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Long ago I amassed the proverbial drawer full of holsters and decided to stop buying them and just make my own. That way I can make exactly what I want and it really comes in handy when your are trying to carry something that no one else offers a holster for. Enter my recently purchased PT145. There are quite a few choices for carrying a MilPro .45, but when I added a Stingray SR2 laser to go with it... not so much. So, out to the shop with some Kydex, assorted parts and a heat gun and...










I usually carry IWB, so I lean towards all leather or leather/Kydex hybrid holsters. I've made a bunch of hybrids and they always work great. With summer quickly approaching, I decided to make a OWB holster. This time, I wanted a paddle holster, but I've discovered that Kydex makes lousy paddles (it doesn't stand up well to the flexing when putting it on/off). So I started with a BladeTech paddle that I bought from KnifeKits.com and made the rest of the holster myself. It holds the gun/laser combo nice and snug and draws really smoothly. I flared the top edges just enough so that the switch on the laser will not catch if the laser is on when the gun is reholstered. When reholstering, the holster will turn the laser off, and it can't be accidentally turned on while in the holster (saves on battery drain). I've noticed that, if I put a little sideways pressure on the gun when I draw, the holster will activate the laser as I draw. I'm thinking about changing the shape in one area to make that happen every time I draw. It's really comfortable and lower profile that my Fobus paddel holster (it got the Wally Walk test this morning). I'll probably make an OWB belt holster and an IWB hybrid holster for my PT145 as well later on this week.

Lots of creativity and impressive craftsmanship.

My hat's off to you - that's one fine looking and functional holster.

Excaliber wrote:Lots of creativity and impressive craftsmanship.

My hat's off to you - that's one fine looking and functional holster.

Very nice job!

Great job! I really like the extreme forward cant. Good craftsmanship!

I'm all about starting with a good thing and trying to make a great thing.

I own a Blade-Tech SRB for which I have both the regular belt attachment and a paddle. Right now, I have the paddle mounted. While it is comfortable, it does not appear to hold the gun as close in to my body as does yours. That may be attributable to the gun, which is a full sized M&P45. If you are going to the get together at Elm Fork on Saturday, I'd love to compare the two to see what you did differently.

Also, how did you make the attachment points so that the screw nuts wouldn't mar the finish of the gun?

The Annoyed Man wrote:I own a Blade-Tech SRB for which I have both the regular belt attachment and a paddle. Right now, I have the paddle mounted. While it is comfortable, it does not appear to hold the gun as close in to my body as does yours. That may be attributable to the gun, which is a full sized M&P45. If you are going to the get together at Elm Fork on Saturday, I'd love to compare the two to see what you did differently.

Also, how did you make the attachment points so that the screw nuts wouldn't mar the finish of the gun?

Wish I could make it on Saturday, but I have to work.

My whole goal was to make a paddle holster than carries as close to the body as possible. For the attachment points, I heated the screw nuts then pushed them into the Kydex (with some stiff foam underneath) and held them until the Kydex cooled. This created a countersink around each nut so they don't touch the gun itself. When I get a chance, I'll take it apart and take a couple of more detailed pics.

looks great!

Super job !!!