making a leather holster

[leatherb055]

I'm jumping into leatherwork and want to make my own holster. The main thing I'm trying to figure out is what thickness of leather is best for holsters.

It seems like a lot of different people have different ideas.
And while I'm at it, does anyone have a good source for printable leather holster patterns?

I'd love to find some reliable ones before I get started. Any advice would be awesome.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I am usually reluctant to buy leather sight unseen on line. If I have important project I prefer to visit a supplier and make a selection. Problem being the only local source is over an hour away. Tandy used to offer half shoulders and with careful inspection I could find some nice pieces with minimal range marks and wrinkles and you can better judge what thickness will work best. I make my own patterns using paper grocery bags. For holsters for modern pistols I like to line with buckskin.

 

[strang3brew]

I am usually reluctant to buy leather sight unseen on line. If I have important project I prefer to visit a supplier and make a selection. Problem being the only local source is over an hour away. Tandy used to offer half shoulders and with careful inspection I could find some nice pieces with minimal range marks and wrinkles and you can better judge what thickness will work best. I make my own patterns using paper grocery bags. For holsters for modern pistols I like to line with buckskin.

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Nice! If I may ask, when you line with buckskin, do you glue it or stitch it in? Also, have you found any online sellers that come close to Tandy's old half shoulder quality? I've been nervous to order without seeing the grain and thickness in person.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Nice! If I may ask, when you line with buckskin, do you glue it or stitch it in? Also, have you found any online sellers that come close to Tandy's old half shoulder quality? I've been nervous to order without seeing the grain and thickness in person.

Both - I glue it with contact cement and stitch the edges. You might try Zack White leather. https://www.zackwhite.com/Selecting-Leather

 

[Wade]

strange3brew With any holster work you will want to Glue and then Stitch or it would shift and bunch up to much and would be a mess. I didn’t mean to answer his intended question this was just my two cents and how I would do it or most Gun Holster builders would do.

 

[Kabulrocks]

Tandy Leather has a lot of patterns for many projects in their Leather Craft Library: https://tandyleather.com/blogs/leathercraft-library

I haven’t figured out a good way to search it though, but there are several holster patterns in the library.

 

[damy2128]

I'm jumping into leatherwork and want to make my own holster. The main thing I'm trying to figure out is what thickness of leather is best for holsters.

It seems like a lot of different people have different ideas.
And while I'm at it, does anyone have a good source for printable leather holster patterns?

I'd love to find some reliable ones before I get started. Any advice would be awesome.

The thickness of leather to be used is determined by the type of holster. Generally speaking, I use either 5-6 ounce or 8 ounce. For lining leather I use 2-4 ounce.

As for patterns, look at:
https://www.adamsleatherworks.com/digital-patterns