Hey Guys,
I'm a custom holster maker by trade and planning to increase my selection of Mold-Guns. What handgun models are currently popular? Thanks for everyone's help!
Randy
Looking at that poll referred to earlier it occurred to me that what a custom holster maker really wants to know is, " What handguns would people pay for a high quality holster as a retaining device? and yet another question is, "What demands are going unmet by current makers"?
The poll also lacked a number of brands.
I would guess the best market for high quality holsters would divide into three groups:
Law enforcement belt carry
Concealed carry
Cowboy SASS and CMSA
(the competitive combat market seems to have moved to almost all plastic)
The law enforcement market is pretty tradition bound and there are a number of large manufacturers well entrenched.
The concealed carry market is growing by leaps and bounds and many of the established designs were designed for law enforcement rather than the civilian market. As a result, many holsters are easy to place and remove but sacrifice concealability with on the belt designs. The ability to conceal primary weapons is less important for law enforcement than the civilian and retired LEOSA market. That has created a large market that is not being well met by current makers. LEOs share that interest for their back up guns.
The between the belt and the pants holster goes almost ignored, yet many knowledgeable carriers understand the advantage of this type of carry.
Galco exited that market a number of years ago because some idiot decided to use that method to carry a Glock and Galco apparently didn't warn people enough. About the only sources for these I am aware of are
D.M. Bullard Leather and they get a Benjamin for it and Mitch Rosen who gets two Benjamins and more for theirs.
Most of the high end leather on the belt holsters are pretty good from a carry, retention, and draw point of view but lousy at concealment.
The last shoulder holster I had any respect for was made by Seventrees in the 1970s. Like the much earlier Berns Martins they incorporated spring steel clips which allowed for completely different designs that allowed very fast access. While I'm not a big shoulder holster fan myself, a lot of people want them but don't seem to like what they buy.
The cowboy market is a world in its own with some well established but aging builders. Cowboy shooters will spend a lot of money for the right combination of look and function. Think
Alfanso or
Mernickle and prices ranging from $400-$1,000.00. Anyone entering that market would really have to excel to compete
and would have to find top shooters to supply and sponsor.
What would I buy and pay for?
High end elephant hide on the belt holsters for a Bond Arms Bullpup and for a Springfield Armory XDs .45 ACP that conceal very well, draw fast, and have either steel or some type of insert that allow easy reholstering. Of course I would want a belt to match. I would also spend real money on an innovative leather holster that was reverse cant and open on the leading edge with the gun retailed by spring steel clips sandwiched between leather.
Others may have other ideas. These are strictly mine. 
