Posted By: jdh2550
Contender Holster Project - 02/03/2018 8:51 PM
Warning lots of pics...
For those of you having trouble finding a TC Contender holster that fits your needs, consider making your own. I have made several holsters in the past few years but this was my first attempt at a scoped handgun holster.
It is not a very difficult DIY, but it is time consuming. There are not many tools needed. You probably have most of them already.
For this project, I used a piece of 6-8 ounce cowhide.
Start by making a template with a sheet of paper to get the general shape you are looking for. Check it for fit. Then lay your paper template on a piece of quality leather and cut it out. Remember you can always trim it down later in the process but you can't add material back to it. I always cut a little bigger than my template.
Wrap your handgun in clear plastic wrap and set it aside. Submerse the leather pattern in a sink full of water. Lightly scrub it with your hands (I also add a few drops of dawn dish detergent to the water). You want the leather wet the whole way through. Remove the leather from the water and lightly wipe the excess water off with a towel. Form the leather around the handgun (make sure it is covered in plastic wrap). Rub the leather hard with your hands to imprint the shape of the gun into the leather. I use binder clips to hold the holster in shape, just remember the binder clips will leave a mark in the leather. Then I let it firm up and dry at least overnight.
Here I added another piece of leather around the cut out for the scope and stitched it in place. This just helps firm up this area of the holster. Keep your stitch spacing uniform distance throughout. I use a hand push drill to drill the holes to pass the leather needle through. Lay out your spacing on the top piece of leather and drill the stitch holes. Then lay this leather on top of the holster and mark where to drill the holster so the holes line up. Make sure to use a needle and thread made for leather work. Hand stitching leather takes a lot of time. Don?t forget to add the snap hardware as you go. Edge the leather with a leather edging tool. It basically bevels the top of the cut leather edge. You can sand your leather edges with a sander so the edges match up perfectly.
I forgot to add the retention snap base.
This is the final coat of a quality leather dye. Some makers submerse the leather in a dye. I don't want to buy gallons of leather dye, so I rub it in one coat at a time with a rag, just like waxing a car. After the dye is completely dry (overnight) I apply a few good protective clear finish coat that is compatible with the dye I used. Then buff it with a soft cloth. Use a wooden dowel rod to burnish the edges of the cut leather. This holster still needs a retention strap over the hammer that will snap onto the front of the holster.
If you are like me, you will make some mistakes along the way. The biggest challenge is not making a mistake that you can't fix. This holster took time to complete. I didn't keep track but I will guess I have 20 hours in it. Take your time cutting, spacing your stitches and let the dye completely dry and it will last a lifetime.
For those of you having trouble finding a TC Contender holster that fits your needs, consider making your own. I have made several holsters in the past few years but this was my first attempt at a scoped handgun holster.
It is not a very difficult DIY, but it is time consuming. There are not many tools needed. You probably have most of them already.
For this project, I used a piece of 6-8 ounce cowhide.
Start by making a template with a sheet of paper to get the general shape you are looking for. Check it for fit. Then lay your paper template on a piece of quality leather and cut it out. Remember you can always trim it down later in the process but you can't add material back to it. I always cut a little bigger than my template.
Wrap your handgun in clear plastic wrap and set it aside. Submerse the leather pattern in a sink full of water. Lightly scrub it with your hands (I also add a few drops of dawn dish detergent to the water). You want the leather wet the whole way through. Remove the leather from the water and lightly wipe the excess water off with a towel. Form the leather around the handgun (make sure it is covered in plastic wrap). Rub the leather hard with your hands to imprint the shape of the gun into the leather. I use binder clips to hold the holster in shape, just remember the binder clips will leave a mark in the leather. Then I let it firm up and dry at least overnight.
Here I added another piece of leather around the cut out for the scope and stitched it in place. This just helps firm up this area of the holster. Keep your stitch spacing uniform distance throughout. I use a hand push drill to drill the holes to pass the leather needle through. Lay out your spacing on the top piece of leather and drill the stitch holes. Then lay this leather on top of the holster and mark where to drill the holster so the holes line up. Make sure to use a needle and thread made for leather work. Hand stitching leather takes a lot of time. Don?t forget to add the snap hardware as you go. Edge the leather with a leather edging tool. It basically bevels the top of the cut leather edge. You can sand your leather edges with a sander so the edges match up perfectly.
I forgot to add the retention snap base.
This is the final coat of a quality leather dye. Some makers submerse the leather in a dye. I don't want to buy gallons of leather dye, so I rub it in one coat at a time with a rag, just like waxing a car. After the dye is completely dry (overnight) I apply a few good protective clear finish coat that is compatible with the dye I used. Then buff it with a soft cloth. Use a wooden dowel rod to burnish the edges of the cut leather. This holster still needs a retention strap over the hammer that will snap onto the front of the holster.
If you are like me, you will make some mistakes along the way. The biggest challenge is not making a mistake that you can't fix. This holster took time to complete. I didn't keep track but I will guess I have 20 hours in it. Take your time cutting, spacing your stitches and let the dye completely dry and it will last a lifetime.
