Thursday, October 17, 2013

Glock 19 Kydex Update October 2013 Mini FAQ

Update 7/15/14 I am not taking orders for holsters at this time.
I've done several holsters now and had lots of various requests and questions that need to be addressed for future visitors. I started making the G19 holsters to fund my Kydex hobby really and allow me to experiment more. It is such a popular gun and I had enough requests that it seemed like a no-brainer, but at the same time kept me out of the "business" of making Kydex. There are so many guns with so many possible aftermarket mods that the whole idea to me seems overwhelming. Making a few holsters here and there is giving me a chance to see how complex the whole really thing is. What I am learning is that just this one gun can have holsters configured in a variety of ways and I can't imagine relearning all the tricks for 10 more models, or 20, or 30. But also, I like the idea of being able to make the holster to customer specifications so that I have more concentrated knowledge of this one gun.

Anyway, if you find yourself here at my page, just know that I make a few holsters on the side and at this point only for the Glock 19. Everyone I've worked with has asked about mag carriers and that just makes sense so I am working on getting a magazine to work from. Sometimes I have certain colors, sometimes I don't. I am probably not going to offer anymore of this MAS Gray after it is gone simply because I don't care much for the color. I would have preferred a more true gray because it would have looked good with Coyote. However I try to keep Coyote and black on hand all the time.

injection molded plastic belt loops
Next, I just got a handful of these injection molded belt loops. Kydex breaks when it bends and I have now used it enough to realize that it's not the best choice for belt loops, which is exactly why many pro shops (if not all of them) have moved away from Kydex loops. The standard loop style seems to hold up well but anything intricate that is folded over past 90 degrees is subject to a little too much stress. If they are not perfectly flush to the holster itself they'll give a little until they are and the screws will hold them in that position infinitely. Then you've got the guys who feel like everything that looks like a screw must be torqued to 100 foot pounds. It seems fine but what is happening is that the Kydex is constantly under that stress of being slightly tweaked into submission and where the holes are drilled, you'll get a failure. It's fine if Kydex is heated into any shape known to man and left that way, but it does not like to be bent while cool and rigid. In the end it's all plastic and it will all fail eventually, but I think these loops will go a little further and save me significant amounts of time. Also, I have always supplied rubber O rings with my loops. The concept here is two fold. One; it keeps the screws from backing out, and two; precludes the need to crank the screws down. Snug them up until the rubber bulges a little and you're good to go. Check them once in a while if it makes you feel better and a little blue threadlocker goes a long way.

So I think that's it. Just a little clarifying of what goes on here. I am still doing AR mag carriers and I still have a bunch already made in .060. Matter of fact, the first person who leaves a post will get as many as you like (I have 8 or 10 made up right now) for half price. Just say the word.