Overwhelmed with Info

Leather to kydex, factory or custom.
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olympus
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Post by olympus »

Now that I've got my P-64, I've been combing through this section of the forum trying to figure out what kind of holster would work best for me. But the amount of information here is simply overwhelming. Maybe someone can help with my specific questions. My first question is about where to carry on my person. I've always carried on my right hip, but I've also always carried full sized pistols (14+1 in .40 and 8+1 in .45) and on my hip is about the only place it's comfortable to carry that large and heavy of a pistol. But now that I'll have a smaller and lighter pistol, should I consider small of the back position? The only drawback I can think of would be sitting down.

And if I should just stick to the hip position, what's the best holster for the money? Here's the situation, since I've always carried large and heavy pistols, I've never had a holster comfortable enough to carry all the time. So I got into the habit of just keeping my pistol between the seats in my car and simply grabbing it and slipping it in if I felt like I might need it. But now that I'm going to have a smaller and lighter pistol, I want to get into the habit of carrying all the time. So I don't mind paying a little extra for a holster that is going to be really comfortable. That beig said, my job requires me to wear dress clothes and that is what I wear for the greatest portion of my day. So a tuckable holster is almost certainly a must-have. I plan on carrying at work until they notice and tell me that I can't. So I guess the holster needs to be able to be tuckable and also not used tucked at some points too.

I really want a good leather holster. I've always had cheap nylon holsters and one flimsy leather one. But I'd like a good stiff and tight fitting holster. But now I'm worried about the stiff leather wearing the bluing off my little P-64. I bought the gun because it was inexpensive and I wouldn't care if it showed signs of wear. It would keep me from having to make my more expensive pistols look worn out. But now that I've seen the P-64, the stupid thing is just in too good of condition for me to knowing rub the bluing off. So I wonder if there are any leather holsters that might have some felt lined or cloth lined holsters so that the leather doesn't rub all the bluing off the edges. I know this is a lot of talking I'm doing...but hopefully you can point me in the right direction.
dolang1
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Post by dolang1 »

olympus, It sounds like you are describing dickfunk's holster. Well made, comfortable, (while driving) concealbale. I wore mine the other day for 10 hrs. Drove 150 miles, went to funeral, got a funny look from a lady that hugged me. Great holster. Later Don
olympus
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Post by olympus »

I've looked at dickfunk's holsters and they're very close to what I'm looking for. The only problem is the belt loops. It's not exactly a "tuckable" holster. I need something with a metal clip that I can clip to my pants then cover with belt over the top or something with a "J" hook that goes behind a belt and hooks to the bottom of the belt. I want something exactly like dickfunk's holsters just with a different method of holding it to the waist.
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Post by dfunk »

Olympus, I'm currently looking into J hooks in lieu of the belt loops. They aren't cheap and would drive the price up about $20. Also, the would modify the pattern slightly. The only way I could keep costs down is to order sheets of Kydex and make my own jig to make the clips. (Which is probable.)
Stay tuned...

Don, thanks for the kind words - glad you like it!
Last edited by dfunk on December 11th, 2008, 10:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
olympus
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Post by olympus »

Well keep us informed. But a $20 price increase is almost 50% for your holsters. YIKES! I just wish there was an easier way. I may end up going with a Crossbreed. Maybe you could email or call them and ask them where they are getting their J-hooks. Leave out the part about you being their competition... :-X
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Post by dfunk »

olympus wrote:Well keep us informed. But a $20 price increase is almost 50% for your holsters. YIKES! I just wish there was an easier way. I may end up going with a Crossbreed. Maybe you could email or call them and ask them where they are getting their J-hooks. Leave out the part about you being their competition... :-X
Yeah, I know - that increase is why I haven't pursued the hook fasteners. The only place I know of to order these at the moment is from comp-tac ( http://www.comp-tac.com/catalog/product ... 6d9268c5b9 ). The clips from comp tac are $18 without shipping.

Like I said, I may order a sheet of Kydex and make a jig to make my own clips. I try to keep the price low and fair, but if it costs me $20 for clips, then there's not much else I can do but raise the holster price by that amount.

Crossbreed makes their own, I believe.

Stay tuned...
Last edited by dfunk on December 12th, 2008, 10:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
olympus
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Post by olympus »

I just went to a gun show this morning. I ended up buying a Don Hume. It's not a tuckable, but it will work for the time time being. I went with the PPK model. I tried the SIG 230 model and it was just about an inch too long. The PPK model was exactly the right length.
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Post by dfunk »

Glad you found something that works. It's hard sometimes to find exactly what you're looking for without feeling apprehensive price-wise. That's pretty much the reason I started making these.

I just finished this a few days ago. White thread on black leather - my little camera doesn't do it justice.
Image

Image

And the edges...
Image
olympus
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Post by olympus »

That's a great looking little holster! I really like the white thread on the black leather. That's really like my taste anyway. I went with a black Don Hume but I would rather had the tanned leather one. The guy selling them said something about there being a shortage of tanned leather in the industry and there's not many products coming out with tanned. I don't know if that was BS or what though.

I'm going to be keeping an eye on your holsters for when you come out with a tuckable model. The DH I got isn't tuckable, just a regular IWB.
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Post by dfunk »

olympus wrote:I went with a black Don Hume but I would rather had the tanned leather one. The guy selling them said something about there being a shortage of tanned leather in the industry and there's not many products coming out with tanned. I don't know if that was BS or what though.
The leather is tanned, but that's not what produces the actual color 'tan', if you know what I mean. If you want a rig that's saddle tan, you dye it. If you want it natural, you throw a top coat on it and call it a day. Even black-dyed leather is tanned.
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Post by olympus »

Sounds like the guy was feeding me a line. I wanted a dark brown or almost deep reddish brown color. I'm not a tanner by trade so I had no clue. But thanks for clearing that up for me. I think I'll be a little more skeptical of the guy if I see him again.
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Post by dfunk »

No worries. Once I get settled into a pattern and score a sheet or two of Kydex for the clips, I'll be sure to post.
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Post by dwd »

I went to a gun show yesterday as well and picked up a Don Hume J.I.T. Slide no. 18 that fits my p64 very well. I think it is made for a Walther. I think the reason it fit so well is because it was slightly used. I think I tried a new one at another booth and it wouldn't begin to fit, it hit right on the trigger guard.
I have worn it a couple days now and I kind of like it. I just think a gun belongs in a leather holster and it should be worn on the belt, to each his own though.
I paid $35 for it because he wouldn't come down on the price. Don Hume's website has them for $24.75. Depending on what shipping is, I didn't get a bargain.
Last edited by dwd on December 29th, 2008, 1:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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