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I decided I needed an IWB holster for my CZ, and possibly a competition holster. I'm also unhappy with the holster I'm currently carrying my Bersa in. After checking prices, collecting my jaw from the floor, and scratching my head a bit, I stumbled upon a community of people who press their own Kydex.
All the parts finally arrived in the mail today, so here goes... Stadium cushions, toaster oven, 2 leather belts from Goodwill. Pop-rivet gun and welding gloves from Harbor Freight. 2 sheets of Kydex (.095" and .06") from Amazon. Only the thicker stuff has gotten here, so this holster is the heavy stuff. The next one will be skinnier.
I used two sheets of ply with the stadium cushions as my press. That gave reasonably definition and good retention, but it doesn't look quite as sharp as a commercial holster. Just cosmetic. The shiny side of the kydex sucks up ink like silly-putty. Gonna have to cover the cushions next time.
Next batch I'll use a non-stick pan - there's a smear on the backside of the holster as well, where the kydex stuck to the pan in the oven. Finally, the clips need a bit of work. If anyone has suggestions on getting those right, I'd love to hear them.
The upsides - I still have enough from this sheet for a set of mag carriers. If I get 3 holsters and a set of mag carriers out of this, I'm way way way ahead in price.
Retention is excellent. You can hold the thing upside down and shake it and the gun stays put. Comfort is good. Better than my Bersa in the cheap blackhawk leather, anyway. Just make sure the edges are well-rounded. Concealment is also good. It hides my CZ75 nicely under a Jamaica shirt, anyway... Only shows if I bend over. Not terribly comfortable sitting, but no holster will be.
Other pics attached.
All the parts finally arrived in the mail today, so here goes... Stadium cushions, toaster oven, 2 leather belts from Goodwill. Pop-rivet gun and welding gloves from Harbor Freight. 2 sheets of Kydex (.095" and .06") from Amazon. Only the thicker stuff has gotten here, so this holster is the heavy stuff. The next one will be skinnier.
I used two sheets of ply with the stadium cushions as my press. That gave reasonably definition and good retention, but it doesn't look quite as sharp as a commercial holster. Just cosmetic. The shiny side of the kydex sucks up ink like silly-putty. Gonna have to cover the cushions next time.
Next batch I'll use a non-stick pan - there's a smear on the backside of the holster as well, where the kydex stuck to the pan in the oven. Finally, the clips need a bit of work. If anyone has suggestions on getting those right, I'd love to hear them.
The upsides - I still have enough from this sheet for a set of mag carriers. If I get 3 holsters and a set of mag carriers out of this, I'm way way way ahead in price.
Retention is excellent. You can hold the thing upside down and shake it and the gun stays put. Comfort is good. Better than my Bersa in the cheap blackhawk leather, anyway. Just make sure the edges are well-rounded. Concealment is also good. It hides my CZ75 nicely under a Jamaica shirt, anyway... Only shows if I bend over. Not terribly comfortable sitting, but no holster will be.
Other pics attached.
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