Having a pistol that just will not fit into a standard commercial pistol holster can be troublesome. However you do not have to worry about not having a holster because you can make your own holster. By using some leather, a belt clip and a little bit of basic know-how, a leather pistol holster can be made with little trouble. This will allow you to carry your pistol with you wherever you may need to go.
You’ll need the following materials to complete this project. First you need two 1 foot square light colored leather pieces, a leather hole punch, a leather dress belt, and a tape measure. Next you’ll need a sharpie marker, some leather lacing, and a sharp utility knife. Lastly you need your pistol, a table, a belt clip, and some epoxy glue.
Step #1
The first step is to lay one of the one foot square leather pieces flat on the table. Then lay the pistol flat on top of the leather piece that is on the table. Make sure that the barrel of the pistol is laying in the center of the leather piece.
Step #2
The second step is to trace around the pistol using the sharpie marker to create a profile of the pistol. As you do this, keep the tip of the sharpie marker about 3/4 inch away from the pistol itself in order to allow a lip for the hole punch to later punch holes in for lacing.
Step #3
As the third step cut the pistol’s traced profile out of the leather piece that you have laying on the table. Use the sharp utility knife to do this.
Step #4
For the fourth step lay the other 1 foot square piece of leather on the table after you have finished cutting the original pistol profile out of the original piece of leather. Then lay the original pistol profile leather piece on top of the leather piece that is laying on the table. Make sure that the original pistol profile leather piece is centered on the new leather piece that is laying on the table. Then use the sharpie marker to trace around the original pistol profile leather piece to create a mirror image of the original pistol profile on the new leather piece.
Step #5
Step five is to cut the traced profile out of the new leather piece with the sharp utility knife. You now have 2 leather pieces that match the profile of the pistol.
Step #6
Your sixth step is to lay the profile pieces on top of each other where the pieces that match up to the pistol’s barrel are flush with one another. Then punch holes on 3 sides of the leather pieces along the area where the leather pieces match the profile of the pistol’s barrel. Make sure not to punch holes along the side where the handle of the pistol will go as this will be the open end of the holster for inserting the pistol into the holster. Then cut a 2 foot long piece of the leather lacing and thread the leather lacing through the holes all around the edge of the leather pieces creating an envelope to hold the barrel of the pistol. Tie a large knot in both ends of the leather lacing after you have threaded it through all of the holes on the leather pieces in order to hold the pieces together. Make sure that when you go to tie the last knot on the leather lacing that you pull the lacing tight and tie the knot right next to the last hole in the leather pieces. Use the sharp utility knife to cut off any excess lacing. This finishes the envelope that forms the main part of the holster that holds the pistol’s barrel.
Step #7
Step seven is to cut the buckle end of the leather belt off about 3 inches from where the belt wraps around the buckle to hold it to the belt. This will make a 3 inch long buckle piece. Then lay the buckle piece in line with the center of the pistol’s barrel end of the leather envelope you created in the last step. Lay this piece up toward the open end of the holster envelope.
Step #8
For the eighth step, use the leather hole punch to punch holes through the 3 inch long buckle piece and the top side of the leather holster envelope. Punch a total of 8 holes in a square pattern around the end of the 3 inch long buckle piece. Then cut a 1 foot piece of leather lacing and thread the leather lacing through the holes in the square pattern to hold the buckle piece onto the side of the pistol holster envelope. Tie a large knot in both ends of the leather lacing after you have threaded it through all of the holes in the belt buckle piece and the top side of the holster envelope. This secures the belt buckle piece to the holster. Make sure that when you go to tie the last knot on the leather lacing that you pull the lacing tight and tie the knot right next to the last hole in the belt buckle piece. Use the sharp utility knife to cut off any excess lacing. This finishes attaching the buckle piece to the holster envelope.
Step #9
The ninth step is to cut the belt on the end that has factory cut holes in it about 8 inches from the tip of the belt. This will be used to make a strap that will come from the bottom side of the holster envelope over the pistol’s handle and to the top side of the holster. This piece will then be fitted into the buckle piece and buckled into place to secure the pistol in the holster.
Step #10
Step ten is to flip the holster envelope over to where the side that has the buckle attached is laying on the table. Then lay the 8 inch belt tip piece in the middle of the holster envelope about 2 inches in from the handle end of the holster envelope. Make sure that the belt tip piece is laying parallel to the belt buckle piece.
Step #11
For step eleven, use the leather hole punch to punch holes through the 8 inch belt tip piece and through the side of the holster envelope that is now on the top. Punch a total of 8 holes in a square pattern around the end of the 8 inch belt tip piece. Then cut a 1 foot piece of leather lacing and thread the leather lacing through the holes in the square pattern to hold the 8 inch belt tip piece onto the side of the pistol holster envelope. Tie a large knot in both ends of the leather lacing after you have threaded it through all of the holes in the belt tip piece and the side of the holster envelope that it is laying on. This secures the belt tip piece to the holster. Make certain that as you are tying the last knot on the leather lacing that you tighten the lacing and tie the last knot right next to the last hole in the belt tip piece. Use the sharp utility knife to cut off any excess lacing. This finishes attaching the belt tip piece to the holster envelope.
Step #12
Step twelve is to position the belt clip on the side where the belt tip piece has been attached about 1 inch down from the belt tip piece. Then use the epoxy glue to attach the belt clip to the holster. This clip will be used to clip the holster onto whatever belt the holster wearer is wearing.
Step #13
The next to the last step is to insert the pistol barrel into the holster and then fully insert the pistol into the holster. Then position the belt tip piece over the handle of the pistol and into the buckle piece. Then tighten the belt tip piece until the pistol is secured in the holster. Now buckle the belt tip piece into place. The pistol has been inserted and secured in the holster.
Step #14
The last step is to clip the holster onto the belt of the holster wearer by fitting the holster wearer’s belt into the belt clip that has been fitted onto the holster. The holster is now finished at this point.
Sources
Personal Experience
Unblinking Eye.com: Making Holsters
Shane Whitlock: Holster Making Tutorial
Wild Rose Trading Company: WRTC Method of Stitching
Leatherworker.net: Holster Workshop
Tandy Leather Company
