Made two holsters today.

[rnpollard]

One for me and one to try and meet the demanding specifications of aray in his search for an IWB holster.

I love mine!!! I put the Crimson Trace back on my PM9 a couple of weeks ago and had been carrying it in one of my first generation holsters. Today I upgraded to a horse hide holster and then spent a bit of time trimming it down from the standard version to one more to my own personal liking.

I'll post pics of the Kahr .45 holster that I made for aray to take a look at. It is made with a thin leather backing and is extremely comfortable. I made it on the spur of the moment when a piece of tan kydex turned out to be a little small for another project. I really like how it molded for this holster!

I look forward to your questions and comments,

Rick

[Tilos]

Nice

[eastenn]

Wow nice work, no need for Crossbreed when you can make those yourself!

[Bill K]

Looks like very nice work. I only have one IWB holster and it uses a single belt clip, with "J" hooks it appears that the weight is on the pants waist band and not the belt. Guess the big plus with "J" hooks is that the holster is tuckable.

Bill K.

[slowpoke]

Now those are some REALLY SHARP holsters.
Nice work!

[garyb]

Good work!

[Bawanna]

I find myself curious about Aray's demanding specifications.

He might be on to something that maybe the rest of us should be looking for ya know?

Those are a couple of fine looking rigs. I think the upgrade in leather is an improvement. Seems like slightly thicker leather would be better to me.

[Ol'coot]

Very, Very nice

[rnpollard]

Pardon me if I ramble a bit. I'm on vacation and have a little quiet time with a cup of coffee and the beautiful Rocky Mountains outside my window. I went from sea level to 10,000 ft yesterday so I am taking a bit easy. Tomorrow I fly from Denver to Anchorage, AK to visit my son who is stationed at JBER with the USAF. I am looking forward to spending 10 days with my son and seeing Alaska for the first time.

Some random thoughts:

With the compact Kahr PM9 now the CM9 I don't see any reason to carry anything less than the 9mm. I may sell my P380 or I may give it to my wife if she wants it but I don't believe I will be carrying it any more.

Horsehide is the ultimate backing for my holsters. Dense, sturdy and I've yet to be able to sweat through it. I still have some cowhide... but I'm not sure why!

I am currently working on a holster that would provide each customer with a blank canvas. A generic Glock holster that could be left alone to accommodate the G17 or trimmed to accommodate the G26. The owner of the holster could add mounting holes to adjust the cant and height of the holster.

I currently use my holsters exclusively with the exception of Nemesis Pocket Holsters. In some instances I carry two of my IWB rigs at one time.

I just drove from Smiths, AL to Weatherford, TX carrying my G-26 in one of my rigs. The gun was accessable and comfortable for the entire trip. While in Texas I carried the whole time including play time with my great niece and nephew. The gun was never detected and was very secure. The road trip continued and I am now in Fairplay, Colorado. I put the gun on when I get up and take it off when I go to bed.

I realize that carrying a Glock may not be popular on this forum but I've given the Glock the nod due to the increased capacity. Obviously if I can carry the Glock the Kahr would be a dream. When I carry the Glock 26 in my 5-11 shorts I carry a G 17 + 2 magazine in the front mag pocket. It is comforting to have a total of 40 rounds readily accessible.

Each of my horsehide/kydex holsters ends up looking different from the others. I trim each holster up to fit the specific gun and add mounting holes so that I can carry the gun in the same place regardless of where my belt loops might be.

Recently while shooting a IDPA match my strong thumb pinched the horsehide and slowed my draw. After that string I went back and trimmed the sweat shield of that holster and the problem didn't repeat. I now trim all of my personal holsters in that fashion. Live and learn.

I've found that my holsters aren't for everybody, that being said I now have many new "friends" that wear my rigs exclusively.

A holster is a personal thing and should be "tweaked" be the wearer so that it fits just right. There really isn't a one size fits all in my opinion.

I wear Wilderness Tactical Frequent Flier belts almost exclusively. With a leather gun belt from Aker or Bianchi you have to tighten or loosen the belt one full notch at a time. The Wilderness belts can be tightened or loosened in virtually microscopic increments.

Some folks think that tuckable j-hooks put all the weight of the gun on the trousers. This isn't my experience. I wear my trousers snug but not tight. In most cases a pistol can be carried for short periods of time just tucked into the waistband of the trousers. The gun doesn't fall because of the friction between the body and the trousers.

The combination of 5-11 pants (or shorts), the Wilderness Frequent Flier belt and my holster is as close to perfection that I can imagine. I carry Kahrs, Glocks and 1911s with this configuration with total success.

Stay safe,

Rick