leathers, skins, & hides

[DCortez]

I'd like to get a batch of items from holsters, to belts, to rifle & pistol carrying cases. What are some of the pro's, con's, etc. of the various leathers, skins, or hides available for holsters & belts?

Money is no object unless my wife finds out. j/k

 

[baboon]

My guess what it's been tanned with is about the most important. Don't want something corrosive.

 

[DCortez]

I've seen some pretty exotic materials used for boots. Now that I'm shopping around for gun accessories, I've noticed some shark, badger?, cow, etc., out on the market.

 

[cuate]

Amazing the things you can make of good tanned cowhide but the price has gone

into orbit. I used to make my own holsters, kind of mastered stitching leather, made

belts, even fancy tooled some belts. Sold all those tools at a garage sale, tired of

billfold, check holders, making a living got the top part of my time. If you have the

time and money for hides, a constructive and fun pastime.

 

[Shorts]

I'd like to get a batch of items from holsters, to belts, to rifle & pistol carrying cases. What are some of the pro's, con's, etc. of the various leathers, skins, or hides available for holsters & belts?

Money is no object unless my wife finds out. j/k

If you're going to wet mold you'll need veg tan leather. It's very versatile for the items you're looking to build. Use the appropriate weight for the function and you'll get some great results.

 

[DCortez]

I'm not making anything. My wife will kill me if I bring any more stuff into the house.


I'm still in the shopping phase. Walking around Collector's Firearms, I saw they had stuff in shark, I believe badger, and of course leather. More interested in the wear and durability aspect.


I've seen boots made from different materials but never asked how they held up, if they were easy to take care of, etc..

 

[Shorts]

When you see exotics they're usually inlays or covered over a foundation layer of veg tan. Many skins are simply too thin for structure to stand alone and are glued & stitched on top.

If you want the look without the cost, you can get faux exotics which are patterns imprinted on cow hide to make it look like another type. If you want the real thing, they can be had from suppliers but at a greater cost.

Most common tanning methods for leathers are veg tan and chrome tan. Veg tans can be wet molded, chrome tan cannot.


Most items are and should be treated with some type of sealer or conditioner. The type you use will depend on the function of the item and the leather used.

 

[GI-John]

I saw a video where the a guy showed that his slide corners and edges became polished, Does this eventually happen with all leather holsters? I know that is no big deal and its not like it will cause any real problems like FTF or FTE, however, how much would it cost for a new coat on the slide?

I have absolutely no experience with any holster besides the one I used when i was 5 yrs old (cowboy costume) THAT WAS 17 YRS AGO. I have a, XD 9mm SC.

 

[Shorts]

I saw a video where the a guy showed that his slide corners and edges became polished, Does this eventually happen with all leather holsters? I know that is no big deal and its not like it will cause any real problems like FTF or FTE, however, how much would it cost for a new coat on the slide?

I have absolutely no experience with any holster besides the one I used when i was 5 yrs old (cowboy costume) THAT WAS 17 YRS AGO. I have a, XD 9mm SC.

Yes, it will happen with all holsters. The rate of wear will depend on the type of finish and how often the gun is holstered/reholstered. It's an inevitable fact of carry life.

Kind of like how your car gets dings and bumps unless it's a garage queen. Same with a gun, unless it's a safe queen, it'll get rubbed.

 

[GI-John]

I already know that I want a Leather IWB. I havent really seen any for XD 9mm SC, have you done such work?

 

[Shorts]

I already know that I want a Leather IWB. I havent really seen any for XD 9mm SC, have you done such work?

Haven't for the XD 9sc. The reason you may not see holsters for it is there is no dummy gun for the XD9sc. There is one for the XD40sc, and if they are the same specs and I believe they are, it can be made.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I already know that I want a Leather IWB. I havent really seen any for XD 9mm SC, have you done such work?

The holster I have for my Glock 23c also fits my Glock 27 perfect, maybe the same is true for the XDs.....

 

[Shorts]

yes

 

[GM.Chief]

Monica, I am fairly certain that the XD 40sc and 9sc are the same frame size, but not positive. Looking at the springfield armory website the specs for both look to be the same (length 6.25" : height 4.75" w/comp mag, 5.5" w/ ext. mag) I did not see a width, but after doing a quick google search found that its width is the same as the service model at 1.25". So yes, you can use the same dummy gun, atleast according to what I've read/seen of the two.\, although I'm sure you could probably get one of the guys at a local shop to let you check em out and measure them to be sure

 

[okie556]

The holster I have for my Glock 23c also fits my Glock 27 perfect, maybe the same is true for the XDs.....

I went that way first..........same holster for 23 & 27. Finally got a holster made just for 27........wow........what a difference. WHen you remove the extra inch needed to fit the 23 it makes all the difference in the world carrying.

Oh yeah and I have boths XD Scs is 40 and 9.........exactly same dimensions.

 

[GI-John]

i saw a pic of the them parallel and one was actually a little wider, or at least it seem it was, Ill see if I can find the pic. It was on XDTalk. I dont think it would make much of a difference but for convo purpose...

 

[DCortez]

Well hell, I don't feel any smarter yet, just more confused.

 

[GI-John]

width difference?

 

[GM.Chief]

Don't blame me...I didn't hijack the thread. I didn't get it back on track either though...lol

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I went that way first..........same holster for 23 & 27. Finally got a holster made just for 27........wow........what a difference. WHen you remove the extra inch needed to fit the 23 it makes all the difference in the world carrying.

Oh yeah and I have boths XD Scs is 40 and 9.........exactly same dimensions.

Thanks....maybe it's time to give Monica some business...