then cordovan polish.  Wish now I had left it neutral, but I am still very happy with it.



Next the Glock 29.  I have a cheap G&G holster for my Glock 20 and I patterned this after that one, with some influence from a 1791 holster for my 1911's.  The suede section adds stiffness to the holster mouth.  You can't see it but it does have a full back to protect the slide from body sweat.



I was so happy with the G29 holster that I did one for the G20 next.  The G&G holster I mentioned above is a thumb break and I really prefer friction retention.  And if you are wondering, yes all these holster hold the gun securely in place.  Shake it as hard as you want, they don't come out.  This also had a full sweat cover, but a dog got it, so it got a bit of a trim.  Maybe a 75% sweat shield now.



Another recent Classic firearms purchase was this excellent condition Beretta 81 in 32 ACP.  I worked to keep this holster as small as possible to go with the small gun.  Still needs some oiling and some polish.



A Witness Stock III in 9mm joined the collection about 3 months or so ago.  I decided I might as well have a holster for this gun too.  As you can see I still have to cut the belt slots and oil it up.  This gun has a plain blued finish so it spent less time in the wet holster getting molded, and it shows especially at the trigger guard.  My boning skills also leave alot to be desired.

I still have enough leather left for another 6-8 holsters of this type.  I have thread an glue for another hundred or more.  The leather sheet alone was $50/$60 (I got it on sale, $60 is the normal price).  All things considered I am pretty happy so far.  Cost per holster is about $25 right now and will end up down around $10 each once I use up the rest of the supplies.  And I find it a relaxing task when the wife and I veg at the end of the day with whatever we are binge watching on Netflix.

If you have ever thought about trying this, I found it easier than I thought it would be. Happy to answer any questions anyone may have, and invite any feedback from guys that have already gone here and see obvious places I can improve.

[Kenk]

Nice job sqlbullet, I have thought about doing this many times over the years

Ken

[blaster]

nice work! I also get enjoyment from making my own holsters. (and knives) mine aren't as fancy as yours but they do the job.  8)I wish I could post pictures here.