custom made holsters?

[Varminterror]

That's why i told him get blue guns.

Blue guns ain’t free. And it only gets worse when guys have railed pistols with different laser or light options.

I’ve been leatherworking since I was a kid, I made good money in high school and college making chaps and tack, and saddle repairs, then in college I turned out a bunch of cowboy action holsters and belt rigs. I have a couple kydex presses, both for “taco style” and for “pancakes.” I own about $5,000 in hand tools and more than that in sewing machines, plus splitters, 5 in 1’s, clickers, saddle jacks, vacuum press, spot setters, etc. That’s before you get into any custom hardware, I love doing leatherwork, but it doesn’t pay worth a damn. I take on projects every year still, just as a means of justifying the space my bench and tools consume, but it’s about the least I can get paid per hour, out of all of my side job type income streams. I own a couple dozen blue guns, and most of those only because I bought out one of my mentors’ inventories when he passed - they take up a lot of space, cost a lot, and if a guy isn’t making a lot of holsters for that model, it’s not worth buying.

I made a habit of pumping out a handful of holsters any time I had to work up a new pattern, or especially any time I had to buy a new blue gun. A guy can also make his own holster form guns if he’s handy with either silicone or plaster molding. Make a negative mold, then fill with epoxy. Still ain’t cheap, but cheaper than a production blue gun. But it also does take a long time, on an already long process.

If your buddy has improved in technique since he made that holster pictured above, he might stand to make some side money by word of mouth. I’m confident that holster is very durable and functional, but it has a lot of issues when compared against other professional holsters on the market. If they still look like that, tell him to be happy making and selling to family and friends and keep doing what he’s doing.

 

[Red Cent]

Interesting take on "custom holsters". I do it to satisfy my days. Hobby that pays for itself. I would not look forward to investing time and money to make it my bread and butter.

Better have some working capital along with equipment to start.

 

[burrhead]

A Border Patrolman who lives a couple of towns away from me makes custom holsters on the side. He has a small but loyal local following. This is a pancake he made for my 2 1/2" 686. He didn't have a blue gun so I left the revolver for him to use as a pattern. It's lined, ran me about $150 and it's worth it. Good leather ain't cheap.

 

[Iggy]

Consider asking the customer to contribute a blue gun to make his holster as part of the price..

 

[ChanceMcCall]

Now I'm not a holster maker, nor am I in any gun related business. I am a holster user and a decent businessman. So, take this for what it worth.

Has he considered being a niche maker?

Examples: Certain "new" and more expensive handguns lack good companion holsters. My wife carries a Boberg and she wants both a between the belt and an on the belt holster. She cannot find anything she likes in leather, and is not a big fan of Kydex. She would love an on the belt holster that was reinforced with either steel or kydex. She would go crazy for an on the belt holster that was a spring steel lined leather holster that was open at the front.

Obviously if she is going to carry a Boberg, she can spend the money for a really good holster.

Cowboy shooters (SASS, CMSA, CFDA) spend lots of money on holsters as someone mentioned earlier. To reach this trade however means traveling to their events and displaying and getting some of the really good shooters to use the holster makers product.

LEOs are another market that takes showing up and displaying and getting name shooters to use the product. There is a huge soft and deep cover market that is being served, but not very well.

There are lots of holster makers that make good quality me too holsters. There are very few who are innovative or who really work at promoting their products if it means going out to actual shooters and learning what they want and then offering it at shows and events.

There is a market for someone who really wants it.

 

[CraigC]

It's a saturated market, for sure, especially in the area of concealed carry. It's why I never went in that direction. I've been doing it part time for five years and I've never been able to pay for my tools. Once my backlog reached a year, I felt like I was just playing catch-up with no end in sight, rather than enjoying the process. I once figured I made about $8/hr for just a basic holster, sometimes less. You can cut corners and speed things along but when you try your best to do it right, it takes a lot of time with nothing but hand tools. To make any money at it, you need to do it in bulk and for that, you need to machine stitch and a clicker press with an assortment of dies. That requires a substantial financial investment and long term commitment. I would suggest that if he enjoys doing it that he not try to make a living at it.

As for doing it while doing other things, I don't recommend it. If you're not focused on what you're doing, your work won't be worth paying for.

If he insists on giving it a shot, I strongly suggest he learns everything he can and do it right. Concentrate on the consistency and appearance of the stitching and edges. Edges and stitching make or break custom leather work. When I look at leatherwork, factory or custom, it's the first thing I look at. I've seen the work of 40yr veteran knifemakers who make great knives but their sheaths look like a 6yr old made them. No edge paint. No drilling holes. Take your time and do it right, speed will come with experience.