Did I ruin my holster?

Yea it'll draw easier, because you probably ruined the holster. Never use oil on a holster - ask the maker what to do next time.

Sorry, but I can think of nothing that will salvage it. Gun oils have aromatic solvents/carriers in them which will evaporate, but the oil itself doesn't, especially after it has permeated the pores of the leather. For that matter, don't even use oils made for treating leather (e.g., neatsfoot) on a holster. This is OK for shoes and boots that have to bend with your foot, but a holster must remain rigid if it is to function properly.

Holster break-in advice from High Noon: http://highnoonholsters.com/_Questions/_questions.html#4

I don't think you've got anything to lose at this point by trying drastic measures to salvage the holster. You might try de-oiling it by washing it thoroughly in hot water with something like Dawn dishwashing detergent. Towel it off and rewash until oil no longer shows on the towel. While the leather is still wet, wrap the gun in plastic wrap and fit it tightly in the holster, then let it air-dry. When it dries, it may regain most of its original stiffness.
If not, get a Kydex holster next time.

Oil is for baseball gloves. My sorrows for your difficulties with the holster.
Tell dad he owes you a GOOD dinner.

Water is an even worse idea. It will likely loose its retention if you do that - chock this one up to experience and replace it.

chock this one up to experience and replace it.

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I agree. Better yet, have Dad replace it.

Be thankful you learned this lesson on a Blackhawk holster and not on a Milt Sparks or Matt Del Fatti holster that you waited months on and spent over $100 (maybe waaay over) for.

Each time you buy a holster you learn something new about them. That's why most of us have more than one, sometimes many, many, more than one.

Galco sells a very small bottled product called Draw-EZ that you can put inside a new holster that supposedly will not soak into the leather or discolor it nor does it in anyway change the molded shape of the holster and it helps to speed up the break in process on new leather holsters.
I bought some for $7.00 at a small gun shop and intend to use it tonight on my two new RKBA pocket holsters.

Unless you soaked it in oil you haven't ruined it, although gun oil is not a good thing for leather. Give it a couple of days and the oil will migrate through the fibers and the discoloration will go away.
The best way to break in a leather holster is just wear it with the gun in for a few hours and it will stretch slightly as it acclimates to your shape and how tightly you buckle your belt.

Wipe it down with break clean, don't sound like it can hurt it worse than it already is. It will remove all oil

Do not wipe is down with break cleaner. Just leave it be and it will be fine.

JTQ said:

Be thankful you learned this lesson on a Blackhawk holster and not on a Milt Sparks or Matt Del Fatti holster that you waited months on and spent over $100 (maybe waaay over) for.

Each time you buy a holster you learn something new about them. That's why most of us have more than one, sometimes many, many, more than one.

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Yep. Milt Sparks, my favorite, they say to only wrap the pistol in a plastic bag and then use that for a while to open it up some. I've never even done that though. I don't oil them or anything, I just use 'em.

If you were to use oil, I'd think you'd want to use the oil that they use for baseball mitts. Emu oil or whatever. But a good holster is made with leather that is sealed, and I go for horesehide when I can because it is naturally that way and a little tougher.

Yeah, lucky you learned it on a cheaper one. Go check out Milt Sparks if you want a real nice one, that VMII and a good gun belt and I never looked back. Don't oil it though.

I don't know if I'd use brake cleaner. That is some tough stuff. If they used a leather that isn't properly sealed you could end up damaging it more.

You should call a leathersmith in your area and ask him what to do if you want to try anything else.

^^^Better listen to him^^^

Oil won't evaporate, so good luck getting it to go away without some help.

30 Years ago I sprayed my holster down with gun oil with the intent of waterproofing it still using it no problems yet. Just leave it be for a while itll be fine once the oil soaks in evenly. If you pack it with some papertowels a little oil might soak out into them.
T

Some, myself included, use Johnsons Paste Wax rubbed on the gun for an extremely tight fit. The plastic wrap actually stretches the leather and I prefer mine on the tight side. The best thing for a snug holster is to be worn though.

+1 on what eaglestroker said. Do not wrap the gun in plastic wrap if you are to impatient to just wear it for a couple of hours with the gun in then the Johnsons paste wax is a solution.
In any case if you only used a small amount of gun oil it will eventually (few days) evenly migrate through the fibers and the discoloration will go away. I dip natural colored (undyed) holsters in neetsfoots oil prior to finishing. The immediate results are colors from light to dark brown. After about two to three days it is an even tan color.
Using brake cleaner or some other harsh chemical besides being detrimental to the leather will remove whatever finish was used on the holster.

Eaglestroker said:

Water is an even worse idea. It will likely loose its retention if you do that - chock this one up to experience and replace it.

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Not really. Natural leather, as opposed to the synthetic stuff, can take getting soaked with water. Most of the form-fitting custom holsters are made by wet-molding the leather around a model of the specific gun, and letting it dry and shrink to a tight fit.

I've never used anything but vegetable tanned leather so I can not comment on other materials effectiveness. I just go by Milt Sparks recommendations - they've done it a little longer than myself and have more experience than most of us.

To block out (stretch) your new holster first UNLOAD your pistol or revolver and place the gun into the 4 mil plastic bag that your new holster was packaged in. Then carefully insert the bagged gun all the way into the holster (do not! I repeat, do not!! wet or spray the holster with any solution to aid in the stretching process). The blocking out process as described above will in no way harm the crisp detailed molding of your new holster, nor will it ruin its retention qualities.

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You gun, your leather, your results may vary