Kydex

Hey all,
I've always been curious about kydex holsters, but I shied away from them figuring that the hardness or kydex might accelerate wear of the finish. Looking at a thread in the revolver forum, Dan-O posted pictures and it doesn't look like the finish is affected too bad. Can anyone pass along some feedback regarding Kydex holsters and the effect they might have on a gun's finish?

 

The only thing that can damage your gun's finish is something harder than your gun's finish. Kydex is not harder than your gun's finish, thus would not damage the finish.

Dirt is harder than your gun's finish, thus dirt would damage the gun's finish.

Dirt can get on kydex, and that dirt can damage your gun's finish. Keep the kydex clean and it's not a problem.

 

I've got a lot of respect for Mainsail, but in my experience a perfectly clean holster will damage the finish on your gun, whether it is leather or kydex. A kydex holster will simply do the damage faster than a leather holster will. If you don't want to damage the finish on your gun, don't put it in a holster (don't shoot it either).

The first scratch on my gun really made me cringe, now I want to use the heck out of it and with any luck it will look like Tiger McKee's 1911.

https://shootrite.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/1911-modifications/

 

I look at it this way; finish condition only affects resale value. Therefore, when I've first purchased a gun, while 'product testing' to see whether I'll keep it, it usually doesn't get holstered. After I'm satisfied it will serve the purpose (CCW), I don't worry about resale value, and holster them in whatever material holsters I choose.

 

The wear isn't a problem, and isn't something I have really noticed happening

If it's a gun that goes in a holster, that means it's a gun that gets shot/used, so even if there was noticeable finish wear, I truly do not care

Pictured below is a Glock 26 that was EDC'd for many years (probably 6-7 years full time EDC) in a kydex IWB holster (comp-tac c-tac).

I don't see any finish wear to be concerned about. I do see a little surface rust/whatever at the corner where that many years of sweat seems to have made some headway but leather is worse about holding sweat up against the gun, and over a much larger area (all the way down the slide)

 

Most kydex holsters use the trigger guard as a retention area. The rest of the holster makes little contact with the gun. The front of the trigger guard is where you'll see wear from a kydex holster.

 

This is not the case with nearly all of the kydex pancake style holsters that seem to be the most popular current design. They make contact with the gun throughout the slide portion of the gun and many use the ejection port as a retention point.

 

I have yet to see any wear from plastic holsters on any of my guns' finishes. If it does, I would expect it to "burnish" contact points (edges and corners) and be self-limiting, i.e., reaching a certain point and stopping. A leather holster contacts more of the gun and acts much like a razor strop.

If you carry, practice holster draws and shoot extensively, your gun is going to get a little bit of finish wear eventually. If you don't want this to ever happen, leave it in the safe and only take it out once in awhile to fondle it.