Leather Information Wanted

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PCRCCW

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Good day.....as some of you know Im jumping from a part time custom holster maker to a full time....do or die....holster/other leather sundries maker.
I was browsing the net looking at similar stuff to what I make and/or will start making and had some questions come up......

So instead of just guessing or saying "self what would you pay for that?"....I thought I would throw this out to the THR public.

Be as specific as you want or as vague as you want.....its all good information in the end. If you want to specify a range...go for it.

1) What $ would be fair/reasonable for a Custom/high end CCW Holster?

2) What $ would be fair/reasonable for very nice leather holster that isnt a custom.......off of the shelf, as it were?

3) The same for a good, solid, designed just for carry...gun belt?
Single/double thick...
4) How about a single/double leather mag holster.....belt or IWB?

5) What semi popular guns out there do you think would justify a holster that doesnt already have one?

6) For Women (you can email me this one as it may be very long)
What problems do you have in your daily CCW routine that could be improved upon with "ladies only" or gender specific items: inc, holsters, belts, purses....etc. Go for it.........

7) What did I miss....that you feel is a bit of information I may want to know???/

Thanks for your help........I appreciate your input.

Shoot well
 
OK, I'll start.

I consider Mitch Rosen's holsters to be near-custom. If we ever get concealed carry here in my state, I'd certainly consider spending $250 or more for one of his IWB holsters with the fancy trim.

For "off the shelf," I have a Rosen ARG Express model that I paid about $85, if memory serves me correct. I think that's a very fair price for the quality. The single mag IWB holder was $65, and that was Rosen's regular model, not the Express.

Generally, I think that if your products are of the same quality as Rosen, Sparks and the others, your prices should be in the same range.

It's hard to imagine anyone making an IWB holster that's more concealable than what's out there now, but if you could make one that's more comfortable you could sell a warehousefull.

Good luck!
 
www.donhume.com gets most of my leather-goods money, but...

In my opinion, and limited experience, Andy Aratoonian (Horseshoe Leather), Steve Kanaly (Milt Sparks holsters) and Lou Alessi (Alessi holsters) are the only three craftsman whose products are worthy of their higher-than-Don-Hume asking price.
 
2. Well, I happen to be a Galco and a Desantis fan...and a few of their nice off the shelf holsters are 60-80 dollars. I got the FLETCH from galco for 65.

5. I think the Steyr is popular enough to deserve some more brands making holsters. Also the Springfield XD is lacking holster availability.
 
PCRCCW,

Re women's holsters:

1) Crossdraw works well for a lot of women. Ditto regular holsters in the appendix carry position. This is because women have curves from waist to hip, where men are mostly straight up and down. So offer a good crossdraw, and a good holster designed to be carried in the appendix spot.

2) Offset holsters are ok for range work, but suck for concealed carry. Please don't try to sell them as concealment holsters for women, because any newbie woman who tries one will soon be convinced that she simply can't conceal a weapon, and stop trying.

3) Drop holsters are more comfortable for a lot of women, but the big drawback is that they often hang far below what could be considered a reasonable length for a cover garment. Combine a drop with a fairly radical cant and it's a bit more doable.

4) (Personal issue here) I dislike open-muzzle-end holsters, partly because the visible muzzle gives me the heebie jeebies and partly as a comfort thing. Any holster designed to go inside the waist really shouldn't be driving the front sights into my tender skin.

5) I know very few women who carry regularly who haven't personalized their carry gear in one way or another. One woman has taken a Coronado purse and altered the retention system inside it; another has taken a belly band and switched things around to make it more comfortable; another added some fuzzy padding to the back side of her paddle holster. If you had designs that were alteration-friendly in one way or another (an extra loop so the cant could be changed, a purse with an inside velcro holster that could be switched around in several ways, that sort of thing), you'd probably be ahead of the game.

6) Pretty matters. If I'm going to spend a fortune on a piece of leather, I want to be proud of it. It should be in an interesting color or have pretty decorative stamping. I want it to look like a girl owns it (and, not incidentally, I want to keep my husband from stealing it when I'm not looking).

My .02. Good luck to you. :)

pax
 
I like the Wilson Combat holsters especially the "Practical". The price was certainly well in line with any of the other manufacturers. I would like the holster even better if it had a slight cant. I suffer from osteo arthritus of the right shoulder(already replaced the left hip and shoulder) and to draw my Kimber straight up is really painful. With a forward cant the draw is much less painful. Sometime I hope to find a maker who will make me a new piece of leather for the holster that will allow the cant. :D
 
I'd suggest goin' where the crowd ain't.

You've got some really good competition out there from the big names. There there are the operators like Wild Bill who has custom work at mass prices.

One area where the crowd ain't is in off-body carry. Options are not nearly as plentiful as traditional on-body carry. Just a few suggestions:

--make a rig for brief case carry; perhaps an insert to hold it fast and in place in a brief case but allow for spare mags or loaders. Quiick disconnect to allow for attachment to a belt.

--design a rig for mounting a holster to a car seat or car door. I envision a rig to hold a holster to the front of a seat or the back of a seat which permits rapid and secure access. Again, provide for quick detachment for re-attachment to a belt.

--design belts for use with CCH that features a hard-if-not-impossible-to-cut-through core which could be marketed to those who travel by air.

I'm sure there are other off-body needs out there.
 
Well, a hundred bucks is about the most I could/would pay for a holster...most of mine have been between 60-80 dollars. I have a couple of Wild Bills, a Kirkpatrick, Mitch Rosen (came with a used gun, wouldn't have bought it otherwise - too expensive), and I'll soon order my 3rd FIST. I like Wild Bill's belts, but for my money, FIST is where it's at for holsters; you get hard leather, hand boning, tons of options, and good service, all for under $100. I adore their #2 easy on holster, everybody should have an OWB that snaps on and off.

Anyways, hope you find that little rant useful!:)
 
yeah the milt sparks line is ridiculously cheap for what it is, so you have tough competition there. I'd have trouble paying more than about $80 or so.

IMO, i'm so dang cheap that I just started to make my own.

A really nice belt, though, would be like gold. Has anyone ever thought about lining the inside of a leather belt with a nylon belt for a hybrid double thickness? This might be my next project.
 
PCRCCW;

One suggestin to you was 'go where the others aren't'. A good idea, but the poster didn't take you there IMHO.

An idea that I've posted before & not gotten a whole lot of positive response about is this. Holsters or other carry containers for people who engage in active sports but do not want to forego on the body carry. A motorcyclist may want to carry, but reduce the risk of having the gun punch out his kidney or break ribs in case of a fall. Skiers, kayakers, mountain bikers, same idea.

My idea has always been a larger area on the body side, to spread the impact area, with high density foam between the gun & body.

Take a good look at the sports clothing for these & other activities. Many of the current styles are loose & would accomodate a larger padded type of rig I'd think.

I really hope this helps, 'cause I'm active & would like to buy, or preferably test, your product. 900F
 
One That Does Not Exist-

Greeting's Sir,

I would like to see someone come up with a leather
holster on the QUALITY level of Bianchi-Safariland-
Don Hume, for the 5" barrel N-frame Smith & Wesson.
Example: 629-5 .44 magnum "Classic"

Say with at least a 2" belt slot, and in the form of a "high
ride" design; with the right hand draw.

*FootNote- several member's have e-mailed me asking
what do I do for leather for this weapon. I tell 'em all,
NO QUALITY LEATHER EXIST FOR THE S&W N-FRAME IN
THIS BARREL LENGTH!

Respectfully,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
When I look at gunleather, I look for quality: nice leather, good stitching and a design that doesn't look thrown together. I also have an affinity for holster designs that show the curves of the gun as clearly as possible.

Quality costs, but there is a line where I feel you are no longer paying for quality, but a name or prestige. An off-the-shelf holster should be doable for $70 at this level. A custom could be any price depending on the complexity, design-work, etc, but I would expect it to start around $120.

FYI, I looked all over God's green Internet to find a place selling holsters for the Ruger Redhawk without a thumbstrap. I had one made by Tucker, but he was the only one willing to do it, and he had to purchase a model to do it. People willing to do things like that are more likely to get repeat business from me. I'm probably going to have the Ruger cut down in about 6 months or so and I'll go to Tucker for a replacement holster.

Belts, I'd like to pick up a nice heavy, leather belt, but prices are ridiculous from many rig makers. I see plain black belts with cheap lookining buckles priced at $65. I would take a nice belt with no buckle, 1-1/4" wide for $30. With a little design work, or a nice buckle choice, I would pay more, but no more than $65.

I'd also love to see vertical knife holsters for fixed blades.
 
I spent a former life as a saddlemaker, custom leather goods maker.

I got into leather work as a cowboy that couldn't afford custom stuff. Once I got decent at it, it subsidized my income. Once I got good, I made a living off it for a few years.

My experience:

Custom goods are ususally cheaper than mass marketed "custom leather" Rosen, Hume, Sparks, all have large advertising budgets that add to the overhead. They also have employees, large facilities, duplicate equipment, etc. For that matter so do Bianchi, Galco and the like.

I could produce a very good quality saddle, gun belt, etc, cheaper and of better material than most of the commercial competitors.

For pricing ask your self this; how many can I produce and market? How long does it take to produce it? What is my cost of materials? How much do I expect to make off this annually?

From that you can calculate your price per piece.

A friend of mine that taught me most of what I know about leather work once worked for a shop that had 2 full time saddlemakers, and once apprentice. They would have several saddles in progress at all times but were expected to produce an average of 2 per day.

Do you want to work it that hard? Or is this a hobby, side job that you WANT to do for added money?

I got out of the full time thing because I hated building what other people wanted on a deadline. I like building what I want to and only spending as much time on it as I feel like. It was/is a better hobby for me than a living.
 
Quote:
"Belts, I'd like to pick up a nice heavy, leather belt, but prices are ridiculous from many rig makers. I see plain black belts with cheap lookining buckles priced at $65. I would take a nice belt with no buckle, 1-1/4" wide for $30. With a little design work, or a nice buckle choice, I would pay more, but no more than $65."


I remember Lou Alessi talking about belts over at Pistolsmith some time ago. He said that he doesn't really like making belts because they're very labor intensive - at least the way he makes them they are. A well made gun belt takes more time to make than many holsters do, so you shouldn't feel that at $65, it gets no better, because it does.
I bought one of his belts about a year ago and it is the best I have ever seen. HIGH quality. At $85 I think it was a genuine bargain, and I expect it will last for many years.
 
Wow.....great information and thanks to you all. I tried to reply to this thread previously but my puter was having a bad day....
Give me some time to process the inforation given and Ill get back with you all.............Thanks, Shoot well Eric
 
i always thought it would be cool to have an area on my holster to hold my ccw permit. i lose things easily, and i don't carry a regular purse or wallet.

with a permit pocket, when i am carrying gun, i know i have my permit as well.



jade
 
Monkeyleg,
that's a good point. when i first thought of the idea(a while ago), i thought i would keep the original permit in with my usual stuff(id, credit card, etc) and carry a copy of the permit with the holster.
 
Everybody and his brother is making holsters. When was the last time you saw a good inexpensive mag pouch for IPSC? I've made a few, long ago now, that cost me about $5Cdn to make including the Chicago screw. Sold 'em easily for $15 Cdn each. Black only and no tooling. Hand sewn, pre-shrunk, 8 oz leather and the Chicago screw for tension adjustment. They weren't really required. The water forming did that well.
 
I would like to see someone come up with a leather
holster on the QUALITY level of Bianchi-Safariland-
Don Hume, for the 5" barrel N-frame Smith & Wesson.
Example: 629-5 .44 magnum "Classic"
Click to expand...

The latest issue of the Dillon Blue Press lists a Kramer holster for a 5" barrel N-frame. There's also a Sidearmor listed, but that's not leather.

Here's a link to the Kramer on Dillon's website
http://dillonprecision.com/template/p.cfm?maj=52&min=0&dyn=1& (scroll down a bit, it's after the full-moon clips)
 
Check out the Cowboy Action Shooting scene. I bet the SASS shooters spend more on leather than almost any other sport shooters. No Kydex or ballistic nylon allowed, so leather is in high demand. Fat guys like me are always looking for looooooong gun belts, cartridge belts and such truck.

Hutch, aka "Tubby Thumbwheeler"
 
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