Holster that won't wear the finish on a Smith and Wessom 629 Mountain Gun with 4" barrel?

[Aim1]

Looking for a holster to carry a S&W 629 Mountain Gun with 4" barrel for backup when bow hunting for bear and to use when deer hunting.

It doesn't have a long barrel or scope so I do not need a chest rig. I am also looking got a holster that will be easy on the guns finish. I know that guns get used and worn but I like keeping mine as new looking as you can while still knowing guns will get worn through use.


What holster is a good fit?

 

[John Joseph]

I'd look for a Bianchi 5BL (L= suede lined)

 

[CraigC]

Fitment is far more important that the use of linings, as long as the holster is leather and not kydex. I never offered linings because I don't believe they help enough to justify the extra effort in making or maintaining them. A soft suede or pigskin lining will wear out long before the rest of the holster. I always elected to do a fully finish flesh side in lieu of linings. For you I'd recommend the Threepersons from El Paso Saddlery.

 

[Cowhide Cliff]

+1 to what Craig said. Suede lining does not protect the guns finish any better than a quality unlined holster. What's the difference between quality flesh side vegetable tanned leather as opposed to fuzzy suede lined? The vegetable tanned leather is actually better.

From years of building and using holsters I've come to the conclusion suede lining is actually bad on a holster that will see a lot of use for two reasons regarding the guns finish. First it holds grit that is hard to clean so in a holster that sees use over time it actually becomes dirty and has a sandpaper effect on the finish so it becomes counterproductive and second, 95% of suede leather is chrome tanned and the chromium salts can be corrosive to a guns finish.

I build a lot of lined holsters because some people can't be convinced otherwise but just stating facts. When possible I still use a vegetable tanned pigskin but most people that are insistent on linings want the soft suede which is chrome tanned leather.

My recommendation would be to just get you a good quality unlined holster for hunting use, a good fit does more for resisting wear than anything, and what wear you do get chalk up to memories made with the gun.

 

[CraigC]

I've also had suede rip and tear out. Then you have a real mess.

I won't even make a lined holster. Unless it has a full exotic overlay, then it's just smooth veg-tan inside.

 

[joed]

What am I missing here? A model 29 is blue steel, a 629 is stainless. I don't see the concern over the finish on a 629 in a leather holster.

 

[JTQ]

What am I missing here? A model 29 is blue steel, a 629 is stainless. I don't see the concern over the finish on a 629 in a leather holster.

An excellent point. I had overlooked that as I don't usually like to comment in these threads.

 

[Aim1]

An excellent point. I had overlooked that as I don't usually like to comment in these threads.

I use my stuff and know it can get damaged but I like to keep it looking as nice as possible.

My dad always said take care of your equipment and it will take care of you.

I have a boat and truck and attempt to also keep door dings, dents, and damage to a minimum.

 

[JTQ]

An excerpt from the Milt Sparks FAQ page on holster wear...

https://www.miltsparks.com/questions.php

"The act of drawing your pistol from whatever container you choose to carry your weapon in, creates friction at the points of contact, and eventually those points will begin to show signs of wear. For that reason it would be unreasonable to expect that your personal sidearm will remain in pristine condition forever. It matters not whether your holster is lined or un-lined, as a lined holster simply delays the inevitable. If you practice hard your guns finish will wear, or maybe it would be better to say, develop character. You will have to learn to deal with it.

This is not to say we are insensitive to our customers concerns about holster wear, its just that the reality of the matter sucks. Holsters whether they are made of plastic, leather, horsehide/cowhide, lined or un-lined, soft leather/ hard leather do not protect gun finishes as much as we would like. Nobody in the industry (at least the ones that are honest about it) can claim they have the solution in their product.

Certain gun finishes are more prone to wear then others and this may be food for thought for those that are concerned about it. Blued finishes are at the bottom of the list in terms of durability and corrosion resistance, but IMHO nothing compares in terms of beauty. Parkerizing offers better corrosion resistance then bluing, but is only slightly better in the wear department. Baked on Teflon or Poly finishes offer better corrosion and wear resistance then bluing or Parkerizing but can scratch easily. Hard Chrome and Nickel based finishes such as NP3 offer excellent wear and corrosion resistance, but are only available in silver or gray finishes. And then finally, there is always stainless steel. Stainless steel is not totally corrosion resistant, but the appearance can be maintained by polishing or bead blasting when needed."

 

[joed]

Stainless steel is not totally corrosion resistant, but the appearance can be maintained by polishing or bead blasting when needed."

Well said, it's hard to beat stainless when it comes to use.

 

[Aim1]

Well said, it's hard to beat stainless when it comes to use.

What sucks is the writing on the Mountain Gun appears to be some type of writing and not engraved. Another poster said someone basically polished the words off of his Mounyaun Gun when polishing it.

 

[labnoti]

Does the 629 Mt. have a glass bead-blasted finish or regular brushed satin stainless steel finish?

The bead-blast finishes can get bright-spots on them where they're rubbed. Holsters will do that, and so will abrasive wiping to clean -- even paper towels. The good thing is those finishes are easy to touch-up or refinish if you just get some glass beads and a blaster. There is, of course, no practical need to do so, but that is really the only practical way to restore the bright polished spots to the factory appearance.

For the older-style brushed satin stainless, holster wear is really no concern at all. Sometimes you can get a mark on it some other way. I've seen some people refinish using sandpaper of an appropriate sequence of grit sizes in one-direction. Obtaining good results almost certainly demands someone who has experience doing it -- so you either figure on learning as much as you can from others and video and then doing a few guns with mediocre results before you get good, or having someone already better at it than you do it. It's harder than mirror-polishing because you have to stop at the right level of "satin" and have uniform grain. Again, the good thing about it is the finish tends to wear much better than bead-blast or blue.

FWIW, I carry a traditional satin-finish S&W in a veg-tanned, flesh-side out holster every day. After a year, I see no finish flaws at all. The finish looks equal to brand-new. I have another traditional stainless finish S&W. I carried it every day for a year in a horsehide holster. It has some marks. I'm not sure why or what the difference is/was. The flaws are minor but there are some very shallow scratches that go across the grain or are wider, but their location and direction don't hint at what caused them. They're only visible at some angles.

 

[STI]

Never seen a holster that did not wear finished if it was used any. Don't bother with than anymore.

 

[JTQ]

I linked a Tiger McKee video in another thread and it reminded me I'd like to get enough use out of my 1911 for it to look like Tiger's 1911.

This is what a well used and well loved tool should look like.

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

 

[herrwalther]

All holsters will wear on a firearm's finish. You just have to find ways to wear the finish less or slower. Whatever your preference and frequency carrying is. Oddly enough I found that cheap style nylon holsters, usually with some foam padding in between the layers, is rather gentle on a firearm finish.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Wear on a stainless gun can be polished out.

I hope you have reasonable expectations as to the wear your firearm will receive during carry while afield. Guns that were used and abused but cared for look much better than guns that were just abused and not cared for. Neither looks perfect in the end.