Solutions for an overly tight holster

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Girodin

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I recently bought the FIST holster pictured below. It is clear to me why he was letting it go. It is extremely tight on the gun. It takes a fair amount of pressure to get it to seat the pistol fully, and the once the gun is in there it requires one to pull rather hard and hold onto the holster to get it out. It is far to tight to be practical for CC. I figured for $35 dollars I would get it anyhow and see if I could remedy this problem. Any ideas?

The leather is fairly thick and very hard and stiff. I can see the wear marks in it where the pistols is hitting. Would there be a problem with just sanding it down?


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Wrap the pistol in a plastic bag or waxed paper and insert it into the holster. Let is sit in the holster at least over night.
 
I used a thin dress sock on mine. left it in there overnight. Same as JTQ suggested. Works very well.
 
Wrap the pistol in a plastic bag or waxed paper and insert it into the holster. Let is sit in the holster at least over night.
Click to expand...

This is good advice. To take it one step further... you can usually tell where the pistol is binding. By using stips of wax paper, you can custom fit only the areas that need adjustment without over adjusting those areas that already fit well.

I also use a Galco product called Draw-EZ to break in a new, overly tight holster. Several holster maker sell similar products.
 
How about rubbing some neatsfoot oil into the holster and then letting the socked gun stretch it for a few days?

I used to do that with a new baseball glove: Rub in the oil and then tie the glove tightly around a ball for a day or two.

Note: It will make the leather a bit darker in color but it's great stuff for softening up and stretching.
 
but it's great stuff for softening up
Click to expand...
This is the problem, you do not want to soften a holster. Use some rubbing alcohol to soften the holster and oil up the gun and put it in a plastic bag and shove it in the holster. The rubbing alcohol will evaporate and leave the leather nice and stiff.
 
I just fixed the same problem you had, my Don Hume for my kahr mk9 was way to tight, I got the dremel out and put barrell sanding disc on it, sanded where it hit, and took a long square rasp file to get the corners, 5 minutes work, and gun slides in/out quickly and easy, the way it suppose to.

Do it outside, if you dont have a workshop, leather dust everywhere, I blowed it out, run a dry t-shirt thru it, cleaned up nice.
 
A few strips of blue masking tape on the guns tight spots.
Force it in the holster and wear it for a day.

Then take the tape off and enjoy the perfect fit.
You need to wear the holster for the proper places to stretch to fit the gun.
Leaving it lay on a table does not bend the holster like it will be bent when you wear it on a belt.

PS: Never, Ever use neatsfoot oil on a fitted holster!!!!

rc
 
rc is right. NEVER EVER use neatsfoot, or any other oil on a fitted holster. It will soften the leather and ruin the holster.

Also, anytime you buy neatsfoot oil make sure it is from free-range neats. The regular commercially produced neats are crammed 30 to a cage and pumped up with growth hormones. I am no PETA person but the "puppy mill" mentality of the commercial neat rancher is just wrong.

Their hooves make good oil though
 
+1 on plastic wrap and gun in holster as well as
never oil the holster-it'll get too loose over time.

If it's squeeky try a baby powder.

when I got a Milt Sparks #Axiom OWB holster I thought
jeez this thing is tight, - so I did the plastic wrap & gun in holster
and also wearing it with the gun around the house, and it was
also squeaky. It's been a year plus and it doesn't squeak much
anymore, and the draw is fine the lether relaxes a little it just
takes time.

Randall
 
I have done pretty much the same as above. Make sure the holster is not too dry, if it is work some oil into it. (I use Red Wing boot oil on some NIB 15+ year old holsters and they really came back to life.) Once that is done I put the gun in a 1 quart baggie, spray the inside of the holster with "boot stretch" & put the gun in overnight. May repeat this twice. I think the combo of the three items (baggie, oil and boot stretch) works pretty darn well. Boot stretch can be bought at your local cowboy boot store.
 
Use the plastic wrap/baggie overnight method -all you need is to stretch the leather a little bit, but not enough to loosen the hold. I have seen up to 3-layers of plastic wrap recommended, but YMMV.

Never put leather treatment of any sort into holsters! After paying so much for a hand-blocked holster, why ruin this by softening the leather?
 
You can also increase the number of baggies on the pistol. I have a Wild Bill's Concealment holster that was extremely tight on my Kimber. It took 4 freezer bags, multiple days and the liberal application of spray silicone (on the manufacturer's recommendation) on the inside of the holster, to get it to fit well. I'm glad it's a stainless pistol that I was working with!
 
you do not want to soften a holster. Use some rubbing alcohol to soften the holster and oil up the gun and put it in a plastic bag and shove it in the holster. The rubbing alcohol will evaporate and leave the leather nice and stiff.
Click to expand...

That's the answer. I also like to rub Sno-Seal into my holsters, inside and out. You will find a film of wax on the gun when you take it out -- but that actually protects the gun, as well as making your draw easier. And it prevents sweat-through in hot weather.
 
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I double bagged it and for a day wearing it while I was home. That loosened it some. I then triple bagged it for another day and it is much better but still tight. I can finally pull it out of the holster with out pulling my pants up to my nipples though. I may try 4 bags and that might be perfect. It was SUPER tight when I started.
 
That's neat about the neats. I actually thought the oil came from a family in eastern Europe that started collecting the oil from feet of family members centuries ago at reunions and Christmas. This was usually after long hikes in the snow with several pairs of socks and very warm boots on the feet. Live and learn.
 
I put new holsters by the gas fireplace to get nice and warm, then move it away from the fireplace and put the gun in it overnight. Always seems to do the trick.
 
Do not boil the holster! It will curl up and shrink.

This idea comes, apparently, from not understaing the meaning of "boiled leather." Boiled leather (Cuir bolio) is boiled in wax, not water, and the purpose is to make the leather hard so it can be used for breastplates -- the cured hide is boiled before, not after cutting and stitching.
 
The process of "bagging" a pistol and placing it in a new, tight holster for a few days is called "blocking".

Most if not all "hand boned" holsters require this to properly fit the pistol to the holster. The "hand boning" is all of the recessed details or molding of the holster to that particular pistols shape.

I am presently trying to block my new XD9SC as when I tried it in the holster without the bag, I felt like Barney Fife :eek: trying to remove it...and yes, ALWAYS block a holster with an unloaded pistol. :eek:

I have to check it tonight and if it is still too tight will add another bag to it.
 
I'd try double bagging it and leaving it pushed in firmly for a few days. Even wear it around the house with the bagged gun in place for as long as you can stand. Push it firmly home now and then to ensure it doesn't creep up. If after a week of this the holster is still overly tight then with the bagged pistol still in place expose the leather to the blast from a kettle with a serious blast of whistling steam coming from it. The heat and moisture will soften the leather and let it stretch to shape without the shrinkng that you'd get from that boiling nonsense. Once the leather feels damp and warm to the touch set it aside for a day or even put it back in your waist band and wear it for the day until it fully dries. Be sure to firmly push it deep in the holster throughout the day. Leave the pistol in place overnight while any moisture you can't feel dries away. By the next morning it'll be as good as it's going to get short of leather surgery.

Leather is amazing material for being able to stretch to fit. But this process takes time. The maker was right to make it on the tight side from the factory since the way leather eases in use would result in too loose a fit after a few weeks or months and then you'd be complaining about THAT instead of it being too tight. Tight is good because you can ease it. Loose is a dead end. That's why I'm suggesting you live with the holster for a week before you think about trying some steam for moisture and warmth. The kettle trick is only needed if the maker missed the mark by that last little bit. Otherwise wearing it for a week with the gun jammed into place should stretch the leather just fine. Some saddle soap or neutral color boot wax will feed the leather and help it with this easing process without softening it overly much like neatsfoot oil would do.
 
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Remove mag. Rack slide several times to insure chamber is empty. Visually confirm chamber is empty.

Sit down with your favorite 30 minute sitcom on TV.

Insert gun briskly into holster. Remove.

Repeat several hundred times.
 
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