1911 Holster

[45R]

I'm trying to find a 1911 holster for a Kimber Custom that wont mare the finish.

What material is going to be the least abrasive on the guns finish?

Kydex? Pros and Cons
Leather? Pros and Cons

I have been using a Kydex paddle hoster for my P226 with Nitron and CZ75, it seems to be fairly nice to the finish. I dont think that the Kimber finish is as durable as the Sigs though.

I've just been lugging the pistol around in a pistol case.

 

[rock jock]

My preference is kydex for OWB and leather for IWB.

 

[Sean Smith]

If I was going to make a wild guess I'd say that a nice high-end lined leather holster would be the least abrasive. But a finish like bluing is going to wear off relatively quickly no matter what holster you use.

 

[TarpleyG]

Kydex, leather, it all eats the finish eventually. If you want a carry gun then don't worry about it. If you want a show piece, put it away.

GT

 

[yankytrash]

Tarpley's probably got a handle on the situation better than any other, but my 2 cents of experience is only with blued and stainless -

Go kydex.


I've gone through two leather Galco "duty style" belt slides and my only other holster in leather is a Mitch Rosin jackass-style rig. I also have a handful of Fobus kydex holsters around here. The leather eats the bluing alive, and polishes the stainless to the point of no return. The Kydex still polishes the stainless and wears the bluing away, but only on a few small spots. With the leather holsters it's like a friggin piece of emory cloth.

I guess it's probably not the leather that's eating the finishes, but the grit that gets inside the holster. It's miniscule, but it's there, and no amount of cleaning will remove it. If you want a show gun, don't holster it, not even once.

Of course, if you want to grab a Fobus, ask Navyjoe around here what he thinks of Fobus.

 

[pogo2]

When I took a course in friction and wear many years ago in engineering school, I learned that when two objects are in sliding contact they both will wear on their surfaces, but that the softer object will wear relatively more than the harder object. From this I would guess that a leather holster will produce less wear on a given gun than a kydex holster, since kydex is harder (resists penetration better) than leather.

I would add that another way to fight gun wear is to plate the steel of the gun with a harder metal, such as chrome. I have a couple of Glocks with chromed slides that show no wear at all, after a few years going in and out of various leather holsters.

 

[Steelharp]

Let me throw in a vote for the Milt Sparks MMX (Mini Max) IWB model. I have one for my 1911's and for my Hi Powers. They are quality made products, so comfortable the weight of a full size 1911 disappears, and because of it's design, one holster will fit all barrel lengths of 1911's. Terrific product.

Mikey D...

 

[Soap]

I've always wondered this myself. Its more of a curiousity for me than a functional consideration.

My approach is to just use them. I love the marks of my gun. For example a few are:

-Scratches near the ejection port doing one-handed reloads
-Muzzle/sight wear from constant draw practice
-Wear on the grip safety/manual safety/trigger from use
-Scratches/dents near magazine well from practicing reloads
-Hairline crack in grips from doing a rushed (and botched) reload in IDPA

Ahh...the memories!

 

[denfoote]

Kramer Handgun Leather

This is what I carry my BHP and soon to be mine 1911 in.

It's a Kramer Belt Scabbard.

You can see it at:

http://www.gokart.net/cgi-bin/store.cgi/kramer?page=/index.html&cart_id=%%cart_id%%

 

[denfoote]

Forgot to post the picture!!! :banghead:

 

[M1911]

I'm trying to find a 1911 holster for a Kimber Custom that wont mare the finish.

There is no such thing. If you put the gun in a holster you will get holster wear.

 

[AK103K]

I would add that another way to fight gun wear is to plate the steel of the gun with a harder metal, such as chrome. I have a couple of Glocks with chromed slides that show no wear at all, after a few years going in and out of various leather holsters.

This really wont help to much, I have a Combat Commander that was chromed and gets daily use. Its matte chrome finish is polished where it contacts the kydex holster I use. It looks like bright chrome at these points. The biggest advantage the kydex has over the leather holsers is, it's waterproof and wont suck up sweat. Once the leather holsters are wet, they take days to dry, even when set aside and not worn everyday. No matter what you use its going to wear the finish, especially if it gets worn everyday. As was mentioned before, if your worried about the finish, dont carry the gun.
The black streaks in the pic are actually polished chrome and are shiney not black.

 

[Selfdfenz]

Lined leather is the worst choice.
The lining is just a great place to store grit and other micro-sized scratch producing stuff to chew up the finish.
The more you carry and practice with it the more grit the lining catches.

A well used (old) lined holster will really work on the finsh of a new pistol. Problem is..... I think the same thing happens with unlined units it just takes longer to build up enough girt to really file the finish.

At least you can wash a kydex unit and be reasonably sure you have it clean but the do cause some marks too.
S-
S-

 

[Correia]

All carry guns wear.

You would think leather would be softer, that is until you get some sand imbedded in it and you scratch the heck out of your gun.

 

[Mannlicher]

My choice is a well made, expertly fitted leather holster. suede lined.

I have carried a Springfield 1911A-1 in a Sam Andrews holster like this for some years now. It works for me.

 

[cocojo]

I have a high noon for owb and like their holsters they sit very high. For my IWB I used a Blade techs for most of my guns, ecept for one milt sparks holster for my G-23. I love blade techs for IWB. The blade tech for my Kimber 5 inch is more comfortable than a samller gun. What I have found is that if a gun is thinner they just fit better. I can wear my G36 and it's real comfortable but if I switch to a G23 in a milt Sparks holster, it sticks in my side. Now with the Kimber 5 inch in the blade tech the barrel is just long enough not to stick in my side and it sits very high. FBI slant with j-hooks. I can't believe that I can carry a full size 5 inch gun all day in a IWB holster and it not have it bother me, even when sitting down. I find lether holsters too thick and bulky for IWB use where the kidex is very thin.