Holster offsets for USPSA

[tstuart34]

So I make holsters... small side hobby thing I do on weekends and evenings. I am making a holster/ belt rig for my Dads limited gun which is a G35. I am trying to get this done for Area 3 this weekend but I am running into some rule hang ups.

Typically I just use a Bladetech tek-lok. They are a solid mounting plate form. He has requested that I build his with a drop offset(DOH). I have made several holsters with Bladetechs standard drop/offset and was never really impressed with it. The weight of the gun always seems do weird things to the mount. Below is what I have used in the past.


So this time I decided to set things up and use a blade tech duty drop offset. Which are far more robust. I made a test holster last night and I really like how it turned out. Below is a picture of the mount that I am using.


But I am running into a issue when I go to measure things up. On my competition belt because of the outward cant of the mount It seems that the pisol will not comply with the 2" rule under appendix D and how it is measured in F.









So for you competition shooters have you had to modify your holsters to comply with the belt rules? Does a standard blade-tech DOH meet these rules? How often is this type of thing checked at a major match?

I can counter act the amount of outward cant when I make the holster but it also eliminates the point of the DOH.

[JTH]

So for you competition shooters have you had to modify your holsters to comply with the belt rules? Does a standard blade-tech DOH meet these rules? How often is this type of thing checked at a major match?

No; sometimes; occasionally when an RO notices.

I've never had to fix one---but I know plenty of people who have, because the BladeTech DOH (which I used to use) sits differently on people with different body types.  For many, staying within the rules is no problem.  For some, it is a problem.

It isn't normally "checked" at a major match like there is for an IDPA equipment check, but ROs and CROs on various stages DO look at your equipment, and if something seems wrong, they'll officially check it.  (I note that using the Tek-Lok instead of the SR loop pushes the holster out even further, leading to more problems.)

I can counter act the amount of outward cant when I make the holster but it also eliminates the point of the DOH.

Truthfully, it makes for a better draw when the gun is still vertical, just simply offset from the body instead of having it canted outward from the body (to get an offset at the top).  Having it canted outward actually makes for a harder draw.  And it doesn't need to be offset from the body much---enough to get the thumb around the inside without hitting anything is sufficient. 

There' s a reason why a LOT of people are now using Ben Stoeger's BOSS hanger for their holsters---the offset is adjustable, the holster doesn't move AT ALL when you move around, and the gun itself has an adjustable forward/backward cant so that you can set it perfectly vertical for the best draw, even if your belt isn't normally perfectly straight horizontal.

This link is for the full hanger/holster combination, but you can get just the hanger if you already have a holster pouch that works with it:

http://benstoegerproshop.com/bsps-boss-dropped-offset-doh-holster/

Short form:  BladeTech DOH works for most people, especially with the SR loop. (Tek-lok adds more distance, MUCH more often giving a problem.)  For some people, however, it is too far according to the rules, and at some major matches this may be a problem.

[tstuart34]

No; sometimes; occasionally when an RO notices.

I've never had to fix one---but I know plenty of people who have, because the BladeTech DOH (which I used to use) sits differently on people with different body types.  For many, staying within the rules is no problem.  For some, it is a problem.

It isn't normally "checked" at a major match like there is for an IDPA equipment check, but ROs and CROs on various stages DO look at your equipment, and if something seems wrong, they'll officially check it.  (I note that using the Tek-Lok instead of the SR loop pushes the holster out even further, leading to more problems.)

Truthfully, it makes for a better draw when the gun is still vertical, just simply offset from the body instead of having it canted outward from the body (to get an offset at the top).  Having it canted outward actually makes for a harder draw.  And it doesn't need to be offset from the body much---enough to get the thumb around the inside without hitting anything is sufficient. 

There' s a reason why a LOT of people are now using Ben Stoeger's BOSS hanger for their holsters---the offset is adjustable, the holster doesn't move AT ALL when you move around, and the gun itself has an adjustable forward/backward cant so that you can set it perfectly vertical for the best draw, even if your belt isn't normally perfectly straight horizontal.

This link is for the full hanger/holster combination, but you can get just the hanger if you already have a holster pouch that works with it:

http://benstoegerproshop.com/bsps-boss-dropped-offset-doh-holster/

Short form:  BladeTech DOH works for most people, especially with the SR loop. (Tek-lok adds more distance, MUCH more often giving a problem.)  For some people, however, it is too far according to the rules, and at some major matches this may be a problem.

I went with the BOSS mount more or less except I designed it and had friend 3D Print it. It is pretty darn solid! He used it at the GI match and loved it. I will hopefully be finishing up his actual holster this next week for him and be making a mount out of aluminum vs plastic. I with a Tek-Lok as the belt mounting point I am still pushing the 2" rule but I am just inside of it. The aluminum mount will only be .25" thick so that will help a lot vs 3/8". If I wanted to I could hard clamp the mount like stoegers mount.

Here are some pictures... The Red carbon fiber is his final holster. I still need to make the mount.

[JTH]

http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy102/tstuart34/received_10153985857627815.jpeg

Something to be careful about....if this is for a Production rig, there is a rule about how much the holster can be cut below the ejection port:

Appendix D4.20:  "May not be manufactured or cut lower than, and  must  cover  the  slide  up  to,  1/2”  below  the  ejection  port."

(Same is true for Single Stack holsters.)

http://www.uspsa.org/document_library/rules/2014/Feb%202014%20Handgun%20Rules.pdf

If it isn't for a Production rig, then don't worry about it.   

[tstuart34]

Something to be careful about....if this is for a Production rig, there is a rule about how much the holster can be cut below the ejection port:

Appendix D4.20:  "May not be manufactured or cut lower than, and  must  cover  the  slide  up  to,  1/2”  below  the  ejection  port."

(Same is true for Single Stack holsters.)

http://www.uspsa.org/document_library/rules/2014/Feb%202014%20Handgun%20Rules.pdf

If it isn't for a Production rig, then don't worry about it.   

Yep I'm aware of it.  This is a limited rig. I have make sure the belt sander and I are getting a long when I make a production holster. It's very easy to to low to fast