ankle holster musings

TRX [OP]
August 18th, 2013
[warning: the following message contains piteous whining and complaint]

I decided I wanted an ankle holster to carry one of my pocket pistols. I had a fair idea of what I wanted... but despite having been a popular location for a back-up or hide-out gun for ages, there doesn't seem to be a lot of selection for ankle holsters, and most of them seem to be... ah... not well thought out.

A majority of what's available seems to be thickly padded, multilayer nylon, with fat straps covered in Velcro. Most of the holsters I've looked at are bulkier than the guns I might want to carry in the first place. There are only a few molded plastic holsters, and most of them seem to be for full-size 1911s and Glocks. Not precisely what I want to carry there. I found a few molded plastic holsters, but, of course, most of them either don't fit any of my collection of old pocket pistols, or they have other features I don't like.

First off, I don't need or want a "universal fit" Velcro holster. What I'd like to have would be like what my motorcycle crash helmet has - a "seat belt" quick connector and some D-rings for adjustment. There are probably many other ways to do it. I don't view Velcro as a long-term solution; besides being bulky, it wears out.

For strap and holster material, nylon is okay, washable canvas is okay, but leather isn't highly desirable; I do a lot of work outside, and when it's over 100F, I sweat a lot. Taking proper care of leather is an additional chore I don't really want to take on. I don't understand the reasoning for multilayer padded nylon. Molded plastic would be just fine, assuming I could find something that fits. Washable is important; besides sweat, the holster will see mud, dirt, and grass clippings.

I also noted that while both right and left hand holsters exist, by the time I reach far enough to grasp the gun, I have to twist my wrist quite a bit to grasp the grip. For me, anyway, it seems more natural for the butt to point forward instead of back. This is actually a good thing; since I'm left-handed, this means I have a huge selection of "right-handed" holsters to choose from. If I find any I like.

I think what I might wind up doing is picking up one of the "pocket holsters" and make my own straps. Helmet buckles are available, and D-rings, and nylon or canvas strap. I also found that Kydex "holster kits" are available, with hardware and sheets of formable plastic.

[gratuitous whingeing ends]

TRX [OP]
August 24th, 2013
I just bought an Uncle Mike's pocket holster. It's just a thin scabbard for the gun. Now I need to order some straps and buckles...

TRX [OP]
August 29th, 2013
I finally got around to ordering the buckles. They are "quick connects" for motorcycle helmet straps. The look like tiny seat belt buckles. I found them on eBay for $2.49 each, free shipping, so I ordered four.

Straps vary in width, so I have to wait until they get here and see how wide of a strap they fit. I did find that sewing supply stores carry cotton "webbing" in various widths, so hopefully I'll find something that matches up.

TRX [OP]
September 5th, 2013
The buckles came in. They're a bit bigger and boxier than I expected, but they should work.

I measured the slot width at 3/4"/20mm. On Amazon, "3/4 webbing" turned out to be the magic search string. I found some polypropylene webbing, which is on the way. I also hit the mother lode of buckles; the string you want is "paracord bracelet", which seems to be a new fashion thing. They have the side-pinch, low-profile, curved-back buckles for incredibly cheap. If my homemade holster works out okay, I'll probably buy some of the smaller buckles and upgrade it.

I'm planning to use a snap for the retention strap. I think I have some of those out in the shop.

TRX [OP]
September 9th, 2013
Okay, I have a pocket holster that fits the LCP, some snap buckles, and a roll of web strap. Unfortunately, I don't think the MIG welder is the appropriate tool to join them together.

I need to anchor the straps to the holster, and one end of each strap needs to be anchored to a buckle part.

Is there a specific kind of sewing kit I need for this? Rivets? Super glue?

TRX [OP]
October 7th, 2013
I decided the homemade holster was taking longer than I wanted, so I set the project aside and ordered an Uncle Mike's "size 2" holster. It fits the LCP well.

I have a fat leg, so the upper support strap has to be pulled over - it's elastic - to engage the Velcro on the other end. There's no problem with the bottom part. It's bulky toward the inside, but nobody seems to notice.

I'm going to have to buy some Velcro to make an extender for the top, but overall it works well. Other than not having quite enough strap at the top, the only real problem is how the holster is attached to the support strap with Velcro. It's nice that it's adjustable, but it's something you only need to adjust once. When I install or remove the holster - I do the top strap first - the gun swings and pulls part of the Velco loose. It hasn't come completely off yet, but I need to make a stitch or two at the top to keep the Velcro from peeling off.

After the second day I would strap it on and completely forget it was there. My day work involves a lot of climbing around floor joists and crawling underneath things, which is why a waist-level holster isn't practical for me at the moment. Not unless I decide I like laying on top of a gun... anyway, I managed to catch the holster on a joist a couple of times until I learned not to.

Since it's on the inside of the right leg, the holster is fine for driving. My clutch foot is unencumbered and the straps aren't bothered by resting against the transmission hump.

I wish the holster wasn't quite so bulky, but it is working fine.

The main problem was that I could find the holster for $25 with $19.95 shipping, $39 with $5.95 shipping, etc. Every place I looked had a different price and shipping, but somehow they all came out to between $43 and $46. Imagine that...