Benefits of Adding Holster Services To Your Gunshop

This month let’s talk about expanding your business. As a business owner, you should always be looking to see what you can do to increase your business capabilities. One area that I believe could turn into a lucrative business decision is making holsters for customer’s handguns.

As you know, there are a lot of handguns out there and firearms are very customizable. You can install red dot sights, lasers, and lights to name a few. Finding a holster to fit your customers’ handgun is almost impossible. This is when providing a service to make custom holsters really pays off. The investment you will make in tools and materials is very minimal and your profit margins will soar. Kydex is a poly vinyl plastic that is easily moldable with a little heat. Kydex holsters have been around since the early 70’s but have become a lot more popular in the past twenty years.

Tools to get started

The Press

The press used to do exactly what the name suggests. You can go all out and get the most expensive or start with the basic press.

You can look around on the net and find plans to build your own simple press. Or purchase one already made on Amazon. As you can see, they are simple machines.

Next you will need Thermoform foam. This is a dense heat-resistant foam that helps shape the vinyl thermoform sheets around the handgun you are building a holster for. This foam fits in the press. These foam sheets are available on Amazon as well. You will want to get foam that is at least one inch thick. Other tools required include a heat gun, a good plastic cutting tool, and rivet/hand setters.

Hardware

Doing your research and getting the right hardware is very important. You do not want to purchase hardware you will not use. I have mentioned many times in my blogs in the past. Start out slowly, do not go out and buy a bunch of hardware if you do not need to. Here are some suggestions on what I think you should start off with. It will be a small investment, but it should be enough for you to get a feel for making holsters.

All the items I am going to list can be found on eBay or Amazon.

• Kydex sheets – A couple sheets will run about ten bucks.
• Chicago Screws – A pack of these runs about twelve bucks.
• Belt clip – There are a lot to choose from. You can find them for under twenty dollars.

That is all you need to get started. You can also look around on Amazon and find a complete kit. It will have all the supplies you need to make one holster.

As you can see, you do not need a lot of stuff to start making holsters. You can make simple carry holsters for all handguns. It does not matter if it has a red dot, aftermarket sight sets, or a laser/flashlight attachment. The sky’s the limit on making all types of holsters. You can make IWB and OWB holsters. You can add holsters for extra magazines. I’ve seen shoulder holsters made from Kydex. You can even expand on your offering by making knife sheaths. Kydex is highly customizable for all your customers’ needs. Making holsters that can be mounted in vehicles, or in a home defense application. There really is not an area where it would not work. Instead of trying to explain how to make holsters, I suggest visiting YouTube. There are tons of “how to” videos to view. You may see other ways to make holsters as well.

As a business owner you need to constantly search for areas you can specialize in. Something that sets you apart from the others in your area. Making custom holsters can be one of those services that bring your customers back. Good luck building holsters!

Semper Fi.

Written by: David Johnson, Leatherneck Gunsmithing