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Old 10-21-2015, 01:47 PM
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A nice gesture and a very, very, nice holster A nice gesture and a very, very, nice holster A nice gesture and a very, very, nice holster A nice gesture and a very, very, nice holster A nice gesture and a very, very, nice holster  
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Wink A nice gesture and a very, very, nice holster

A few months back, I bought a very nice rail 3913TSW. In that post I mused removing the rail to make finding a holster an easier task.

A day or so later, I received a PM from a member who has asked to remain anonymous. He strongly recommended that I not remove the rail and then came the nice gesture. His hobby, not his business, is making holsters. He offered to make a custom holster for the 3913TSW, including a provision for the rail. He had to conditions, neither of which were onerous. First, he asked that I make a donation to the forum in lieu of sending him money. No amount was suggested, just a donation.

Second, he asked that I post pictures of the finished product here. Part of that was not naming him as he wanted to avoid the appearance of trying to run a business under the radar of the management.

Let me insert an apology here as I've had the holster for several weeks now, but haven't made the time to take pictures or write this post. Today I made the time to do both.

I'll further apologize for my mediocre photography skills. They do not do this holster justice, but hopefully you folks will get an idea of how nice this is.

In this picture, you can see the nice stitching and the molding that went into the holster. I should also mention that I sent pictures and measurements of the rail to my benefactor so that he could engineer the holster to fit correctly. Since he (and probably very few people) have a dummy for a railed TSW, he had to do quite a bit of figuring to get it right. Which he did.



Another feature I requested was a stiffer, thicker side guard because on the holsters for my other 3913s, the safety/decocker lever sometimes hangs up on the side guard making holstering a bit of a chore. That's not a problem with this holster and the additional stiffness doesn't effect the comfort level when wearing.



A view of the gun in the holster. The fit is perfect.



The body side of the holster with the gun holstered. No Viagra needed for this side guard.



I'm still breaking this in, so I haven't carried it very much, but it is very comfortable so far. I expect that to increase as the leather molds to my body contours.

The only change we've discussed is going from solid belt loops to loops with snaps. That is just waiting on the arrival of "snap the dot" closures.

I've bought several holsters over the past 3-4 years and the quality of this holster is not one bit less than the quality of the holsters I've bought from some of the other makers that I've found on this site.

Again, a big thank you to my benefactor and I hope the rest of you enjoy seeing the pictures of his handiwork.

I'd like him to come forward, but that's his decision.
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Old 10-21-2015, 03:10 PM
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That is indeed a terrific looking holster and the story is great also.

I will have to admit, however, that I am not only a card-carrying member of the "I hate a tactical rail!" club, I am also the President.

I am 100% in support of the handful of folks that own & love a TSW 3rd Gen and ALSO rip off the godawful rail.
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Old 10-21-2015, 03:18 PM
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Nice..........as Lobo retires.......... we gain our own .........


"Batman" holster maker........ a man of mystery....an anonymous benefactor .............

.. showing up online to help "The holsterless"......bet he's got a real neat Bat/Man Cave under Wyann Manor...........

....only asking a small favor in return..anonymity and ...... a contribution to this Forum.

Sweeeeeet .............only on this Forum..........


What's not to like..............



By the way....... that's a real nice holster! I Like!!
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Old 10-21-2015, 03:48 PM
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I will add, hopefully without betraying a confidence, that part of his reticence is that he doesn't want to turn a hobby he enjoys into a business that he might not enjoy.

I understand that, because I've failed at that a couple of times myself.

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Originally Posted by BAM-BAM View Post
Nice..........as Lobo retires.......... we gain our own .........


"Batman" holster maker........ a man of mystery....an anonymous benefactor .............

.. showing up online to help "The holsterless"......bet he's got a real neat Bat/Man Cave under Wyann Manor...........

....only asking a small favor in return..anonymity and ...... a contribution to this Forum.

Sweeeeeet .............only on this Forum..........


What's not to like..............



By the way....... that's a real nice holster! I Like!!
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Old 10-21-2015, 05:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GaryS View Post
I will add, hopefully without betraying a confidence, that part of his reticence is that he doesn't want to turn a hobby he enjoys into a business that he might not enjoy.

I understand that, because I've failed at that a couple of times myself.

He's come up with a great idea.......to keep his/her hobby going....

If your hobby was making "birdhouses" ..... how many birdhouses can you put in your own yard?....... how many can you put in the basement before your wife invites your in-laws over for a bonfire? LOL

He can find challenges to his skills ..... get rid of excess "inventory"........ and the rest of us all benefit from his work..... LOL......
Communism at it's best! From each according to his abilities .... to each according to his needs..!!!!!!!!

I like the way the sweat-shield is molded for the safety lever....... don't think I've ever seen that before..........great small detail.........it's the small things that make the difference between a..... good and a great holster......

Last edited by BAM-BAM; 10-21-2015 at 05:13 PM.
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Old 10-21-2015, 05:41 PM
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That is a really nice-looking holster. I was hoping to get a Lobo for my son's new SR40C but he retired before I could. Finding a leather lefty holster for one of those "off brands" is tougher than I thought. I guess I may have to wait until his protege is up and running. That was a nice gesture and goes to show the quality of members here.
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Old 10-21-2015, 05:43 PM
TercGen TercGen is offline
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What a nice thing to do, and a very nice holster as well! Whoever made it did some nice stitching and a good job of approximating the rail without the benefit of a railed gun. He is obviously a pretty seasoned holster maker, great work!
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Old 10-21-2015, 09:13 PM
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He made a mock rail based on the photos and measurements I sent. I'll try to get a decent picture of the muzzle end with the rail.

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What a nice thing to do, and a very nice holster as well! Whoever made it did some nice stitching and a good job of approximating the rail without the benefit of a railed gun. He is obviously a pretty seasoned holster maker, great work!
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Old 10-21-2015, 09:58 PM
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I'm noticing he used a cute way to make bolts stick properly on leather...
that is a very seasoned and intelligent way to do it

Can't remember the name of those darned things tho...
used to call 'em wood grip screws, because they'd sink into the wood...
but I know there's a proper name for 'em...
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Old 10-21-2015, 10:03 PM
TercGen TercGen is offline
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Originally Posted by Big Shrek View Post
I'm noticing he used a cute way to make bolts stick properly on leather...
that is a very seasoned and intelligent way to do it

Can't remember the name of those darned things tho...
used to call 'em wood grip screws, because they'd sink into the wood...
but I know there's a proper name for 'em...
Those things are called 'T-nuts,' and if you do some searching online you can even find smaller diameter ones that are really nice for holsters. I usually wind up clipping the prongs though, keeps them from poking through the leather.
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Old 10-21-2015, 10:05 PM
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The technical name for the is "T nuts" and I've only seen them used on wood before. I thought as you did that using them on a holster was a really good idea.

I only found the proper name for them a few months ago when I was at a hardware store looking for some. I needed them for a small project, but couldn't remember what they were called. Fortunately, the hardware assortments had pictures as well as the name.

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Originally Posted by Big Shrek View Post
I'm noticing he used a cute way to make bolts stick properly on leather...
that is a very seasoned and intelligent way to do it

Can't remember the name of those darned things tho...
used to call 'em wood grip screws, because they'd sink into the wood...
but I know there's a proper name for 'em...
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Old 10-21-2015, 11:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GaryS View Post
The technical name for the is "T nuts" and I've only seen them used on wood before. I thought as you did that using them on a holster was a really good idea.

I only found the proper name for them a few months ago when I was at a hardware store looking for some. I needed them for a small project, but couldn't remember what they were called. Fortunately, the hardware assortments had pictures as well as the name.
Barbed tee nuts have been used on holsters since at least Bianchi's first Model 27 break front holsters circa 1970. Certainly the better engineering choice over post screws, which are a craft choice.

Very nicely styled holster. Well done to you both :-)
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Old 10-21-2015, 11:18 PM
Krell1 Krell1 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GaryS View Post
I will add, hopefully without betraying a confidence, that part of his reticence is that he doesn't want to turn a hobby he enjoys into a business that he might not enjoy.

I understand that, because I've failed at that a couple of times myself.
I succumbed to turning a hobby into a business and I immediately regretted doing so. I have since gone back to a hobby and make things for friends and relatives when I can. As a business, customers come in all shapes and sizes with all kinds of attitudes as well. Attitudes I didn't need so I'll always tell people to really consider carefully before they make a decision.

Oh, and great holster by the way.
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Old 10-22-2015, 02:55 AM
GerSan69 GerSan69 is offline
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Yep, a great gesture and a beautiful holster!!!
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