Triangle Tactical Podcast and Blog on Guns, Gear, and Competition Shooting
On episode 118 of the podcast we played a voicemail from podcast listener Robert about his first match and he talked about making his gear for USPSA out of PVC he purchased at the hardware store.
After confirming with Robert about what he used, I had to share it here on the blog.
He purchased some 4″ PVC drain pipe from the hardware store and heated it up and molded it just like it was kydex. It’s a on the thick side (which with kydex, I think makes a better holster) and it’s white in color (Robert painted his with Krylon Fusion paint for plastics ) but it’s dirt cheap.
I may have to give it a try.
Very innovative!
Thanks Lucas!
Here’s a link to a public FB album showing all the attachment details.
Hopefully the link works, if not let me know and I’ll try something else.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152532000291216.1073741837.624811215&type=1&l=d65f384378
I would very much like to see all of the details about this build. But the posted link doesn’t work.
David, I deleted my facebook page, which is why the link no longer works. Here’s a link to the images on google drive.
I did not provide many details about the build…just pics, but the hanger is based on the “boss dropped and offset” hanger (lots of pics online). No measurements – I just eyeballed everything from the pics and made it from regular thickness pvc that I first flattened between two pieces of wood after heating. The holster, and mag pouches were made in a very organic way – I basically just heated a piece of thin pvc, then bent and squished it around the gun and trimmed off the excess after just sketching some rough lines with a marker. (view any vid on youtube that shows kydex holster making and you’ll wee what’s required). You’ll want to stick something like a pencil on the top of the gun before-hand to make a little channel for the sights to slide into without rubbing on the holster.
All the screws, washers and lock nuts are stainless, and all ground to whatever random length I needed, and I used many tiny “t-nuts” (found at my local ace hardware) whenever I didn’t want nuts sticking into me. The spacers are some random automotive rubber hose I just cut with some scissors (don’t tell my wife I used her scissors! lol) This allows the tension on all the pouches and holster to be tweaked to perfection. Between the pouches and the little clips I made I put small rubber washers which prevent the pouches from spinning too freely, but still allow me to adjust their angle with just my hands.
The belt is just 1.5″ velcro and strapping sewn together with a flat piece of thin pvc slid into it, then sew up the end. I made an inner and outer just like a regular uspsa belt.
Just get some pvc and start bending and you’ll figure it out. So long as you don’t scorch the pvc, you can bend and rebend the it until the perfect holster is achieved. I’ve since made a totally awesome and incredibly comfortable concealed carry IWB holster (I’ll take some pics and dump them into that google drive link posted below), and I plan on making some more concealed carry holsters. Going to make a MIC just to check it out, and try out some other pocket holster designs.
Once you figure it out, it’s basically like having the ability to make any holster you see for nearly free.
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwRly0Que15ZfnB2el82U1JSVGd1Skp4UXgzR1NUQXlkMzZVUV9WTFYzckZoWi15X09Rb3M&usp=sharing
Dude, I really dig the pure white. Definitely need to try this now…
I looks all stormtrooper.
That’s unfortunate, probably can’t hit anything with it.
…I added the IWB holster pics. It’s basically a king tuk. It is crazy comfortable, molded to my body shape, and the retention is amazing. At first the retention wasn’t that great and was primarily the result of friction from the molded pvc. So I heated up the trigger guard area and just mushed it a little deeper. Now when I slide the gun in 90% of the way, the trigger guard part sucks it into the holster the rest of the way with a very positive ‘click’. I highly doubt the real king tuk works this well and is this comfortable.