Here is my idea of what a belt slide "minimalist" holster should be.

Slight forward tilt. No retention strap. Covered trigger guard. The inside piece of leather is thicker, and the outside piece is longer. This allows it to bend easier to the wearer's body for better comfort. This is designed to be worn at the "3 O'clock" position.

Note how the grip is tilted inward (toward the body) for better concealment.


Edit Add: covered trigger guard.

Attached Images

	100_4551.jpg (67.8 KB, 750 views)
	100_4552.jpg (53.5 KB, 204 views)

I like it. Everything about it works for me. How long did it take you to make that?

Just as an aside, what kind of pistol you got in it? And how do you like that checkered MSH? I'm getting ready to put one on one of my Colts.

After I got the pattern made, I suppose it took about four hours to cut the leather, dye it, stitch it, and then wet-mold it.

The pistol is a Colt M1991A1, Series 80, stainless.

I got it used, and a previous owner had installed an arched SS mainspring housing. I do not like arched mainspring housings, so I replaced it with a flat one from Ed Brown (IIRC). The checkering was part of the deal. I like it well, but it would be fine by me either with or without the checkering. In any event, the piece is very well made.

If you do your own leather work, I would be happy to send you a copy of the pattern. Just send PM.

+1 on liking the minimalist holster. Looks like it works well and you actually use it.

FWIW, I also like a checkered flat mainspring housing on a 1911.

Whole package really ticks a lot of boxes for me.

Nice holster, looks well made. Don't know that I would call in "Minimalist" though, thats' a lot of leather.

__________________
Support your Police, & NRA

Yes, the holster definitely gets used. Here are pictures of the two pistols I carry in it, although the stainless steel one gets the most holster time. Both are Colt 1991A1 Series 80 pistols.

Attached Images

	100_4549.JPG (78.2 KB, 42 views)
	100_4550.JPG (80.6 KB, 33 views)

my late father made a similar slide holster for about every gun he bought... he called them Yaqui slides... but it is not correct as I have been told... he made his a bit shorter and would kick one out in about 2 nights in front of the TV between ice cream breaks... they are relatively easy to make... just remember to use a baggie to wet mold the leather to your gun...

Very nice work, Warren!

I don't even bother with the plastic bag. I just soak the completed holster in warm tap water for about a minute. Then I spray the handgun with WD40, CLP, or whatever other lubricant I might have handy. I then force the handgun into the holster and fit it to the gun. After that I pull the gun out and set the holster aside to dry. I wipe the gun down with a paper towel to remove any water, then wipe it down again with oil. Never, ever had any rust.

For the next 24 hours or so, every now and then, when I think of it, I force the gun back inside the drying holster and re-form the holster to the gun with my fingers, then remove the gun and set the holster aside again to continue drying. By the time the holster is dry, the gun fits perfectly.

I'm hoping you will invest some time in getting up to speed as tomhow all that is done properly. Short course: water only as hot as your hand will tolerate; immerse only 10-15 seconds; "case" the wetted holster in a plastic bag a half hour; mould and then dry with heated forced air about 130 degs for a half hour. All this is the ideal way to invoke the collagen in the leather and yields the sort of hardened result we all seek.

There's a LOT to know about making superb holsters. Moulding is just one piece of it.

__________________
Red Nichols The Holstorian

What does "invoke the collagen" mean? I have never heard of that phrase.

It seems one man's "properly" is another man's "improperly", regarding leather molding. Everything I have read before advised against hot air and forced drying, and emphasized the exact opposite.

Which is why I wrote a response. In general, those who write about holstercraft are not the true professionals in the biz. The pros don't bother with forums generally, and those who do aren't inclined to give out what they think are 'secret' processes. Or let their competitors know they're either doing it wrong, or the hard way. And there is also a lot of libel on forums, written by anonymous fools, so these experts stay away or don't use their real names. Can't blame them, I've copped my fair share of this abuse on various forums

The few pros who post on forums also didn't apprentice at big firms, so they think that everyone is doing things the handicraft way. Myself, I've worked with the largest, the smallest, and the 'mediumest' makers.

Buy a copy of John Bianchi's American Legend book. You'll see large dryers in his factory pics.

Inside leather, amongst the fibres, is collagen. Think of it as glue. When the leather is wetted, the fibres become flexible and the collagen softens. Drying fixes the fibres in their new position, and hardens the collagen ditto. Its the way leather armour is/was made.

What is true about drying wet leather is that you must not close an oven door on all that moisture, with high heat. You'll end up with a prune. The hot, wet air MUST escape rapidly. The Bianchi ovens in the book are/were tunnels with heated blowers; the holsters are hanging on racks that are travelling thru the tunnels as if it were a pizza oven: when they emerge, they are 'done'.

Use a fan force oven, set at say 130-150 F, with the door open. You will know if the heat is too high if the glued edges of the leather separate at all. And if it takes more than a half hour to dry, the temp is too low. Personally I use a fan-force room heater, blowing into the opening of a five sided box: with thee wet holster in the box, and a short space between heater and box, the wet air swirls and then exits as new air blows in. Kind of an EZ bake oven on Speed. My holsters never shrink and become too tight. And its WAY quicker than waiting a few days. Good weather not required tho that's standard where I've lived around the world.

You can use direct, hot sun, too. On a warm day use a black background. On a v hot day, use white. But be aware that sunlight reddens wetted veg leather. And the sun can also make prunes of a wet holster on a black background!

Look me up: red nichols holsters on Google. Been at this a long, long time.

__________________
Red Nichols The Holstorian

Please explain about * "case" the wetted holster in plastic bag for half hour * . i've read the accounts from the usual old timers like Keith and Jorden, but I don't recall that terminology.

Disclaimer - I rarely wet mold leather on purpose ( rainstorms and canoe tip overs occasionally happen) , but I like to know how just in case a specific piece needs it.

Thanks to Warren for the question and to Red for his quick response !

Here can be read a bit more (not all for holsters) about "Cuir Bouilli/Hardened Leather"
Hardened Leather

P.44

P44 is right on the money. It's a very old process. And it works because of the science involved, not the mystery of it all. IN English we call this "boiled leather" but any water temperature higher than what you can put your hand into, will attack the veg leather as surely as it will your hand.

"Casing". Dunno the origin of the word itself. It's a process that's standard with those who carve leather. Wet leather, right out of the water bucket is too wet. You'll get poor results for moulding to the pistol, or stamping it.

When we look at the gorgeous results in Heiser and Lawrence Mexican carving, notice that the stamped parts are discoloured. Darker. This has been done with cased leather.

So: for holster moulding, it's why we use hot water. The leather will immediately begin to give up the excess water, and change to a colour midway between newly wet (very dark) and dry (very light). That's the sweet spot for moulding and stamping. A newly wetted holster will get there quickly. The purpose of the plastic bag is to stall the readiness of the leather, until you yourself are ready.

__________________
Red Nichols The Holstorian

Rednichols, thank you for your input. I am going to try baking my next holster.