In search of a non scuffing holster.

[Guns&Religion]

I'm toying with the idea of purchasing my first "shiny gun"

Recently, I went on a trip to visit some family, and my brother in law, who's very fond of 19th century style firearms, took me on a shooting trip, and one of the guns I had the most fun shooting with was the Ruger Vaquero.

Now I want one.

While I like case hardened finish the one he owns, I'm looking at getting one with the high gloss stainless finish.

I also want to get a holster for it, but I want one that will hopefully not scuff the finish too much. (Like the leather holster I have for my single six with the satin stainless finish, it has a few tiny, but annoying scuff marks on the cylinder, which I assume come from drawing it out of the holster.)

Is there such a holster on the market? or do I need to keep the gun in a velvet lined box to avoid scuffing it?

 

[Sam1911]

Velvet lined box.

If you carry a gun it will get wear marks on it. That's how it is.

Leather holsters tend to create a more even, all-over buffing effect with a few shinier spots at the pressure points. Kydex holsters wear the finish right through in small, very specific spots where they touch the gun, and elsewhere not at all. But all holsters do it one way or another.

Keep the holster clean and it won't cause as much wear as fast, but it's going to wear. Heck, so will the cactus, tree branches, car doors, barstools, mailboxes, fence boards, kids' heads, and all the other stuff that will whack your gun as you go about your daily life armed. It just happens. "Honest wear" folks call it.

Now if you're getting a "Barbeque Gun" (which is a long and honored tradition, especially in the south) get a beautiful leather rig to show it off in and only wear it on special occasions with your fancier duds. That's the best way to keep it as nice as possible for as long as possible and still get some wearing use out of it.

 

[burrhead]

If one uses a holster, the gun WILL show holster wear. All holsters. It's the nature of the beast. A tight, well fitted holster will wear a little less but there's no free lunch. Lining will cause more wear as will Kydex and loosely fitted rigs. If you don't want holster wear don't use one.

 

[RUT]

There are some guns I have I just won't holster.

 

[Guns&Religion]

That's good information, thank you.

I suspected as much, I suppose there's no way to completely prevent scuff marks to a firearm unless you basically lock it up in a safe and don't use it at all.

I'm not quite wealthy enough for that yet. If I purchase a firearm, I'm going to shoot it.

 

[hipoint]

the one thing not mentioned is stainless guns can be re-polished. Maybe get a better than factory finish, maybe worse, but IMO they are better suited than a coated/plated gun will be for this use.

 

[CraigC]

If you don't want holster wear, don't stick your shooter in a holster. That said, there are things you can do to minimize wear. Proper fitment is paramount. Nothing will wear the finish of your sixgun quicker than a holster that doesn't fit. This issue is perpetuated by factory leather holsters that are too generic in their fit. Not just the cheap stuff but the big names do it too. They do this for ease of manufacture and they don't count on you realizing that you can many times find custom leather that fits for less money. You simply can't use the same holster pattern for the large frame Vaquero and Colt SAA. It'll either be too tight for the Ruger or too loose for the Colt. Neither of which are good. I make mine to fit and fit perfectly. You can interchange between the Colt SAA, replicas and the New Vaquero but don't even think about inserting a large frame Ruger in there. It ain't happenin' and on a properly constructed holster, it shouldn't. I don't even make them the same for mid-frame Blackhawks and the mid-frame New Vaquero. A properly fitting holster will also retain your sixgun without a strap or thong.

I used to believe in linings but no longer. I don't buy into most of the rhetoric you hear about grit and debris embedding in linings and scratching guns but I don't think they help either. They're also a lot of extra work and that means a considerable upcharge. I don't consider them to be a good investment in time for me or money for the customer.

I finish the inside of my holsters to be almost as smooth as a smooth cowhide lining. This means there is little chance for any grit to get embedded (for those that consider this an issue) and there is less friction for a smoother, quicker draw.

With all that said, there is really very little change a little holster wear will make to the appearance of a polished stainless Vaquero. They're not exactly hand-polished to a bright mirror finish like a bright nickel USFA or Colt. If it does, it's stainless steel and easily buffed out.

 

[Schwing]

This is one reason I love stainless for my revolvers. It will scuff but, unlike blued or other finishes, it comes off when you clean your gun. I would not even worry about marks from a holster with stainless.

 

[Iggy]

What Craig C said.

 

[JohnKSa]

I suppose there's no way to completely prevent scuff marks to a firearm unless you basically lock it up in a safe and don't use it at all.

Ok, here's a fairly non-standard approach to making sure a gun with holster wear stays looking good.

Have it heavily engraved.

Because the engraving breaks up the flat surfaces, small scratches and wear on the high points and corners are much less noticeable. To the extent that wear and scuffing are apparent, the effect actually tends to highlight the engraving.

It works especially well with stainless guns, but even with blued guns it provides some improvement.