Question about tooling leather & Holster making

[jaredb03]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this type of question but i am new to this forum as well as new to making leather holsters. I have made a total of 3 holsters so far and they turned out fairly well for the first few attempts.
I am out of leather as i only order a small amount to see if i enjoyed making them and i am now ready to place another order for leather.
So to my question. I am planing to order a double shoulder 8-10oz, but i was also looking at horse-butt. The website says it is good for making holsters and i like the natural color of it so i wouldn't have to stain it. I was wondering if horse-butt was good for making holsters as it is only 6-7oz which seems low for holsters, and also can you tool horse-butt? I am more concerned about the tooling of horse-butt. Thanks in advance.

 

[Old Fuff]

I'm not sure about tooling "horse-butt," but I suggest you call the leather supplier and ask.

6-7 0z. is light for most holsters, especially for larger guns. I believe that in many cases where it's used a piece of 3-4 or 4-5 ordinary cow-leather is glued to the horsehide with the finished side out. However I would consider a total 8-plus thickness might be a bit much for a shoulder holster pouch - depending on the style of the rig you have in mind. Also if you use the 2-piece method you may have to do an additional 1/3 to 1/2 more stitching - which could matter if you were doing it my hand rather then machine.

 

[denster]

The horse butts will not tool well at all and dyeing them anything but black will not work well. Getting them to absorb moisture takes a lot longer than vegtan cowhide but it can be done. Molding the holster takes longer also. The 6/7 OZ weight is plenty by itself for most holsters as the grain is so dense that it is much more rigid that cowhide. Makes a really nice holster just more work than cowhide.