MontanaMac Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I'm just getting into Limited this year. On the one hand, I admit that hours and hours of practice are going to do much more for me at this point than all the fancy race gear. Still, I'm doing this for fun, and it IS fun to have cool gear... but also expensive. I got a Springfield XDM .40 5.25, and there just doesn't seem to be much available for this pistol yet. I've heard that the DAA, Ghost, and CR Speed holsters might work, or can be made to work with this relatively new gun, but that's a lot of money to gamble on "maybe". So I decided to make my own. My prototype is made from four pieces cut out of 1/4" aluminum plate. The three main bolts which hold everything together are placed just so that they hug the outside of the trigger guard. The gun is held in place against these bolts by means of a ball detente, pressure adjustable from the back with a large bolt and concealed spring. For mounting on a hanger, two tee nuts are embedded in the back outer plate. Springs around each main bolt keep the trigger guard plates apart, and allow adjustable grab tension on the guard. It actually works pretty well. The tension and "grab" is very adjustable, and the draw is very quick. One problem I see is that a hurried or careless draw can knock the gun forward (and possibly out!) before a proper grip is achieved. Maybe all race holsters have this "feature", and it just takes more practice to insure that doesn't happen. In any case, I would appreciate any feedback on how to make it safer without sacrificing speed, or any other modifications you'd care to offer. This is not a commercial venture, so feel free to copy the idea and make you own if you'd like. In fact, once I arrive at a final design, I will post detailed drawings and construction instructions and release it as an "open source" project. All it took to build were a bandsaw, drill press, belt sander, taps, basic tools, about 10 hours, and the parts in the photo. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Necessity (and being a cheap SOB) is indeed the mother of invention! Very cool and hope this works out. In my early shooting days it was mostly DIY or one-offs so I really appreciate this throw back attitude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Very Nice Montana! You should reconsider, that seems good enough to sell Thanks for sharing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lumpygravy Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Your design is very similar to my old 1st generation Limcat which also used a ball detent. To lock the gun, there was a cap screw or hex bolt that ran through the holster body and into the trigger guard opening. It wasn't a slick quick release, but a few turns of the screw would lock/unlock the gun. You could probably do the same or something similar to lock the gun in the holster. I'm using a DAA RM now and it uses a delrin "key" fitted to the trigger guard that slides in a tapered channel within a delrin block. As the key moves along the decreasing taper, the fitting around the trigger disengages from the trigger guard to release the gun. Conversely, when holstering, as the taper increases, the key engages the trigger guard until seated. The lock is a sprung lever that cams to block the key from moving when in the locked position. As far as dropping the gun as a result of a bad draw, I don't think that's necessarily restricted to race holsters. However, incorporating a 100% reliable lock for when one is walking around resetting the stage, bending down to reset steel, etc... is definitely needed to prevent the accidental bump/drop. I wish I had your machining talent and I'm looking forward to your final design! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Very very cool!!! And professional looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coyote4x4 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Very nice work especially for not having any real machining tools. Also nice photography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobmysterious Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Dude, that's impressive! Well done!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a matt Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Good job on the holster Montana! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaster113 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 good job on the holster! very creative. main thing is that the holster is secure enough to prevent the gun from falling out when its loaded, thats a trip to Dairy Queen (DQ). nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMV Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Very impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadyscott999 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Very impressive. I can't believe it only took 10 hours. I couldn't have made that in 10 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunguru Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 WOW Impressive!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griz Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Very impressive workmanship. I think the easiest fix to the gun falling out the front of the holster would be to grind a flat on the ball facing to the "rear" of the holster. That way, if you (or gravity) push the gun forward, the trigger guard would hit the flat and not be able to depress the ball. If you draw the gun upward, the trigger guard would hit the round part of the ball and depress it normally. You'd have to make a new inner plate that the ball goes through and file the hole to fit the modified ball so that the flat would always face to the rear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Very impressive. I can't believe it only took 10 hours. I couldn't have made that in 10 weeks. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaMac Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 I think the easiest fix to the gun falling out the front of the holster would be to grind a flat on the ball facing to the "rear" of the holster. That way, if you (or gravity) push the gun forward, the trigger guard would hit the flat and not be able to depress the ball. If you draw the gun upward, the trigger guard would hit the round part of the ball and depress it normally. You'd have to make a new inner plate that the ball goes through and file the hole to fit the modified ball so that the flat would always face to the rear. Hmm, I like the idea... grinding a flat side on the ball would be easy, but I have no idea how I'd machine the hole. I'm thinking an easier way to achieve the same result would be to fit the ball with an "L" shaped wrap-around piece, and then just file a notch outside the hole. Kinda hard to explain... The nice thing about the XDM is that the trigger guard is not only fairly square, but has a bit of a lip on the bottom--one of the bolts rides against this ledge, fairly well keeping the gun from falling forward. However, a standard 1911 or other rounded trigger guard would be much more prone to falling forward. I think I read that earlier versions of the Ghost holster required a hole to be drilled in the trigger guard, and I imagine that was to engage a pin for just such retention. Thanks for the idea! Anything that allows for upward movement, but not forward will work, but it would be really nice to make the mechanism work for any shape trigger guard with no gun modification. I appreciate all the nice comments from everyone--it gives me more motivation to really come up with something as good as a Race Master, which is a tall order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I think the easiest fix to the gun falling out the front of the holster would be to grind a flat on the ball facing to the "rear" of the holster. That way, if you (or gravity) push the gun forward, the trigger guard would hit the flat and not be able to depress the ball. If you draw the gun upward, the trigger guard would hit the round part of the ball and depress it normally. You'd have to make a new inner plate that the ball goes through and file the hole to fit the modified ball so that the flat would always face to the rear. Hmm, I like the idea... grinding a flat side on the ball would be easy, but I have no idea how I'd machine the hole. I'm thinking an easier way to achieve the same result would be to fit the ball with an "L" shaped wrap-around piece, and then just file a notch outside the hole. Kinda hard to explain... The nice thing about the XDM is that the trigger guard is not only fairly square, but has a bit of a lip on the bottom--one of the bolts rides against this ledge, fairly well keeping the gun from falling forward. However, a standard 1911 or other rounded trigger guard would be much more prone to falling forward. I think I read that earlier versions of the Ghost holster required a hole to be drilled in the trigger guard, and I imagine that was to engage a pin for just such retention. Thanks for the idea! Anything that allows for upward movement, but not forward will work, but it would be really nice to make the mechanism work for any shape trigger guard with no gun modification. I appreciate all the nice comments from everyone--it gives me more motivation to really come up with something as good as a Race Master, which is a tall order. You can machine aluminum with a plain router and a straight bit. For a small hole, use a 1/8" straight router bit. You should be able to make a hole with a flat side, kind of like a half circle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 GREAT work... but don't cha think that calling THAT DIY is a little misleading? Its not exactly something you made with a hand drill and a hammer.................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaMac Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 GREAT work... but don't cha think that calling THAT DIY is a little misleading? Its not exactly something you made with a hand drill and a hammer.................... Yes, the tools required aren't quite that simple. Still, specialized machining tools or CNC machines were not required. Not everyone has a stationary belt sander, band saw, or even a drill press, but those are relatively common machines. Actually, once I post construction techniques, you may be surprised how easy it is. Mostly, it just takes patience, attention to detail, and a little experience. The best part is, if you screw up a plate, it's pretty cheap and easy to make a replacement. Honestly, considering the time investment, and the fact that the end result is not as good (yet) as several commercially-available holsters, I doubt that many would recreate what I did. But it is within the capabilities of many, not all. Thanks again for all the comments! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lumpygravy Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I don't think anyone has mentioned it so far, but it looks really good with the stainless slide of your XD Do you have a blast cabinet (or access to one)? If it's holding the gun the way it should, blasting with some 120 grit would be the only cosmetic thing I'd do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I realize that it's not super complicated, but frequently DIY is code for duct tape and PVC pipe. Color me impressed. That's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotisiv Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Very impressive some have the talent to visualize a design and build it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hax Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Looks like a high price prototype. When are you gonna start selling them lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcl Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Very very nice, you have motivated me to try and build one. I have some 1/4 delrin plate here I am going to start on today. can't wait to see the final design you do. I am also shooting the XDM. Thanks for a awesome DYI project. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKT1106 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 As I shoot an XDM, this intrigues me very much. I couldn't tell what you said you used as the hanger for the platform onto the belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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