Is it possible to tighten or shrink a holster?

[Bat Masterson]

Please help. I have a Galco concealable which worked well with my Beretta 92 Centurion before I started using it with my 96 Brigadier. Now it is too loose to use with the Centurion. Is there some way to shrink it a little in order to get back the friction fit? It does not have a tension screw, obviously. :banghead:

 

[Nortonics]

Check these threads:

http://www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23166

http://www.1911forum.com/forums/printthread.php?t=1529

 

[Bat Masterson]

1911forum.com appears to be temporarily down.

 

[1911Tuner]

Need a Shrink?

Howdy Bat,

If the holster is good quality horsehide, you can re-bone it to fit the pistol perfectly.

First, put put the holster in hot water...not boiling, but a little too hot for your hand...and soak it for about 30 minutes. Let it drip dry until water doesn't fall off...about 10-15 minutes. Wrap the gun to be fitted in a double-thick cover of Saran Wrap and put it in the holster. Use your fingers to mold the leather to the shape of the gun and follow up on the smaller contours with a wooden rod with rounded ends, pushing the rod from the top of the holster toward the bottom. When you get it to the point that it feels about right, lay it in an oven on the "Warm" setting until the holster doesn't feel damp...gun and all, so if you have plastic or rubber grips, you might want to take'em off. Nylon mainspring housings and the like shouldn't be affected. Take the gun and holster out and lay it in the open overnight, or until the holster feels good and dry. Don't oil the leather. That'll just soften it up and cause it to lose shape.

Correctly done, the holster will "grip" the gun lightly, and release it easily as soon as you pull on it.

 

[PCRCCW]

Tuner good advice........even if its Cowhide...it will work.
A tweak if I may?.....
If its horsehide...once you have the holster out of the water, have the gun ready to stuff in it, wrapped in saranwrap. HH will dry 30-40% in 10 minutes and youll loose the ability to squish or mold it.
Keep in mind when doing this your taking a gun with the same shape and making it work....you dont need to mold that much. Id pinch the trigger guard ALOT with your fingers, just outline the gun and push in the ejection port shape also. These are where retention is built into leather holsters.
HH will dry very rapidly.....Cowhide will take at least 1-2 hrs......
You must crease these areas as its drying until dry.....youll get the best results when its DAMN NEAR Dry. Dry it in front of a fan......no heat!
Tuner was a holster maker in a past lifetime and offers great advice....
Shoot well............

 

[happy old sailor]

1911tuner read the same piece i did and beat me to it. years ago, before saran wrap, the holster makers had casts of various handguns to stick in the hot wet leather. they may still do. this is, of course, before my time so i cannot really vouch for it. also, i have not done it, but it certainly sounds right. 1911tuner seems to know more than i. use his directions.

kydex, being a plastic type stuff, might be softened by heat, below melt, and worked similar to leather. thankfully kydex is inexpensive, relatively, so, if you ruin it - - - -.

 

[shoot870p]

i was curious also.

thanks for the advice there.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

Don't shrink the holster.......
just make the gun bigger!

Duct tape works well, I've heard.

 

[Bat Masterson]

Thank you, 1911Tuner. I gave it a try last night and it looks like it worked. I'll check it again after it is fully dry.

 

[dairycreek]

Nothing to add but...........................

thanks to the posters who made this one informative thread. Great

 

[Bat Masterson]

Galco holster didn't shrink. At least it still works with the 96 Brigadier.