Shortened barrel needs shortened holster...

[Flinch Morningwood]

I am thinking of getting the 5 1/2 inch barrels for my 1858 Remingtons.  I made the Slim Jim holsters I now have from the Tandy pattern and they seem to have worked quite well.

Can I just shorten this pattern to match the loss in barrel length or to I need to slim the holster down a bit as well???

Ahh...the kind of stuff you think about as you try to fall asleep....

Thanks!

[Marshal Will Wingam]

All you need to do is shorten the toe of the holster. If your barrels will be 2" shorter, make the pattern 2" shorter, too. The pattern will remain the same for everything else. I change patterns often for different bbl lengths or to make a different style (square toe, rounded toe, closed, open, etc.). As always, we'll be looking forward to seeing what you make.

[Trailrider]

Howdy, Pard,

For cap and ball revolvers, with the loading lever and lever catch under the barrel, you pretty well NEED to keep the slope of the holster body the same as for the longer barrels, so just cut the bottoms of the holsters back 2-inches.  If you need to make new plugs for the end of the holster, you WILL probably need a slightly larger endplug.

[Slowhand Bob]

Most of my patterns allow for just trimming back to accomodate shorter barls, without enlarging the toe opening size, but some of my older versions did require a bit of trimming on the main seam.  If you have a well fitting pattern for say a 7 1/2" SAA and want to cut it back for a 4 5/8" SAA then deduct the 2 7/8" and mark this cutoff line square in relation to the sight tracks strait line.  If this new line is about the same length as the old 7 1/2" toe line, go with it.  If there is a niticeable difference then redraw the mainseam angle to bring it down to the same demensions as the orriginal toe.  I try to do all my first patterns for the longest comman barl length and make its lines friendly for the trim knife.