Made a hybrid holster for my SA XDs

[NEB]

I saw a similar design online by HarWell, and since I have all the supplied laying around for making sheaths for the knives I make, I thought I'd give it a go. The back came from some scrap with markings on it I had around as I didn't want to cut up my good hides unless I liked how it worked. As such, I didn't spend a great deal of time fully finishing the leather. It's has not been dyed and has a neatsfoot oil finish and partially burnished/dyed edges. I molded the kydex and cut it to shape, then added the leather lining:



The clip mounting t-post was heated and pressed into the kydex to recess it:







It mounts to the leather backing with chicago screws for disassembly for cleaning if needed:













I'm pleased with how it turned out for a few hours work. I switched the J-clip in the earlier pic with a mid-length clip from one of my Garrett holsters. It wears really comfortably, very similarly to a Crossbreed as far as comfort of the holster, and it has infinitely adjustable cant. I'll give it a good run over the next several weeks and see what changes I need to make.

--NEB

[Scottishredneck]

Thats a very good looking holster, hope it works out for you. Let us know how it is after you have tried it out for a while.

One question, what do you use to keep the leather on the kydex?

Thanks

[NEB]

Thanks for the compliment. This was my first time bonding leather to kydex, but lots of guys do it in the knife community in some form or another for sheaths. For this go-around, I just used a quality contact cement that I normally use to bond leather layers. Paint both sides, let it tack up, and then carefully press the leather on. I boned the leather to the shape of the kydex while the contact cement was setting to get the best bond I could, especially around the upper edge where there is the most likelihood of separation due to contact when holstering the firearm. Pretty much any quality glue should work well enough that you'd tear the leather apart getting it off. I originally tried it without the leather lining on the kydex; however, I didn't like the wear I was getting on the slide where the t-post was flush mounted (due to the slight edge of the kydex there). The leather lining also increases the tightness of the fit as the kydex is molded to the firearm directly. Adding that thin layer gives you a more snug fit, and it allows you to possibly use spacers to adjust the retention to some degree. However, with this type of holster (as with Crossbreed holsters), retention is increased when the holster is worn as your clothing and belt press the leather side of the holster more closely against the gun.

--NEB

[Scottishredneck]

Thanks again NEB, lots of great ideas you have come up with there.

You should think about going into business, I am sure they would sell

[ARblitz4077]

Very nice work! How do you stitch leather? I see that the top part of sweat guard has stitching on the gun side. Is that machined?

[The Annoyed Man]

Man that is really nice work for a first effort. How much do you think it would cost to reproduce it if you wanted to sell these.....in ballpark figures?

[NEB]

AR, this one isn't stitched. I had thought about doing it (as a decoration only...it's not functional) but decided against it since I was just building it to see how well it worked. The line you see is a decorative stitch groove with stitch spacing marks in it. It's done with hand tools. I also hand-stitch all my leather, so if I had stitched, it would be where the groove is and follow the spacing marks. It's not perfect as I kind of rushed through it to get it completed around midnight one evening :). If it were stitched, the stitching would be visible from the rear also, though it would be recessed slightly in a stitch groove and then compressed with an over-stitch wheel.

TAM, thanks for the comment. I was pleased with how it turned out, but this isn't entirely my first time in the rodeo when it comes to kydex and leather. However, it is my first time making a gun holster. I'd say that, hypothetically, I would sell something like what you see with leather lining, no stitching, no dye job for around $50. If the leather was dyed and stitched, I'd probably add another $5-$10. However, I'm far from being able to do any type of production of these. My day job keeps me busy (except when I'm goofing around on the message board ), and the family at home takes most the rest of time.

--neb

[AlphaWhiskey]

Nicely done NEB, the leather lining was a very nice touch.