Garrett Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Anyone ever try making their own kydex mag holders? For that matter, does anyone know of a source for sheets of kydex? I'd like to make up some mag holders for a couple of different types of subgun mags. I don't think anyone currently makes competition-type mags for these. In the past, I've used my Safariland mag holders for Para mags. I would loosen up the screws and jam the mags in. These would work okay, but were not exactly ideal. You can see from the picture below where my rear mag is trying to get away. I think I ended up loosing that one by the end of the stage. Good thing I didn't need it. I hope to be able to build something similar to the Safariland 773 mag pouches, just longer, and made to fit my subgun mags. I got several comments & questions from other shooters at that match. Although many had been shooting for years, they hadn't ever done any IPSC shooting, and had never seen any "competition" gear. About the only other types of mag carriers available are the "tactical" mag holders and WWII surplus gear. While both hold the mags securely, they are SLOOOOOW to reload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I've bent up some pouches using standard pvc sheet plastic and a heat gun. It works very well and you're local plastic supplier should have it in stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Posted February 17, 2005 Author Share Posted February 17, 2005 Cool. That might be worth taking a look at. What did you use for belt loops? Did you just bend out one piece of PVC, or did you make a seperate set of loops and attach them somehow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Big plastics suppliers will have or be able to get sheet Kydex. I bought a 4'x4' sheet long ago (had to take red since that was all that was in stock) and still have plenty left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I made them out of one piece of plasic. I made a template out of thick paper and cut piece of wood the size of the belt and mag I want it to fit. A basic t shaped piece of plastic works for about any mag out there. I would have had to get a crate of Kydex to get it at our local supplier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastshuter Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Find a machinist,I have a shooting buddy that made his own out of plastic, that plus the holster as well. Anything is possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 I believe an outfit called Texas Knifemaker supply has some. Ibought Micarta from them & they shipped fast; prices seemed OK. A gunsmith friend used their Kydex for M-14 magholders for "He-Man" division. I would order the thicker Kydex if possible. Not hard to work with according to him. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhurd Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 there is some on EBay right now 12" X 12" sheets .093 thick 7134801940 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted February 19, 2005 Share Posted February 19, 2005 I made a bunch of mag pouches for both pistols and rifles. I can get Kydex from a local plastic distributor. The smallest piece I got was 2'x4' of 0.060 for $20. A good subsitute would be ABS plastic, but most places don't have anything thinner than 1/8". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9MX Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 I've bent up some pouches using standard pvc sheet plastic and a heat gun. It works very well and you're local plastic supplier should have it in stock. yup. here in the philippines, a lot of holster/pouch makers use pvc to fashion out, safariland clones. i'd take pictures on my next match and post it here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz-0 Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 http://www.texasknife.com/ and http://www.knifekits.com/kk_1mainframe.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a-44978 Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 I use .090 for IWB holsters and .125 for race gear. Finding plastic can be an adventure. with that said Toaster oven,dremel,stiff plyable foam,small pieces of wood,beer,patience and a little time .Oh yea and a jig saw ,mine is a junky hand held. Beware of toxic fumes from overheating. make a stiff paper template fold the paper around the piece and trim until your ready to plug in the toaster. Warm the plastic until it gets like a lasagna noodle wrap it around mag,blaster,flashlight etc then press stiff foam around everything with peices of wood ,i use a couple of 6" squares of plywood. let cool.a few minutes will do then trim,fit,trim,fit,polish.................................................................. .............. sounds crude(who am i kidding)ok its crude and your fingers get a little burnt but sometimes it turns out cool And you can mke hlosters,holders,pouches that are not available anywhere. Now uncle mikes makes an IWB for what it costs to plug in the toaster oven Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 The Uncle Mike holsters are injection molded. The injection molds are pricy, $60K+. But after that initial investment, they can run the injection molding machine 24hr/day can crank them out by the thousands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Dremel makes a bit that's excellent for hogging out kydex-- it looks like a drill with the spiral on the outside instead of on the inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Posted June 8, 2005 Author Share Posted June 8, 2005 Thanks to everyone for the info. I ended up getting a sheet of kydex from knifekits.com. I was working out of town at the time, so all I had to work with initially was a hotel hair drier (not hot enough and kept shutting off from overheating) and the little propane camp stove that I brought along to cook with. (Should my mag holders smell like the polish sausages I was cooking while I was working on them?) When I got home a few weeks later, I discovered that the full-sized barbecue grill works out much better. Just put on some leather gloves and hold the piece over the burner until it gets limp. After a few attempts, I got a decent pattern worked out and ended up with a pretty good end product. The mag holders ended up working out really well. They can hold a 30-round mag full of .45 ACP or 9mm and not have a problem. I can run, turn, and jump with no problems. But they make for a fast reload. I ended up having enough material to make three holders for each type of gun. I put them all on a belt and would just move the belt around depending on which gun I was shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heath Posted June 8, 2005 Share Posted June 8, 2005 I was able to find .125 Kydex from McMaster-Carr for $6/sqft which is about half as much as anywhere else I was able to find. It is available in several different colors, including black. http://www.mcmaster.com search for "kydex" They have other thicknesses as well. If I needed more than a couple of square feet, I'd try to find a dedicated plastics supplier. I know there's one in San Diego that will sell 4x4' and 4x8' sheets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now