Non-marking holster

[hillman]

What's a good, all day comfortable iwb holster for a 1911 that won't mark it up? I love the thin size of good kydex but worry about scratching or rubbing the finish, but a lot of the nicer leather holsters end up feeling really bulky? I know an EDC gun will eventually get some wear, I'd just like to prolong the process. Thanks.

 

[usp45ct]

Garret industries. Kydex on the outside, leather on the inside. The silent thunder is for IBW. During the winter, I do with an OBW And wear longer shirts.

 

[mac1911]

What's a good, all day comfortable iwb holster for a 1911 that won't mark it up? I love the thin size of good kydex but worry about scratching or rubbing the finish, but a lot of the nicer leather holsters end up feeling really bulky? I know an EDC gun will eventually get some wear, I'd just like to prolong the process. Thanks.

Forget about non maring, just buy a holster that fits well. If your worried about finish wear keep the pretty guns in the safe.
That said for everyday carry IWB my supper tucks are great. I do prefer good old leather.
Holster wear is low on my needs.

 

[not new guy]

Leather will wear a finish too.

 

[jaypap]

Once a gun goes in a holster it becomes a tool. Tools will show wear. That said I don't use my guns to pound nails. Also rough side out holsters will leave the smooth side of leather against your gun. But it's still going to show wear.

 

[weekendracer]

I hate to say it, but keeping a gun 'pretty' can't be part of your thinking. It's going to get hit on things and dirt will get into the holster and cause damage/wear.

Buy a gun specifically for carry. My HnK was beat to hell when I turned it in. You'll never, ever, put your gun through what it went through, but I took pretty good care of it and it still looked terrible after 15 years. There was a time when I was cleaning it almost daily, but I was riding ATV's in the desert every day.

 

[hillman]

Yeah, I get that an EDC will show wear, I said that. I'm just trying to find something that isn't aggressive about it. I don't mind that my Shield looks like it's beat to hell. I'll carry my shield in a coke can if that's what the situation calls for. But IF there's something that is a bit less scratchy for my nicer guns, I'd like to get it.

 

[Mtn_Guy]

While I will often run kydex on my carry gun, I also really like this brand holster...

you can take some sandpaper and smooth the interior leather at the front of the muzzle (usually the high wear points) and oil the inside of the holster to break in the leather (like your old baseball glove as a kid).

You can also put some old cotton t-shirt material around the gun when sticking it in the holster the first few times and wearing it around the house to break it in. This will add a little thickness to the slide so the holster with stretch and relax a bit, and will decrease finish wear to the gun slide. As your body heat warms the leather it will relax some. You’ll still need time to break in the process.

Leather Inside the Waist Band (IWB) Concealment Holster

Concealed comfort, easy access: IWB Inside the Waistband Holster. Your discreet, secure solution for daily carry.

www.holsterama.com

If you’re really concerned about the finish on your pistol, you can do all of the above with a blue gun so the holster breaks in without using the firearm in the process. That’s a bit excessive in my opinion, but to each their own...

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

Not sure I personally subscribe to this, but it does make a tiny bit of sense. There are some people who claim that it isn't the holster marking your pistol, but any dirt/grit inside a dirty holster that marks the pistol. The reasoning is because kydex is softer than just about anything you put inside of it, so scratching from the kydex alone shouldn't happen. But scratching from minerals in dirt/grit could potentially happen. I suppose this makes a lot more sense if you're somewhere like Arizona or often in the real outdoors.

I'd take that with a grain of salt (see what I did there) though. Some finishes or cheap rattle can paint can and will be stripped with repeated action in/out of a clean kydex holster, but that could just be because it is just as soft as the kydex. Also, stainless steel is actually a softer metal than one would think, so there's that to consider as well.

 

[drgrant]

What's a good, all day comfortable iwb holster for a 1911 that won't mark it up? I love the thin size of good kydex but worry about scratching or rubbing the finish, but a lot of the nicer leather holsters end up feeling really bulky? I know an EDC gun will eventually get some wear, I'd just like to prolong the process. Thanks.

If wear bothers you do not carry or shoot the gun. Imho leather/hybrids can actually be worse than kydex but there are too many variables in play. Depends on the finish of the gun, too.

 

[greencobra]

you ain't never gonna find a holster that won't mar the finish. if that worries you you're carrying the wrong gun.

 

[hillman]

If wear bothers you do not carry or shoot the gun. Imho leather/hybrids can actually be worse than kydex but there are too many variables in play. Depends on the finish of the gun, too.

Why do you think the hybrids are worse than Kydex? By hybrids, do you mean like the Crossbreed style? Or kydex with a leather lining? Wear doesn't bother me, a crap ton of wear because of a cheap or crappy holster does. Wear over time, fine. Wear after 7 minutes in a holster bothers me. I said right in my OP that I get that EDC guns get worn. I'd like the wear to be less, that's all. I should have said "LESS MARKING" holster instead of non.

 

[moojpg2]

safariland holsters are made from a different type of plastic that isn't abrasive, not sure if you'll find one that's iwb though, they do make some iwb holsters. I carry my 1911's owb under a untucked shirt most of the time in a galco or desantis leather holster with a thumb break or a safariland als holster. I don't like carrying owb without some type of retention holster. My carry guns stay in the holster most of the time, unless ur drawing the gun every 5 minutes you shouldn't get much holster wear. Put it in the holster and leave it alone. If you wan't to practice your draw use a different pistol with a thumb safety or get an equivalent blowback bb or blue gun to practice your draw with.

 

[hillman]

safariland holsters are made from a different type of plastic that isn't abrasive, not sure if you'll find one that's iwb though, they do make some iwb holsters. I carry my 1911's owb under a untucked shirt most of the time in a galco or desantis leather holster with a thumb break or a safariland als holster. I don't like carrying owb without some type of retention holster. My carry guns stay in the holster most of the time, unless ur drawing the gun every 5 minutes you shouldn't get much holster wear. Put it in the holster and leave it alone. If you wan't to practice your draw use a different pistol with a thumb safety or get an equivalent blowback bb gun to practice your draw with.

Thanks, I didn't know that about Safariland holsters.

 

[greencobra]

i didn't read the whole thread, don't know if this was talked about.....i'm thinking instead of working on a finding a non-maring holster the op would be better researching different finishes on guns. i say that because my 7-8 year old smith shield looks absolutely new like the day it came out of the box. carried daily the first 3 years in leather then i switched to kydex. what's a shield finish? melonite? anything blued you're going to rub at least the high spots/edges down to metal. matte stainless will rub out to a shine on those spots.

honestly, if this pristine bbq gun has to be used for a defensive situation it's going to be taken into evidence when the cops arrive. i doubt they'll listen when you're telling them to be careful and they toss in a bag and into the trunk of their car.

 

[drgrant]

Why do you think the hybrids are worse than Kydex? By hybrids, do you mean like the Crossbreed style?

Generally this.

Hybrids are huge and you have this big slab of leather on one side and Kydex on the other. So half the holster is rigid the other half is flexible. Full kydex tends to be
more isolated and less friction overall.

Or kydex with a leather lining? Wear doesn't bother me, a crap ton of wear because of a cheap or crappy holster does. Wear over time, fine. Wear after 7 minutes in a holster bothers me. I said right in my OP that I get that EDC guns get worn. I'd like the wear to be less, that's all. I should have said "LESS MARKING" holster instead of non.

What is this gun and what is it's finish? Also do you practice with the gun? If you're sitting in front of the TV doing draws with a shot timer or anything else like that, that action alone is going
to induce a little wear. I would think that leather on the whole with this activity is worse because there's more friction involved there.

There are holsters that have what I would call "spot defects" in design that leave weird marks, but those seem to be t he exception rather than the rule. It's one thing to want to
avoid those, but you basically have to ask people who already own holster X if they get anything like that.

Frankly I think you're just chasing ghosts here, though. Good guns and good holsters don't cause what I would call abnormal wear. Then again if I carry a gun and some seemingly normal wear patterns show up on it, I tend not to care. Some of the best guns I ever had were worn like that. It's almost like a pair of work boots that are broken in well and fit right.

 

[atmay]

Not sure I personally subscribe to this, but it does make a tiny bit of sense. There are some people who claim that it isn't the holster marking your pistol, but any dirt/grit inside a dirty holster that marks the pistol. The reasoning is because kydex is softer than just about anything you put inside of it, so scratching from the kydex alone shouldn't happen. But scratching from minerals in dirt/grit could potentially happen. I suppose this makes a lot more sense if you're somewhere like Arizona or often in the real outdoors.

I'd take that with a grain of salt (see what I did there) though. Some finishes or cheap rattle can paint can and will be stripped with repeated action in/out of a clean kydex holster, but that could just be because it is just as soft as the kydex. Also, stainless steel is actually a softer metal than one would think, so there's that to consider as well.

You would think that a softer material wouldn’t scratch up a harder material, but it can/will.

I’ve seen (caused) inconel to get all scratched up by lucite. (For some context, the inconel was there to provide wear resistance, and the lucite was there as a sacrificial wear surface)

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

You would think that a softer material wouldn’t scratch up a harder material, but it can/will.

I’ve seen (caused) inconel to get all scratched up by lucite. (For some context, the inconel was there to provide wear resistance, and the lucite was there as a sacrificial wear surface)

Wasn't saying it is completely impossible, and I suppose with the right amount of heat/pressure, anything is possible. But for most instance of just the few draw/reholster, I'd assume hardness factors mostly still apply.

 

[atmay]

Wasn't saying it is completely impossible, and I suppose with the right amount of heat/pressure, anything is possible. But for most instance of just the few draw/reholster, I'd assume hardness factors mostly still apply.

This wasn’t at any sort of crazy pressure or temperature, and it was with a layer of clean lubricant in between them, too.

 

[Varmint]

Garret industries. Kydex on the outside, leather on the inside. The silent thunder is for IBW. During the winter, I do with an OBW And wear longer shirts.

+1 on Garrett Industries. Great quality and only takes a week or two although could be longer these days.

 

[not new guy]

What about Mexican carry? Should be fine as long as things don't get too stubbly.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

There is a difference between honest wear and scratches. If you are worried about the former, put the gun in the safe and buy something you don't have to worry about. I probably wouldn't carry a 2.5" Royal blue 60s vintage Python for that reason. Scratches, gouges and the idiot arc on a 1911 slide would bother me no matter how long I carried the gun.

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

This wasn’t at any sort of crazy pressure or temperature, and it was with a layer of clean lubricant in between them, too.

You mentioned the lucite was there for "sacrificial wear", so I assumed friction of some sort through repetitive motion which would elevate temperature beyond resting. But that's just an assumption. What was the application?

 

[whatluck]

You could get a lighter cheaper handgun to carry instead of that pretty jewled boat anchor. Glock19 baby. Only looks good if well-worn.

 

[atmay]

You mentioned the lucite was there for "sacrificial wear", so I assumed friction of some sort through repetitive motion which would elevate temperature beyond resting. But that's just an assumption. What was the application?

Ultrasound inspection of the inconel component. Lucite wear plate was on the probe.

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

Ultrasound inspection of the inconel component. Lucite wear plate was on the probe.

Wow. That's some serious metallurgy testing. I've got nothing (way beyond me).

 

[FiremanBob]

Ok, you spent serious coin on a nice 1911. You want an IWB holster that is thin as possible, comfortable and reliable, and easy on your pistol's finish. Easiest on the finish is leather, lowest-profile is kydex. Design-wise, you want the belt attachment on wings on either side of the pistol to reduce thickness.

Milt Sparks Nexus or Versa.
Brigade Gunleather.

There are other brands of custom leather holsters, several are also good. Watch out for less-expensive holsters with a deep cut between the holster body and the wing, like the otherwise excellent Those make the wings weak and flexible, and the holster will start to ride up when you sit or bend. DAMHIKT with some expensive holsters relegated to the proverbial drawer.

 

[cathouse01]

I use one of these: Wright Leather Works Master Collection They use a thinner leather and laminate it together so you have smooth sides both inside and out. I’ve used one for over two years with my P229 Legion (one of the early ones with the notoriously weak PVD finish) with almost no wear on the pistol. They are great looking, have really good retention (I once tripped over a root and took a header down an embankment and the gun never budged) and seem to be practically indestructible. They are a bit pricey but are worth it.

 

[MGnoob]

I don’t have advice to answer your specific question...Your guns gonna pick up more wear from dropping it or using it as a hammer. Holster wear is so minimal. I can’t find the photo. But I’ve got a pistol I’ve carried for 10 years.

It looks better than 95% of the guns on the used market.

Buy yourself a gun without emotional attachment.It’s always possible they’ll get lost, stolen, or run over by a pick up truck

 

[MGnoob]

If the pistols that important to you you can always get it refinished