What can you put on the inside of a leather holster to make it "grippier"?

[Futo Inu]

I want a little better hold, now that the leather has stretched a tad (there's no thumb break or anything). I've got some pine tar spray, for baseball bats, but I'm thinking this may damage the finish on my gun. This is a Milt Sparks belt slide holding a 1911. Thanks.

 

[KMKeller]

Resize it by wetting and drying with the pistol in it. Otherwise, go to a crafts shop and pick up some super thin suede leather. Attach a couple of 1" strips inside the holster at it's tightest point. Don't put it by the openings though, as they will wallow to accommodate the added thickness. And rubber cement should work okay provided you're judicious in the application and clean up well afterwards.

 

[Futo Inu]

KMKeller. Thank you. Do you mean, use rubber cement to attach said suede strips, or use the rubber cement by itself on the inside of the holster as a grip enhancer instead of the strips? If you mean the latter, then how so exactly, and if I chose the strips instead, attach them how? Thanks again. And which do you recommend as between this (these) or putting in water and letting dry? Just dunk the gun and holster and let dry is all there is to it?

 

[KMKeller]

FI - No problem. The rubber cement is to attach the suede to the inside of the holster. You have to be very careful though to make sure any excess is removed and that the edges of the suede are "pressed" into the holster so your pistol's edges don't catch it and peel it.

My personal preference is to wet and refit. There's a thread somewhere on either THR or TFL that discusses the process in detail. Let me see if I can find it. The suede option is something my dad used to do. He would burnish the leading edge of the suede so it was nice and smooth and would place the suede strips where the major flat of the pistol was. In your case, with the 1911, you'd want to place the suede to contact the area from just behind the muzzle to just in front of the ejection port.

 

[KMKeller]

Here's a link with the procedure:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=17447&highlight=tighten+a+holster

 

[KMKeller]

But then again.... I put a call in to Mitch Rosen who said that the worst thing you can do to a holster is wet it. Gets under the finish and ruins the leather over time. He said the best thing to do is to take the holster to a maker or send it back to the manufacturer and ask them to put in another stitch line to tighten it.

So, that having been said, my NEW personal preference is to put the suede strips in...

 

[themic]

having made my own holster for the first time now, i got over that fear of "never get leather wet!" well thats exactly how the holster is made to begin with.

you can tighten up a holster a bit by soaking it and then wrapping your gun in sran wrap and inserting it, and using your fingers mold in the contours just a bit and let it dry overnight with the gun in it. good gun grabbing point is especially the trigger guard area, so if you just wet that part and work it in a little it should tighten up everything.

rewax it afterwards if you want.

or yeah have someone put in another stitch line. me, i'm a cheapo.

 

[Futo Inu]

K, thank you much. Wow, called Mitch Rosen on my behalf - now that's a good BB bud for ya!

 

[KMKeller]

I do what I can FI. Besides, I'm an information junkie...