Leather holster safe for a nice 1911?

Personally I would avoid keeping it in leather all night, but others would have far more experience than me on long term finish effects. Keeping it oiled every day will probably protect the finish but might harm, the holster over time. Maybe consider another non-marring means to secure the trigger at bedside.

I tend to add a silk or cotton liner for any leather holster that i intend to leave a gun in for very long.
I've found that the residue from tanning solutions can attack the finish of a fine firearm.

1911 is going to rust anyways. Maybe it's my lifestyle or ''chemistry''.

Get some nice holster wear and dings into that pistol so it looks ''experienced''. Don't waste another thought on keeping it too pretty, it doesn't stand a chance.

Or get another one for the safe or display case.

I only use leather holsters. Leather does hold moisture. I make it a point to take off all the slings (I use leather slings exclusively on non-tactical long guns and shotguns) in the safe if they’re in long term storage. That being said, I have left blued handguns in leather holsters for extended periods of time (2-3 +/- weeks?) with no apparent detrimental affect to their finish. My hand guns appear to take more wear going in and out of a holster than actually sitting in one. Note that I’m in a climate with low humidity year round.

A lot depends on the area you live in. Vegetable tanned also called oak tanned leather is fairly benign if your area weather is like mine and definately on the dry side. As humidity goes up so does the chance of damage. To be safe I would use something else or wrap some saran wrap around the part that fits in the holster. Personally I wouldn't use anything inside except maybe steal one of my wife's potholders to lay it on.

I think it has a lot to do with the way leather has been treated. I have left blued revolvers in leather for literally years with no negative affects. I also have ruined blued finishes in a matter of days. I suspect that a gun which is wiped down and oiled every day will be impervious to most leather holsters but have no way of knowing for sure.

Hi...
I have had my carry gun in a leather holster for years with no detrimental effects to the finish. It is a blued Springfield Armory 1911.

It gets taken out every couple if weeks or so when I run a few magazines of ammunition through it. It gets cleaned, oiled and back in the holster.

Out of curiosity, what role is this gun playing? You mention 100% indoor but are we talking about daily open carry, IWB concealed carry, sitting in a holster on a nightstand?

In my experience, if you carry a gun long enough it will end up with some kind of holster wear. I’ve had this with kydex and different types of leather, and an assortment of metal finishes. I have come to the conclusion that - for myself - the choice to carry is also the choice to accept some wear and tear. I have owned guns that I wasn’t willing to accept that wear, and so I made the choice to not carry them.

If you're going to wipe it down daily, are you going to shoot it daily?

If so, shoot it, clean it, stow it, repeat. It's a 1911! Have fun!

My all-metal handguns go in leather holsters. My EDC gets a weekly or bi-monthly wipe down with a silicone impregnated gun/reel cloth depending on the weather.

I'm not a big fan of lined holsters. As mentioned above, drawing and reholstering is the main source of finish wear.

You can find some nice used 1911 leather holsters at online reselling sites or go top-of-the-line with a fine-tooled custom holster like those offered by Purdy Gear.

Storing a gun in leather isn't something I would do. Here's why:



This otherwise pristine revolver was kept in a leather holster (not by me). A daily oiling and inspection, as you propose to do, would prevent something like this. But are you sure that will really happen? I'd probably be careful about it for a while, and then I'd forget. I don't mean to accuse you of the laxity or forgetfulness I often exhibit, but it's not a rare attribute amongst us humans.

A gun sock of some kind might be a better idea. If you really prefer to keep it in a holster, an application of silicone or wax would help just in case you forget to oil it for a time.

I only use leather holsters for my 1911 as I find them the best choice, there was a time that all I had was Kydex holsters and I had more than one of my guns finish ruined because of Kydex, Kydex even wore out the finish on a Cera-Coated gun I had. I like leather because of the of the feel of a natural product and I think it protects the gun better and it is very traditional.

On my nightstand is a Series 70 1911 in condition 3. No holster. No reason for it.
I carry it IWB condition 1, in an N8 Tactical kydex holster. It has wear. It is a tool.
Most of my other pistols have never seen a holster.

I use leather for carry and nylon for storage. For a nightstand gun, I recommend a DeSantis Nemesis -- it's actually a pocket holster, though, so I don't think they make one to fit a 1911. Something like this would be handy for around the house, and not too expensive:

https://acecase.com/extra-mag-holster-nylon-colt-springfield-1911-large-frame-autos-more....html

While I carry in leather holsters; storage is in soft cloth pistol rugs.
That's me. My 2¢

I carry in a holster(leather) and transport in a pistol rug(or hard lockable case) No need for a bedside holster. If safe rash is a concern, I'll slip 'em into a boot sock but I prefer not to. For storage, it's au naturale

guyfromohio said:

https://www.ttgunleather.com/

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TT makes a fine holster if you can wait a wile sparks makes a better one I own both https://www.miltsparks.com/store.php If you need it next week https://azulagunholsters.com/

Mine lives in a sock that has a hole in the toe (shoot-through design) but is carried in either a older Blade Tech, or pigsuede-lined Alfonso’s holster.

I don’t store any pistol in a holster (with one exception).

the last time I left my HI Power in a cheap nylon holster and stuck it in the safe I was horrified to later discover rust on the pistol. My guns are mostly finish challenged (some are outright dogs) but they are all clean and rust free. I cannot abide!

I have a Charter Arms revolver & two (carbon steel) knives that I store in leather all the time & show no signs of corrosion.

I think certain types of leather are more corrosive than others but I'm no expert on the subject.

Sovblocgunfan said:

the last time I left my HI Power in a cheap nylon holster and stuck it in the safe I was horrified to later discover rust on the pistol.

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I've been storing pistols in DeSantis Nemesis pocket holsters for years with no rust. Maybe it's more humid where you live.

toivo said:

I've been storing pistols in DeSantis Nemesis pocket holsters for years with no rust. Maybe it's more humid where you live.

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Perhaps. It’s pretty humid here in Houston.

So many weird myths persist when it comes to leather. Any good holster should be made of vegetable tanned leather and there is nothing there that will harm a gun's finish. Leather is also typically oiled during the manufacture process so the amount of water it can absorb is minimal. Any issues regarding rust are going to be due to storage conditions. If you leave a blued handgun in a holster under the seat of your truck, parked outside in south Texas, it's going to rust. Of course, it would rust without the holster. Same for your humid garage or basement. If it is stored in a climate controlled environment, the leather cannot absorb enough moisture from the atmosphere to be an issue. Absolutely no need to wipe down and oil daily. Unless you just like rubbing it.

Believe it or not, cheap nylon holsters like Uncle Mike's are actually worse.

Kydex is terrible on gun finishes.