Little background, I’m retired Army and shoot my own steel in the desert weekly. I’d avoided competition mostly because the gear expense and club fee stuff just seemed better spent on ammo til last month when a vet bro of mine said I should give it a shot since I’m getting bored doing my own thing.Being in Vegas, Magnus sports is right down the road from me  so tips and advice has been constant. But being lefty, hearing about broken holsters, belt clips, Et al I decided to make my own stuff ideally for 3-gun ( although running is a problem with plates and pins acting as my ankle) but suited for hard use.
This is where I started, a local was selling his sti dvc 3-gun very cheap, I had it inspected and had always wanted one so I picked it up and ended all excuses. I initially used standard 1/8 kydex then cracked it on my anvil with a moderate hit with a hammer ( big reason why I don’t use kydex on my carry) since I got a full shop and make knives and all kinds of stuff I figured casting some aluminum belt clips much like the ones used by cr speed with a nut inset for screws to hold a stainless plate.. on the outside my thought was to leave it for drilling however needed. I’m still monkeying with the holster to get the adjustment with the knob just right to allow easy draw and a turn to lock it tight. Also need to reheat the top section to allow the thumb safety to be covered and not snug over so I don’t accidentally engage or disengage it on draw or return.

What I’m looking for is those who’ve done the same or have ideas on things to improve current existing set ups so I can learn from and incorporate the ideas.

Making your own is gear is great but somethings are better left to the professionals especially 3-Gun gear.

Attached File

I’m not seeing anything lacking from what I made and what you paid for except my holster is 1/4 thick.
Where’s the benefit in the pro holster that I’m missing?

There's about 5-6yrs of refinement and hundreds of major matches you can't see. The stuff that matters isn't immediately visible from a pic.

Like what?

Not sure what you think I’m missing just starting out trying this stuff but this sure as hell makes more sense to make something and try it versus dropping a few hundred on gear specifically for it and not knowing if it’s something to pursue or not.
My homemade holster with pirated hip clip off some junk holster that’s been in my shop for ten years and 6 bucks hardware sure seems better than tossing money to a problem that may not exist in a few tries. I’ve got a mean gene leather carry belt already and a stack of mag holders to give it a go. Thanks for the encouragement;)

@sawdustnsteel
You gottta start somewhere and what better place to test and prove your products (even if they are just for you) than in comps...

I've made a few holsters for pistols, mags, knives, Dip cans and a few flasks.  It can be both fun and a pain in the ass...

I've bought a lot of stuff from https://www.knifekits.com/vcom/index.php and a few other sites also.

What kind of press did you make/use???

I bought a TACO press and a book press off Knife Kits.com and had really good luck with them.

At my old house I had my basement all setup for making Holsters and other kydex gear, with stations for each step.  It was a lot of fun.  I even bought a few molds for stuff I have like a Glock G17, Glock mags and Pmags.

Unfortunately at my new house I do not have the room in the basement or garage to set up.  
I'm hoping to build a shop in the next year or so and get set back up.

Go for it. So what if it's not perfect the first time - make the mods YOU want for YOUR personal tastes, and guess what, it will probably make your retirement that much more enjoyable.

I got a 24 ton uncle als forge press I use making knives and just opened it all the way with two plates and foam between.. then just lightly pressed it since my sti dvc 3gun was inside that... going full on it with a 3500 pistol in the middle wasn’t going to happen ( it lowers by foot pressure so easy to keep a slow press)

I was actually considering picking up an aluminum form 1911 dummy gun and seeing if I could press  5051 t3 halves in it, then line them in something.. would make a crazy strong holster for 1911s.
I thought if I do single stack 3gun heavy may as well make an indestructible holster.

I’ve press plated things before with this set up and it works okay. But not sure how a casted alum blank will last under tons of weight. I kinda doubt it will but for 40 bucks and a laugh ( I have a divider screen for shattering objects ) might be worth it. Most things I use as press blocks are made from mild so they deform instead of explode.

Other crazy assed idea I had was those super expensive double alpha master mag holders. They’re aluminum with what appears to be some square tube specifically deminsioned to fit double stack mags. There’s a round corner on two sides and square opposite .. I’ve been looking through metal supply catalogs for something close but coming up empty. I think they’re extruded specifically for this application.. anyhow. The rear belt clips could be flat casted in aluminum for nothing then drilled and tapped to mount the actual holder to it.

Sand casting is relatively simple. Done a lot of brass over the years ( great way to make retirement plaques) but the mag holder body I’m coming up blank on if anyone has ideas or a decent cheap substitute.

Yea I’m not looking to start a business.. just not keen on spending my limited income on things I may not want later on.. if I end up lovin* it I’ll likely make and mod what I buy anyhow. So some understanding of what snags there is etc by what others have made etc .. just prudent planning.

Yup used em ;)



I’m still learning forge welding and tempering 1095 and 15n20 but getting there.
Micarta was another one of them things I decided I’d make versus buying. Thankfully I got a lot of old uniforms that make real cool micarta handle material. The top knife handle was made from one of my multi cam uniforms from my last run in Afghanistan

Maybe there was a miss understanding. By all means keep at it and I fully endorse customizing your own gear but after 10+ yrs in that sport one the most important pieces of gear I have come to realize is the holster. Almost 99% if not all of the match DQs come from a dropped pistol of some fashion. Unfortunately with that being the case and all that it implies, a quality holster built for that exact situation will be the cheapest piece of gear in the long run.

One of the biggest things I addressed with that big ass knob and a captured internal Chicago screw type but was retention. That knob turned about 1/4 turn squeezes two rubber washers and puts a mass of tension on the firearm. The back has the flange of both internal nut heads screwed in place to the kydex so they CANT turn independently. The bottom stainless bolt has blue lock tight on it to hold the spacing open to allow the knob tensioner to open and close

One of the things I didn’t like about purchased holsters I’ve seen is the tiny nut they use. Seems most are aluminum and likely to wear out faster than steel from use. The big knob I chose so I could paint the “up” end with a gold or white sharpie and visually see if it’s loosening under movement or keeping hold. The one photoed is the one I didn’t paint.

Edited to add: I am concerned the big ass knob I opted for can snag and loosen from going prone or skirting something. I just can’t find a viable option in steel just yet. I’m thinking a big wheel nut with knurled surface. (Like 1” big, I got half a thumb on my dom8nate hand so tiny little fidgety stuff really burns my biscuit when I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to focus and get a grip on it)

So I made a better press and set up my firearms a bit better for molding. I cut out some relief blocks from wood and hot glued them to my guns( the glue come off fine) for the front sight and spacer.
Seems to be much better fitment and definition.


Now I need mag pouch ideas....
I did one three pouch for my single stack but double stack is a bit mor tricky.

This is my single stack pouch. Made two of them using a wood form to press the parts in.


Need to rivet  the wavy chunk to the backplate, but it works with bladetech or els clips.

Also .. I found big round magnets at Lowe’s with a hook on the outside. Snip the hook off and there’s a prepunched hole center on it. I peeled the plastic back and drilled out the alum pop rivet end and now just need to get a countersunk Chicago screw set to put it on the outside of my pouches.

Thanks again to wvoperator for the incoming belt!