Kydex/leather holster vs wear on gun finish

[crracer_712]

I looked through a few threads but never came across anything much of what I was looking for.

I was curious as to which holster material type is the most 'gentle' on a guns finish. I guess maybe I should say, which type of material is most likely to show holster wear marks?

 

[Comedian]

Both are going to show wear, just different sorts of wear. In my experience kydex will wear a very specific part of the gun relatively quickly while leather will cause wear over a considerably larger area, albeit slightly slower. Either way, if you plan on putting a gun in a holster the last thing you should be worried about is how it affects the finish.

 

[crracer_712]

No 'worries', just curious. But if a person could minimalize wear, why wouldn't they?

 

[Rail Driver]

Spray the inside of your holsters with silicon spray, and KEEP DIRT AND DEBRIS OUT or you will end up with wear much faster than if you keep a clean holster. Trust me on the clean holster... I've got a $1100 Colt 1911 that has quite a bit of wear that was "earned" in a single training session (about 3 hours on the range). I got a bit of dirt/sand in the holster during the course and by the end of the day I had the marks you see in the picture (holster was a bladetech kydex)

 

[Comedian]

Assuming you buy quality leather or kydex and take the time to clean your gear it won't make significant difference. In the long run kydex might be slightly better since the area it wears tends to be smaller than what I see from leather.

 

[JTQ]

In my experience kydex will wear the finish on a pistol much faster than leather.

As mentioned above, kydex will wear smaller areas quickly (and deeply) and leather will wear more area and more slowly.

My experience is similar to Rail Driver's, and while keeping a holster clean may make some difference, I would have expected him to get pretty much the same level of wear from his kydex holster even if it was clean. I know my kydex holster did.

I actually like the wear look created by using a leather holster. It is kind of like polishing the finish. Like a stone in the river or on the beach. The constant wear rubs it smooth, and generally evenly, over a long period of time. Kydex is more like scratching the finish with a nail. Of course it will only be in specific areas, so you will have some areas of your slide that will look like it did straight from the factory, while other areas will be clear through the finish.

 

[JTQ]

But if a person could minimalize wear, why wouldn't they?

Because kydex's strengths are not in reducing finish wear. There is probably no perfect holster, each design has strengths and weaknesses. Kydex holsters are usually less expensive, you can get them faster, the draw from kydex is usually faster, they take less time to break in (if they even need to be broken in), some are more versatile than leather (with variable cant and ride height), and for the most part they are impervious to the elements. For those that value these strengths, most are willing to put up with more holster wear for the advantages kydex offers.

 

[rayban]

By now, if there were a PRACTICAL material to line holsters with, makers would be doing it.

It always come down to the same thing....if you don't like your gun to show wear, don't carry it.

 

[crracer_712]

Yeah, well... Kydex hasn't been around as long as Leather. It's just a question, one that seems as though people with experience with various types of holster could honestly answer. There was nothing in there about not wanting to have ANY holster wear.

 

[RedAlert]

I think unless you apply a waterproofing compound to a leather holster it will absorb moisture/water. I'm sure that eventually the increased moisture will have an effect on pistol's finish.

Leather will be less likely to scratch a pistol's finish because it soft enough that dirt particles will be cushioned in the leather's surface. If those same particle's were in plastic or kydex they would embed and more easily scratch the pistol's finish. But then the smoother finish of the plastic/kydex is less likely to hold on to dirt than leather.

So far no perfect material has been found.

 

[crracer_712]

RDF, you brought up another question(for me). Regarding the conditioning of the leather, speaking to leather holsters with smooth leather linings here. Is there an adverse effect (to the holster or the gun) to using some sort of leather conditioner or water proof conditioner on the lining?

 

[JTQ]

Is there an adverse effect (to the holster or the gun) to using some sort of leather conditioner or water proof conditioner on the lining?

Here is the recommendation from High Noon.
http://www.highnoonholsters.com/_Questions/_questions.html#17

Milt Sparks also has a recommendation in their Questions section.
http://www.miltsparks.com/

 

[RedAlert]

crracer....I don't use leather holsters as a general rule. So I'd follow holster maker directions. You want to seal the leather but not soften it up too much. There are a few links posted above.

 

[Mr.510]

I own a fabrication shop so my gear is constantly exposed to grinding dust, welding smoke, etc. I carry my XD45C in a Comp-Tac MTAC hybrid so one side is Kydex and the other side leather. I clean the weapon and holster every Friday night before I lock up the shop. The holster gets blown out with an air nozzle and then wiped out with a shop towel.

The Kydex shell wore though the finish at the top corner of the slide on a section about 1-1/2" long straddling the ejection port in a matter of two or three months. This is tennifer coating or whatever you want to call it, same process used on Blocks so it's a very tough finish. Over the next year or so the sharp edge where the slide is wider near the bottom for the rails wore through in a section about 2" long, directly under the ejection port. This is where my belt is, so it's where the most pressure is.

On the leather side, it took about a year for there to be any noticeable wear at all. The finish is just getting thin at the top corner opposite the ejection port and I think I've been carrying it daily four years or more. From the back of the forward slide serrations forward the top corner has no finish left at all and there are what looks like really tiny rust pits all in a row about 1/2" long. They may very well be corrosion, my holster's leather backer is often soaked with sweat. I have never treated the leather portion of my holster with a conditioner or anything else.

I do not oil this firearm for daily carry as any form of lube does more harm than good in that it picks up abrasive dust which then turns into a slurry like lapping compound. For my use, based on what I see looking at my .45 right now, a Kydex holster would be better than leather because of the possible corrosion starting on the top front corner of the slide. If you're world is cleaner, less abrasive, and less sweaty than mine leather is probably the better choice.

As others have said, I don't care about holster wear on a carry gun. This thing's got dents, scrapes, and scratches all over it as it's been rammed into all sorts of things from cars and backhoes to my tool box, the ground, various door jambs, and just about everything else I encounter in my daily life. Unless it's a weapon that you are only going to carry on rare occasions I would go with whatever holster fits and works best, and is the most comfortable regardless of it's material and potential wear to the finish.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

Carry guns, like race cars, aren't supposed to be "pretty". Safe queens, like show cars (trailer queens), ARE supposed to be pretty. Just decide which you want. Any holster will wear any finish. Any gun serving potential use in a defensive mode risks bumps & scratches. It also risks complete neglect in a police evidence locker with a case number crudely engraved in its most visible location should you be forced to USE IT to defend yourself. I have pretty guns & and have carry guns. IMHO, they're not the same.