Holster Rant

[Dfariswheel]

Holsters are like having Barney Fife, 6' 8" String Bean Slim, and Arnold Schwarzenegger and expecting them all to wear the same suit.

Ain't happening.

All you can do is try a design, give it a good chance, and if it just isn't for you, sell it on Ebay or a gun forum and try again.

A lot of holster makers started out because we couldn't get a holster like we wanted.
So we started making holsters and refining the design until it was what we wanted.
Somewhere along the way we wound up making leather or Kydex for other people.

[johnwilliamson062]

. I'd also say that I don't expect holsters to be comfortable. After all you are carrying a heavy gun on your hip. They should ride well and keep your gun secure above all else.

I read on here several years ago that carrying a gun should be comforting but not necessarily comfortable.

I don't know about how you define comfortable, but if I haven't totally forgotten the gun is there ten minutes after putting it on, it isn't working for me.

[Cheapshooter]

I think Crossbreed has the most universal fit. I've never tried a gun in a crossbreed with a decent belt and not had it fit decently. The leather side molds to your body.

That is the perfect description for the Alien Gear but it's half the price.
Plus if you decide on a different gun, they have a free, lifetime shell exchange for the kydex molded shell. A 30 "test drive" where they will buy it back within a month if you don't like it, and a lifetime repair or replace warranty.
http://aliengearholsters.com/

[Kevin Rohrer]

I got a cheap, unlined leather holster once that put serious rust on a revolver in a week. This was an old revolver that had survived for years and years in relatively good shape until I got a hold of it.

Typically my complaint is the holsters turn out to be clumsy or uncomfortable.


You get what you pay for, but it does not mean that if you pay $300+ for a holster it will be better than a $100 holster. Do your research, buy something that meets your criteria and based on wear, decide if it is what you want. If not, sell it and buy something else.

I have tons of holsters and change the one I wear based on what I feel like wearing that day.

[Brutus]

What I find frustrating is trying to find holsters made for CZ pistols.
Major companies like Galco just don't make them, don't know why.
Hate buying things over the internet because I like the touchy, feely experience you get in the brick & morter store especially when purchasing something as personnel as a holster.

[Kreyzhorse]

I don't know about how you define comfortable, but if I haven't totally forgotten the gun is there ten minutes after putting it on, it isn't working for me.

I guess my point is, no matter how comfortable your rig is, it isn't more comfortable than not carrying at all.

To your point, a good rig will make you forget you are carrying, but part of forgetting is the fact that you are used to carrying.

People new to CCW aren't necessarily used to carrying and I think many don't anticipate the feeling of wearing a gun belt, a holster and a solid piece of steel / plastic strapped to their side. That can all seem uncomfortable at first to many.

[t45]

Just like many of you, I've got a pretty good collection of holsters that for one reason or another didn't work out. That's why I have started making my own Kydex holsters.

[Toney]

http://www.okshooters.com/attachment...6-1-jpg.49754/


My homemade rig.

[mannyCA]

Expect to have a drawer full of them. I don't know about anyone else but I have 3 that I use in my rotation depending on the time if the year and what I'm doing/going.
You can always come here in the swapping and selling section and get some more or get rid of the ones you truly dislike.
thats the whole fun of it!

[Tucker 1371]

You could make you're own. It is quite time consuming but rewarding. And you get exactly what you want. Kydex and leather aren't all that hard to work with.




Mine isn't pretty because I didn't care what it looked like, but it works and it's comfortable. I've since replaced the Kydex belt clips with metal Galco ones.

[T. O'Heir]

"...that put serious rust on..." No, it didn't. Leather doesn't cause rust. Not even wet leather. It is the 'wet' part that causes rust.
And it's not just a holster you need to consider. The belt is as important as the holster. Put a $100+ holster on the typical cheap dress belt and it'll move/sag/hurt/etc.
Making your own holsters and belts makes the entire thing go away.

[DaleA]

I'm certainly willing to pick up some information about what to look for in a leather holster or just info about leather goods in general.

Somebody told me (and I never questioned this) that the leather holster had not been processed properly and there was some acidic action going on that contributed to the quick rusting.

[J_wood]

Originally Posted by DaleA

Sights-I’ve been pleased with all the replacement sights I’ve ever put on a handgun.
Grips-I’ve been pleased with all the replacement grips I’ve bought. Sometimes I might go back to the original grips but the replacements always did something I liked-made the gun look better or more comfortable.
Trigger and action work-I’ve not had a bad experience…I’ve been disappointed but never had a smith do something that detracted from the value of my guns.
Novelty Accessories-Even when these didn’t work I’ve had fun with them.

Now we come to holsters.

They are to put it mildly, frustrating.

I got a cheap, unlined leather holster once that put serious rust on a revolver in a week. This was an old revolver that had survived for years and years in relatively good shape until I got a hold of it.

Typically my complaint is the holsters turn out to be clumsy or uncomfortable.

I freely admit the problem might be personal with me. Even after all this time I guess I don’t have a checklist or any formula or criteria for choosing a holster. “Looks like that one might be good,” is about the level of my expertise.

This post quite some time ago is my favorite concerning holsters from a long gone member ‘AA040371’.



http://thefiringline.com/forums/show...light=holsters

I've got sympathy for anybody buying a holster but no real answers.

On a recent trip to Kentucky I made a stop at Whitaker guns to do some window shopping. I had noticed a gentleman with a few weapons in a care that he was in need of holsters for. He had an employee helping him and trying many different brands and types. That seemed like the way to go.
I usually do what you do..." this looks good,let's try it "

[AK103K]

No, it didn't. Leather doesn't cause rust. Not even wet leather. It is the 'wet' part that causes rust.

While it is the "wet" part that causes rust, wet, especially constantly wet leather holsters, just aggravate things, and contribute greatly to the cause. Once wet, they dont dry out with constant use, and your gun "is" constantly wet.

For years, I suffered through constantly wet holsters, that dont dry out over days, and rusty guns that just get worse, until kydex and truly rust resistant finishes showed up.

Finishes like hard chrome and Glocks tennifer, etc, make a big difference. Those in conjunction with kydex, and youre pretty much 99% rust free.

Leather holsters on the other hand, are really not your friend for daily use, and in a few other respects besides the "wet" part.

[Toney]

Heck one of my first carry pistols was a p11 that had been melted and just bead blasted without out a refinish.

I carried it in a crude iwb I made out of some of the Chrome tanned scrap leather from Hobby Lobby. I didn't know any better at the time.

I never did get any rust on the slide.

I still have a pocket holster I made from the same stuff, got a lcp in it now.

Some people just cant prevent rust, I think some just don't take enough care..

I sweat bad... in the summer I oil my black pistols in the morning and in the evening, I put my empty holsters over a ac vent to dry over night.

"Gun plastic" it just ain't right.... and rolling a part of love handle into a plastic holster hurts..l

[AK103K]

Some people just cant prevent rust, I think some just don't take enough care..

Im one who cant prevent it using leather and guns without rust impervious finishes. Its also not for lack of taking care of them.

I sweat like a pig, and have worked outside physically, pretty much every day of my life, and worn a handgun at the same time, all that time. The leather holsters I used were not (or ever) cheap holsters, and at the end of using them, in the summer, I was rotating through two horsehide Galco Royal Guards every other day, and neither ever dried out over the summer. Both were constantly wet, and due to that, so were my guns. Not only were they constantly wet, but they were constantly wet with sweat. Once rust started, other than removing it and a refinish, it only continued to get worse, and often at a pretty good rate.

Up until my first hard chrome 1911 and a Glock or two, I carried blued, parked, and SS guns. ALL of them rusted in the summer when using leather holsters, and all did so fairly quickly. All were wiped down daily, and left out of the holsters overnight, and still, continued to rust until they were sent to my local smith and refinished.

Last summer, I tried using a Ruger LCP in one of my Smart Carry's that I used my Seecamps in, and it literally rusted the first day I wore it! The LCP being bigger than the Seecamps, stuck up just enough above the sweat guard back on the holster, that it was against my wet tee shirt. The slide rusted where it contacted it. Ive since switched to a Glock 26 with a properly sized holster, and have not had a speck of rust. The gun often has sweat/moisture on the upper, rearmost part of the slide at the end of the day, and it doesnt rust.

"Gun plastic" it just ain't right.... and rolling a part of love handle into a plastic holster hurts..

Well, for one thing, it sounds like that holster is telling you something....like lose the jelly roll.

Ive been there too, by the way, although I never had the discomfort.

Ive carried IWB most of my life, fat and skinny, and everything in between, and actually found kydex to be a lot more comfortable than leather. You obviously havent had your tee shirt ride up, and that wet leather holster against your bare skin, quickly rub you raw, and then continue to rub you all day. And to add insult to injury, those chemicals they used to tan/treat it, start it really burning good.

Kydex just slides across wet skin, with no raw spots and no chemicals.

These days, I carry a Glock 17 in a Blade Tech Ambi "Klipt", and it, and the 26 have yet to show a spec of rust. The only time I did get rust on a Glock, was on the slide stop, where the finish wore to bare metal from constant drawing/reholstering. The holster was a Ted Blocker LFI rig. Other than that, dont ever see it.

Ive had really good luck with Blade Tech holsters. Still have the first I bought for my one Commander and with 10+ years of constant, daily use, its still as serviceable as the day I bought it, over 20+ years ago. Thats pretty good for a holster that cost me $50 +/-. Those Royal Guards were $75 a pop, and I was buying a new one every year.

This was the last RG I used. It was in my holster box for a number of years until I sold it on EBay. What you see there, is about a month of daily use before it was taken out of sevice when I got my first BT kydex holster. The tape you see was a laughable attempt at trying to keep the sweat from soaking in, which didnt do a bit of good.




One other thing Ive noticed over the years, is "perspective" varies greatly. Other than the people I work with, most others I know, live, work, and play, in controlled environments, so exposure to the elements, or heavy sweating, is not the norm. Most of them also dont carry a gun "all" the time, which reduces the guns exposure even more. Their experiences have always been different than mine.

Some of us wear our guns 18/7/365, and the guns dont lead a very nice life. More often than not, its harsh, dusty, dirty, sweaty conditions, and thats 12+ hours a day this time of year. Even with a kydex holster and rust resistant finish, they still require constant care and attention.

[James K]

In the dark ages, when I carried a revolver (remember those?) it was either a Model 36 or a Model 19 in a Bucheimer Federal Man holster. I still think those were the best and fastest thumb break holsters ever made, as well as being light and not at all bulky. Here is the Model 36 in its holster.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/atta...7&d=1365556067

Jim