Jeb Stuart
member
Really interesting to read about Sno-Seal. Had no idea there were so many uses. Like this companies other products as well.Very interesting Read on SNO-SEAL
http://www.atsko.com/proper-care-of-hardworking-leather/
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Leather vs. Kydex/Synthetic
- Thread starter D.B. Cooper
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Really interesting to read about Sno-Seal. Had no idea there were so many uses. Like this companies other products as well.Very interesting Read on SNO-SEAL
http://www.atsko.com/proper-care-of-hardworking-leather/
Garandimal
member
Yeah, it's great stuff.
The new USGI issue Adirondack M7/M9 Leather Shoulder Holster.came lookin' like a dog's rawhide chew.
... I mean bone dry. Really, brown tanned sinew fiberboard.
At the end of the day the Sno-Seal was all gone, but the leather was still bone dry yellow-white rawhide chew.
So I repeated the process... Three(3) more times.
The Fourth time (and over half a 7oz. jar of Sno-Seal later), the leather was brown, and softening up, and there was still a little Sno-Seal left here and there.
So I bagged it back up and cooked it a Fifth time for good measure.
...and it came out Corinthian Leather... so soft it would give Ricardo Montalbán a hard-on.
Jeb Stuart
member
I am getting some, which I will use on some of my holsters, boots etc. Wondering how it will do on some of my leather jackets and suede jackets?
Garandimal
member
Wouldn't use it on suede - except for boots and holsters.
Leaves'em waxy.
On the Galco Stow-N-Go's, just treated the (tanned) inside.
It migrated all the way through, w/out leaving the heavy wax build-up.
GR
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crestoncowboy
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I use a crossbreed daily. So leather and kydex. I have mostly kydex for semi-autos. But I've never holstered a revolver in a kydex holster. I have noticed that my autos in kydex show less wear than my guns carried in leather. I would have thought the opposite to be true
Garandimal
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AK103K
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Ive already tried just about any way you could think to apply it back decades ago, as Ive been saying, it didnt work. It never worked on our boots either. Now its Kydex and Goretex. No more rusty guns, and dry feet. Life is good!
Leather contacts more of the overall surface of the gun, and causes more wear. Add to that, an old dirty holster, with lots of embedded crap in it, and it just accelerates things.
If youre using the holster a lot, especially in daily use and practice, with a lot of presentations, the finish on a blued gun, will quickly start to lose that nice, bright shine, and start to look washed out, and thats overall.
Most Kydex holsters only have one or two actual contact points, and maybe some wear on drawing, but other than that, the finish has no contact. You may or may not see the contact points, depends on the gun.
You can also easily clean a Kydex holster under the kitchen tap, shake out the excess water, and dry it with a paper towel. Something that does nothing for a leather holster, other than to just add moisture until it finally drys.
Garandimal
member
Ive already tried just about any way you could think to apply it back decades ago, as Ive been saying, it didnt work. It never worked on our boots either. Now its Kydex and Goretex. No more rusty guns, and dry feet. Life is good!
A boot's duty cycle - is a little different than a holster. Lots of flexing at the ball. Holsters just sit there.
And unless you have tried bagging and dashboard-cooking, followed by Silicone spray and cure?
...you haven't tried this.
NTS.
Carry what you like.
GR
AK103K
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Holsters far from "sit there", unless your lifestyle isnt active, and you dont move around much. Mine seem to wear my pants and belts pretty good in fairly short order.
Im lucky to get a season (8-10 months) out of a pair of good boots (around $220+ or so), and usually wear the leather out before the waterproof booty usually goes. Dust/dirt/mud play hell with everything too, boots and holsters.
As far as the baggie thing goes with Sno Seal specifically, I cant swear I did or didnt do it, but I do seem to remember trying it with something in the past. Im sure Ive probably done it with the Sno Seal too, but I cant swear to it. I know Ive spent more than a few evenings sitting in front of the TV with a can of Sno Seal, hairdryer, boots and holsters and doing multiple coats.
Tried pretty much anything I came across that was "supposed" to work, and can only come to the conclusion that those who swore it works, didnt actually carry much, were never in the environment Im normally in, and/or they must not sweat.
At this point, why would I go back to spending $75+ (and actually $150, as I was rotating through two) on a holster Im not likely to get a year out of and have to deal with all that BS again?
A box stock $55 Kydex holster will outlive me, and my gun will have a chance to do so to, if I dont shoot it to death first.
Garandimal
member
Compared to the punishment my MCCB's get...?
My Galco Stow-N-Go IWB's, both for the Glock G36 and Sig P938, just sit there, on top of a tucked tee-shirt and trapped under my trousers and belt, along w/ the pistol, anchored at 4:00 by the belt loop/clip.
If I were you? I'd be lookin' for holsters made out of space shuttle nose cone tile.
GR
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Anchorite
Member
I like your philosophy. For me, polymer guns have “no soul,” therefore they get kydex.
Anchorite
Member
Ever looked at those jackets from Filson? That’s some serious weather treatment. I might look at that closely. I still think kydex for polymer but leather for my revolvers and 1911s.
AK103K
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And how long does it last, especially to constant exposure? My $30 Frogg Toggs will keep me dryer, longer, and doesnt need constant retreatment.
Leather is nice and all, but its not "the best" material for the job when it comes to moisture resistance.
Anchorite
Member
I don’t disagree. Each has its place and purpose.
Jeb Stuart
member
Yep, love the Mitch Rosen. Each to his own, but after reviewing all the post, I am sticking with Leather. I do have some Kydex holsters but usually only use them for range work. I have seen so many Kydex holsters, but none that seem to really do anything for me. Especially if they look so large and bulky. Nothing against them, just not for me. I would like to see the thinnest, lightest kydex made that wears very tight against the body. The Mitch Rosen for example does just that. I have seen some Kydex holster that use leather loops to bring the gun closer to the waist. Personally I think there is too much concern over how much sweat and water inpact the leather. No I do not carry 18 hrs a day. But simply wipe down the holster with A rag with a light application of Ballistol which has a ph that neutralizes sweat. Never been a problem for me. I guess for LONG term exposure, maybe Kydex is the best way to go. But even with hunting, daily wear, they do not get a long time without care.
Again, these post have been interesting. For myself, it just comes down to personal likes or dislikes. Again, both have their place. Thanks all for posting.
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Anchorite
Member
Never thought about the Ballistol wipe down ..... have to try that! Thanks!
stonebuster
Member
Same way I feel about my steel revolvers vs my plastic semi auto. It's a good tool but no character.
AK103K
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I think the concern, or lack of it, comes from actual experience, or lack of it. You either understand, or you dont. This is just one of those things, that you really need to experience, to understand.
I do wear my gun from the time I get up until I go to bed and on a daily basis. I also wear it while Im literally soaking wet with sweat, with no hope of changing that the rest of the day (in fact, it usually get worse as the day goes on), until I finally get home at night.
Compare that to what your normal daily (assuming you're carrying daily) use is, and then there might be a better understanding.
Or, you can come to work with me for the rest of this month, and wear your favorite leather holster, and put your Ruger in it, and see how long it takes to rust. (Ill give you a hint too, Rugers rust fast. I literally had rust on my one LCP's slide, where it poked up over the top of my Smart Carry and was exposed to my wet tee shirt, in just one day! That was the last day I carried it too.)
And I hear you about wiping things down too, I did, and still do, do it all the time. But once that leather holster wet, its wet, and your gun is still in it, day in, day out.
Not to belabor things here, but just to give you an idea as to what Im talking about, sweat/environment wise. This was taken a number of years ago, but things are still pretty much the same today.
Time was around 9AM on a late summer morning. That "light" spot you see on my tee shirt, is the last vestige of a "dry spot", pretty much everything else youre looking at, is wet. Under my shirt, was my Colt Commander in a kydex holster at that point. Even then, with hard chrome anda kydex sweat shield, I was still getting small, "spec" rust at and under the body side grip. Gun was wiped down daily too.
This is another shot earlier that same day. Just walking through the grass will have you soaking wet in short order before you even start to sweat.
And this is the "office". While it is truly "the environment", its not "environmentally controlled".
Temps that day were in the upper 90's with the normal SE PA summer humidity. You normally sweat pretty good just standing still. Now think about hacking a line through those woods in the background for the next three to four hours.
I used to think the same thing when I was an all "steel, wood, and leather" guy.
Living with them, and then the "plastic, steel, and plastic" options have changed my mind.
And "soul" has nothing to do with any of it.
The Evangelist Cowboy
Member
I carry what I want to and when it doesnt work I change...
Robbins290
Member
Been carrying a crossbreed supertuk for a while. and when out in the woods hunting, camping, wheeling and hiking. I use a safariland 6378.
That cross breed has been soaked a few times before. Never had rust on anything. Its half leather, half kydex.
That cross breed has been soaked a few times before. Never had rust on anything. Its half leather, half kydex.
Robbins290
Member
Been carrying a crossbreed supertuk for a while. and when out in the woods hunting, camping, wheeling and hiking. I use a safariland 6378.
That cross breed has been soaked a few times before. Never had rust on anything. Its half leather, half kydex.
That cross breed has been soaked a few times before. Never had rust on anything. Its half leather, half kydex.
TheotherMikeG
Member
Last I checked, guns have nothing resembling a soul, however I do love steel and wood and understand the sentiment. Lately though, I've allowed polymer AND kydex into my life and am wondering why I waited so long. Now I'm looking for a suitable kydex holster for my S&W 6906.
theotherwaldo
Member
Up until recently I would have said "leather", since I make most of my own holsters and didn't know how to work kydex.
Now I'm learning to work kydex... .
Now I'm learning to work kydex... .
Trunk Monkey
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I'm a Luddite too
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