Holster disappointment

[RetiredUSNChief]

Er, I have two nylon holsters I'm willing to burn! Can I get $40??

No idea where one came from. Second, I took my Colt Police Positive to a gun shop over a decade ago looking for a holster. Didn't have the heart not to buy...poor kid was so proud of what he found for me.

I cannot answer, however, the obvious question... Why do I still have the dang things?

Sorry... but the offer was for @Onty only!

 

[TarDevil]

shouldn't have piped up in this thread, but it's hard to see a gaggle of keyboard commandos and fudds pile a bunch of disdain and shame upon a fellow gun nut because he bought a holster that didn't provide the value he expected.

The proof was, as they say, in the pudding.

And, let's not forget that it's his thread.

And he posted on a public forum. Time for big boy pants.

I say Boo to you fellows. If you can't support the Ops concerns, be polite, or offer helpful suggestions.

No one denigrated him personally, just his choice of holsters. See above for the "proof" aspect. And yes, plenty of good suggestions were made. Heck, he can even get his money back on this deal!!

There is an upside for me.

Two way street, possibly.

 

[Onty]

Sorry folks, I was too busy to pay attention to this thread.

First, few facts; I was the one that that brought the issue of bad holster here, pointing what's wrong with it, what to look for when buying one. Nylon holsters are not very common for revolvers in, at that time, Toronto area. The one I found was in another town, about two hours away and I phoned the store. I made mistake ordering this holster without seeing it, and now I am telling to others what kind of product to avoid. Some of you already know about this particular product, so no point of reminding you. However, there are some other folks that are not aware of this issue and if I warned just one shooter, I will be happy.

And what was reaction from some of you? WHAT-DID-YOU-EXPECT-FOR-TWENTY-BUCKS-HOLSTER!? I just (rightfully) expect that damn thing stays in a single piece if I put it on the belt and slip in it 48 oz revolver! I don't buy attitude that it's normal when even $20 holster falling apart after sitting in a drawer several years. Look at these long gun slings from my father's gun cabinet:



Those two on right side must be at least 60 years old. They cannot be cheaper made, yet, they served well for at least 35 years. And still in a single piece.

Another reason I am not big fan of leather holsters is that in the field, getting through dense bush, they get scratched. Here is one I use for 44 Bisley, and will use it until replaced with nylon one, new, or if I fix broken one:



TacticalJanitor and some others are right! This is not THR level! Personally, I couldn't care less. But, what kind of message we are sending to new members, or those who would like to join this, probably the best forum on internet? And maybe more important, what were are telling to manufacturers? That it's OK to sell mediocre product, like that holster, and put blame on unaware customers!?

Also. as for those giving lessons to others, yep, I am 100% sure they never, ever made mistake buying something, just to learn later on that they wasted hard earned buck, some time hundreds. FYI, been there, done that! But, instead of keeping quiet, pretending that I am smart and know everything, I passed my experience to others, especially youngers, so they wouldn't make my mistake.

 

[JTQ]

I think your takeaway from the dialog in this thread is different than what I'm reading.

I made mistake ordering this holster without seeing it, and now I am telling to others what kind of product to avoid. Some of you already know about this particular product, so no point of reminding you. However, there are some other folks that are not aware of this issue and if I warned just one shooter, I will be happy.

We all appreciate this from you and other members.

Those two on right side must be at least 60 years old. They cannot be cheaper made, yet, they served well for at least 35 years. And still in a single piece.

Another reason I am not big fan of leather holsters is that in the field, getting through dense bush, they get scratched. Here is one I use for 44 Bisley, and will use it until replaced with nylon one, new, or if I fix broken one:

Note those 60 year old slings are made from leather, not plastic. Your leather holster is scratched up, but it is still functional. It is still strong and designed to hold your heavy pistol. I would expect it to continue to function for your needs for many more years.

And what was reaction from some of you? WHAT-DID-YOU-EXPECT-FOR-TWENTY-BUCKS-HOLSTER!? I just (rightfully) expect that damn thing stays in a single piece if I put it on the belt and slip in it 48 oz revolver! I don't buy attitude that it's normal when even $20 holster falling apart after sitting in a drawer several years. Look at these long gun slings from my father's gun cabinet:

I think the point most are making is we've all bought something we regret. However, in general, our expectations of a a piece of plastic stitched to a piece of nylon are lower than yours. We expect that plastic to be a failure point, and at $20 it is a matter of "hey, we know this is going to fail, but it's what we got, and we'll use it until it does fail." We're just not going to be upset when it does fail, because we are expecting it to fail. It's just a matter of when.

The push-back is not that you bought a product that failed, we've all done that. The push-back is that the forum as a group, seems to have a lower expectation of that product than you have. That's all.

 

[JTQ]

As @RetiredUSNChief said up-thread...

There's no sense in being upset at this, either. It's not as if this isn't something other people haven't gone through.

 

[racepres]

As @RetiredUSNChief said up-thread...

There's no sense in being upset at this, either. It's not as if this isn't something other people haven't gone through.

And...So??? No reason to Share the Experience with a Particular Product??

 

[JTQ]

And...So??? No reason to Share the Experience with a Particular Product??

We, or at least I do, appreciate those sharing experiences with a product. That's what a forum excels at.

As I mentioned above, @GunnyUSMC shared a failure of a holster in another thread (that I linked to), and I shared a failure of a holster I own. Those were both quality kydex holsters, with excellent reputations, yet they both failed after years of use. We identified the failure, and moved on. There is no point in being upset with the failure. Stuff happens. Make a note to self, and share it on a forum if you like, and move on.

 

[unclenunzie]

In the spirit of this thread I have for several years been using a nylon holster for my Taurus Poly Judge. It is exclusively for use while riding the mower, open carried on our property. It is perfectly suited to the job. Securely holds the Judge with a hammer strap and does not get in my way. Apart from the steel thumb snap, it is entirely made of nylon and fitted with velcro. I attached it to a belt using it's fixed belt loop and wear it over my regular clothes. I have had no trouble with it and for the 2019 price of $17.70, it is perfect for the specific job I bought it for. It is cheap, sturdy, and functional, and labeled "made in the USA". It is now 2 dollars higher in price and still worth it IMO opinion. As a rule I wouldn't use it for a street carry weapon but it would be perfectly good for field use in an appropriate model. (Amazon's link and picture).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A9HQ8UU/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

The problem with conversing in a text-only format such as this forum is that we cannot have the full-spectrum communication that the human body/mind is designed to communicate with. There is no body language to read, no tonal inflections to interpret, etc. And it's an inherent human behavioral characteristic to fill in the missing information with what it THINKS should be there based on many different factors.

So it's easy to find oneself assuming meaning and intent that is not at all in alignment with what the person you're conversing with has in mind at all.

@Onty, the vast majority of people here aren't intending to be derogatory or abrasive in any way...I know I certainly am not.


NOW...back to the subject of holsters:

Nylon holsters have their place. However, they have their own set of pros and cons, just like any other holster design out there. I'm a person who readily agrees that personal taste can be just as important a factor as numerous others. For example, if a person just LIKES nylon holsters because (looks, price, feel, weight, etc.) then by all means have at it. So long as the holster meets other important factors, who am I to gainsay this?

What are those "other important factors?" I rank retention, protection, and trigger coverage as the most important. These things I would call "essential" because they're related to control and safety. Things less important that this are things like durability, holster angle, holster position control, concealability, etc.

If a nylon holster will protect the gun from physical damage or fouling, if it will keep the weapon secure in the holster, if it will keep anything from getting inside the trigger guard, then it covers the essentials as far as I'm concerned. And if a person is happy with that, more power to them.


YOU EXPRESSED A LEVEL OF DISSATISFACTION WITH THE CONDITION OF YOUR HOLSTER.

And it's a perfectly valid dissatisfaction.

I like to think I addressed your issue without intending insult and with some personal insights as well as a personal offer which would ameliorate your issue. I also see that several other people have made very helpful suggestions. Such as asking if you've contacted Uncle Mike's or to fabricate and stitch on a leather belt loop to match your broken plastic one.

 

[Ethan Verity]

I appreciate the OP's PSA on the holster. Even though it's cheap, I still wouldn't expect a holster to just disintegrate on me. Poor fit? Yeah... Uncomfortable? Maybe... Printing more than a HP? Most likely... but not to outright fall apart like that! It's the 21st century, plastic chemistry isn't hard to master these days. I'm curious of the storage conditions, and exactly how old it was though.

I have been carrying my Ruger LCP1 in an Uncle Mike's Size#1 pocket holster for over 7 years now; they do have their place! I think the nylon holsters are a good option for pocket carry like that, though I would avoid them for belt use. That's where leather or Kydex is king.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

FYI, Nylon is hygroscopic. When it is dry it tends to be more brittle. At a factory where I worked when the humidity was very low in the winter we would have problems with nylon shoulder washers cracking. The solution was to toss a wet rag in the box of shoulder washers a few days before we needed to use them.

But the quality of materials can vary considerably. I've never seen a Heyco nylon cable strain relief that was cracked in over 50 years of repairing electronics. But I have seen other nylon parts that have cracked. Some nylon is fiber reinforced. Nylon is also brittle when it gets cold. I've broken 18 nylon latches on the panniers on my bicycle when they were opened in subzero weather.

Was the belt attachment that was broken actually made of nylon???

 

[Onty]

It is made from some kind of plastic, it was quite flexible when new, almost like rubber.

As for rest of the holster, I cannot see any sign of deterioration, looks just fine.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

It is made from some kind of plastic, it was quite flexible when new, almost like rubber.

For some reason the photo of your holster was not showing. I thought you were talking about a solid injection molded nylon holster like the ones Sig provides in their "TacPacs". Now that I can see the photo I strongly suspect that the belt attachment was made from some formulation of PVC. PVC can definitely get nasty and crack when it gets old and it can be very susceptible to damage from ultraviolet light.

You could probably salvage that holster by removing the broken plastic and sewing on a piece of heavy nylon webbing to make a belt loop.

 

[BJung]

This is my opinion about holsters. First, I always nylon holsters at gun shows because I think of them as cheap-poor quality holsters. Yet, my shooting budget has always been low unless I had no choice. I don't want to look like Tuco in the movie: The Good, Bad, and the Ugly who used a string lanyard and a pocket. So, for my Makarov, BHP, and .45 Auto, I use military holsters because the price is low and the quality is there. I use the M12 holsters for my autos. What government will use inferior products for their troops? I'm rough carry things on my belt so I feel more confident that I won't lose my holster or handgun too. With the money saved, I want to buy the best rated chest holster for hunting. I don't care about the price because I'm hiking miles with it and need the comfort and balance provided by it. Another example where I paid more for quality is my Montana rifle sling.

 

[bdickens]

Products like this just shouldn't be on the market. PERIOD!

Yeah, but they are.

You bought garbage and then complain because its garbage? You should have done your due diligence.

 

[Onty]

Yeah, but they are.

You bought garbage and then complain because its garbage? You should have done your due diligence.

First, intention was to warn others!

Second, see post #53.

 

[Miguel Loco]

Most people I know would not buy the absolute cheapest baby carrier they could find and expect it to last through 4 or 5 kids.

 

[TarDevil]

In the spirit of this thread I have for several years been using a nylon holster for my Taurus Poly Judge.

The nylon holster sold to me for my Colt is the same. I've had it for 12 years and it still looks like new (it doesn't get carried, however). I wouldn't be afraid of it failing me but It just doen't stay close to my body and I don't like retention straps. Zero passive retention. Last two points are paramount.

It will probably be in my holster drawer as long as my leather and kydex stuff and if I decided to use it in another 12 years I'm sure it would function as it does today. But it has no plastic. I don't trust plastic for load bearing jobs. Plus I have no need to open carry and I need a holster that hugs close for concealment. And to be as certain as possible, I choose what I consider a quality holster that will not let my firearm to tumble from my waist.

@Onty, after reading the thread again, I think the majority were very "High Road" in their comments. You even got a cash offer for your broken holster. And from the same person who made that offer;

The problem with conversing in a text-only format such as this forum is that we cannot have the full-spectrum communication that the human body/mind is designed to communicate with.

Forums such as this tend to have short and direct replies. Takes too much time to type with kid gloves.

 

[Jeff White]

Closed at OP's request.