Do IWB hosters ruin the gun's finish?

I carry a blued Colt 1911 in a Sparks Watch 6-It definately wears the finish a bit. Any gun you carry is going to wear a little.

I also have a P7M8 that I carry IWB in a very similar holster (bought 2 P7s NIB this year) Yes, the finish on my carry piece is showing some wear. I was also very appprehensive at first about carrying it--to the point that I would carry a snub-nosed Smith for the 1st month instead. After some thought, I just told myself that the whole reason I bought P7s was to carry, so I got over it.--It's like a new car, after the 1st scratch, you lose your paranoia.

If the bluing wears and you don't want it to have the used look you could always touch up the worn areas with some Birchwood/Casey instant cold blue. Just rub the worn area with some acetone first and then apply the cold blue with a cuetip or cottton swab. Otherwise you could send it out to be reblued after it looks really worn. I recently reblued my old .22 rifle I grew up with, what a difference! In short, if you carry the gun for defense you should expect wear to occur as it's constantly rubbing on the holster, your hip, etc. It's nothing to be worried about. As long as you regularly clean it and keep it properly oiled, you won't have any issues.

Do IWB hosters ruin the gun's finish?

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I have been packing guns in holsters for more than 40 years and I can tell you from personal experience that holster wear on the finish of a gun (blued or stainless) is a simple and unavoidable fact of life. A search will find opinions on leather vs. kydex as a function of wear. Some say kydex promotes greater wear while other will swear that leather is a culprit.

Personally, I have not found any difference in terms of holster material as it relates to wear on a handgun's finish. However, I can surely say that a holster's fit and cleanliness make a big, big difference in promoting wear on a gun's finish. A poor fitting holster will certainly cause finish wear and a dirty holster really accelerates finish wear. Keeping a holster clean makes a world of difference. Be sure to use a cleaning material appropriate to your holster's finish. I suggest that you consult the manufacturer and see what they recommend.

P7's will rust in short order, especially under the grips and the grip screws...I suggest getting it plated or Duracoating it(I did mine).

So many guys collect these things..they are just hunks of metal...use it, and modify it to suit you with no worries..

Gun Finish > Holster Issues

The finish of your gun is the main factor in how fast it will wear off. Stainless and some of the rock-hard after-market finish can hardly be marred by the cheapest, dirtiest holster whereas the finish on a blued gun can't be saved by the most expensive holster.

Rubbing a block of metal against any surface is bound to create some wear. The type and quality of a holster will make some difference. If anything, I think an IWB would have less wear simply because it holds the gun tighter therefore there is less movement in the holster.

I've carried my P7 PSP in a VMII for the past couple years, occasionally switching to a kydex holster if it is really hot out. The finish wore pretty quickly on certain parts of the slide, (it was already a little worn to start off with, used gun) but they haven't gotten much worse over the years, and I haven't had any issues with rust.

I've got another PSP that was refinished by (I think) Arizona Response Systems and that finish has been pretty tough. I haven't carried it nearly as much, but I think I've holstered it enough that if it was going to start wearing down the finish it would have started already. I probably should carry that one more but I bought it second and the worn one feels better to pick up and put on every morning.

I have heard this issue come up time and time again

Leather is an abrasive. Its a *mild* abrasive, but its an abrasive all the same. Over time, any sort of movement inside leather (or most other materials) will cause a wear on the firearm. Most folks dont' notice this, as the wear is very slight, but some steels seem to show it more then others. Unless you are lining your holsters with sandpaper, this won't effect anything functional on your carry piece.

Quick story:
I grew up carving stuff out of wood. My grandpa and I shared the hobby, and he taught me most of what I know--I now carve stone for fun.

When you go to sharpen a chisel, you start with rough, then finer grit, then finer grit, then even finer yet, until you get down to a fine, tiny thin burr along the very edge. It with either leather or denim that you lock down that burr. Without an abrasive coating on the leather this takes quite a while. Hand cramping time...but if there is something in the leather, it will "cut" or knock down that burr faster.

I have wondered about Kydex. It seems to have a very low co-efficient of friction (or is it high?) Anyway, it seems to not have the rough surface of leather.

Further: Some leathers (especially black) are cured by soaking the hide in chromium. Yes...the same chrome chromium. This allows the leather to cure very quickly and with a lot of stability. These tiny bits of chrome get into the nap of the leather, and can act as an abrasive as well. Look for "Vegetable tanned" or "Brain tanned." to get the safest leather for your holster.

Some factors as mentioned come to play.....how good is the guns finish to begin with? How much do you sweat..the salts your body produces and get inside of the holster will pit it after time. Is it smooth leather inside or outside? Kydex will trash a guns finish but only on key points....

Yes, the finish will show wear but wear and how much are all part of the equation. Get a smooth side in holster and keep you gun clean and oiled and you will reduce the wear substantially.

Shoot well and god bless