Nylon Holster. Why not?

[Manson]

Not long ago I received a free nylon holster. Still in the package and marked ambidextrous and fits all large semi- automatic handguns. Like many of you I have a box full of leather holsters. All made to fit a specific firearm. I have always avoided nylon in the belief that they don't provide proper fit or support.

I decided to give this one a try. It was free and I thought it could do no harm to try it. Well my suspicion was correct. The gun fit nicely. Very snug. But lacked support. The grip sort of leaned ten degrees or so away from the body.

Then I had another thought. Which was two in a row and highly unusual. The holster managed to be ambi by providing a tight set of nylon loops on both sides. I ran my gun belt through the belt loops on the outside of the holster and snugged it up. It worked very well. Three of my guns work in this free nylon holster with almost no printing.

So, does anyone else use a nylon holster? And before I get too comfortable using mine is there some other reason I am not aware of that so many seem to shun the cheap, cheesy nylon?

 

[minutemen1776]

I use a nylon holster mostly as a non-carrying scabbard for my Glock 19. It protects the gun when it rides with me in the car and also has a pouch to keep an extra mag handy. I have other holsters that are better for actually carrying the Glock. I also use an Uncle Mike's nylon holster for my Browning Buck Mark, but this is primarily because non-custom leather for these pistols is hard to find.

 

[Wishoot]

If it works, use it. The nylon will not hold up to use nearly as well as a leather holster, but they are certainly cheap enough you could buy a new one every year.

I have one I use for putzing around the house.

 

[Manson]

Thanks guy's. I was wondering if perhaps there was some reason that hadn't occurred to me for not using it. I appreciate the input.

 

[JTQ]

Two things come to mind.

Is all the retention of that holster now provided by your belt?

The other concern I would have is the holster probably crushes and closes when drawn, making it almost impossible to reholster one handed.

 

[Manson]

JTQ. You are correct. Most of the retention is provided by the belt. And re-holstering without first loosening the belt is difficult at best. But I'm not sure why this would be a concern. Could you please expand on your thinking?

 

[Telekinesis]

But I'm not sure why this would be a concern. Could you please expand on your thinking?

When a soft holster collapses after the gun is pulled, people have a tendency to use their off hand to open up the holster mouth so that they can reholster the gun. This usually leads to people sweeping a loaded gun over their off hand which is one step away from getting a nice new hole in their body. It is possible to reholster a gun in a soft holster without sweeping your hand, but it takes some thought and less than intuitive steps to accomplish.

Another reason to try and have a holster that doesn't collapse or require two hands to reholster is that while "speed reholstering" is rarely required, there is a chance that you could be using your off hand for something like speaking on the phone with 911 or trying to hold pressure on a wound (either you or another friendly) or trying to direct (read: push) your family members into to a safer area or any number of other things that might be necessary after having to draw and fire your gun for real.

 

[JTQ]

I agree with Telekinesis's points.

As far as holster retention goes my personal opinion is you should be able to put your pistol in your holster, off the belt, and turn it upside down and the pistol should not fall out. Some holsters, typically the nylon variety will need some kind of thumb snap since they are so sloppy loose. Other holsters such as a well made leather or kydex will provide retention simply by their stiffness and expert molding. Those are most likely the reasons they cost more than nylon holsters.

 

[OpticsPlanet]

Re-holstering at the range might not be an issue, but if you carry it legally for self-defense and are involved in a shooting, you don't want to be
1> the guy with the gun in your hand when the authorities arrive
2> the guy who is fumbling with his gun and his belt and his holster with an adrenaline dump and shaky hands (BANG)
3> the guy who has to toss his expensive handgun across the pavement when order to by the above mentioned authorities*.

Mark H.

* Unless you have a Glock, which of course is impervious to ANYTHING.

 

[Manson]

I do have a couple of Glocks but based on your comments and those of the other posters I may need to rethink my free holster.

 

[Iggy]

You get what you pay for and free don't get you much.

 

[TarDevil]

I have one nylon holster for my SR9c that fits perfectly. It is a bit of a chore to reholster, but I've developed a technique that works pretty well without undoing my belt. I bought it because I can't find what I want in ANY gun store in NC, and I really want to try out a holster before I shell out 100 bucks or so for one. Either Theis or Crossbreed is in the near future, but mainly to help contain my back problems. Meanwhile, the nylon rig works OK.

 

[Fremmer]

Ever have Excessive wear on the finish with those tight nylon holsters?

 

[SEE IT LIKE A NATIVE]

I keep my Glock in a nylon holster by my bed at night , when I carry I prefer Kydex and leather in the form of a Crossbreed supertuck ! The kydex stays open and reholstering is a breeze ,retention is very good ! Kevin

 

[Manson]

Fremmer. I haven't been using it very long. So I can't comment on wear. I thought I better come here for advice before extensive use.

 

[beatledog7]

I sometimes carry a J-Frame in a nylon IWB holster. It collapses instantly if I draw, but I don't care because if I have to draw, one-handed reholstering is absolutely the last consideration.

If I had to draw but not shoot, that means the BG ran off. So I have time to reholster deliberately and carefully, after I calm down for a few seconds.

If I actually had to draw and shoot, I would not reholster; rather, I would place the gun in a safe place but in plain view to wait for the police to arrive.

If I had to fire at all, I would probably use all 5, so if I did have a reason to reholster, I'd be empty and therefore couldn't shoot anything while reholstering anyway.

 

[jay21]

Great points above, retention and re-holster are the biggest against. Secondary is life of the holster.

 

[Ringolevio]

Nylon works for me!

In hot weather I prefer fabric to leather, so my stainless XSE Commander rides in a cordura OWB pancake slide holster very similar to an Uncle Mike's; I made some alterations (I have a sewing machine and know how to use it) so it fits better, the sights don't snag and the holster rides higher. I have two, in case one starts to show wear.

Because it's a pancake style, it draws the gun in pretty tight and doesn't sag. I use a 1.75" 5.11 belt, and also an inexpensive cordura double mag pouch. I also carry a Leatherman tool in a similar cordura pouch.

Other than needing 2 hands to re-holster, it seems to work just fine.
Its performance is comparable to my leather outfit, which is a belt and belt slide holster from Bob Mernickle and a mag pouch from Tex Shoemaker.