The Worst holster I Ever Had.....

[BobWright]

A number of years back I acquired a little S&W Model 442, a lightweight, hammerless, .38 Special snub nose five shooter. Not too savvy concerning hammerless revolvers, I ordered a Bianchi holster for the little companion. This is what arrived:

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/i230/BobWright/10850.webp

Nice looking, and Bianchi quality all the way. Except everything about this holster is all wrong! Now this gun is to be carried in case of dire emergencies, which means it needs to be brought into action very quickly! In drawing a gun under such circumstances, it is imperative that one gets a firm grip on the gun butt as soon as possible, even sooner.

I found that when I grasped the gun butt, my middle finger locked the retaining strap fimly against the back of the trigger guard. no way that gun was going to budge!

I did learn one way, self taught, of drawing from that holster. In reaching for the gun, use your index finger of the shooting hand to break the connection of the snap, then hook said finger in the strap and pull it free and smoothly grasp the gun butt for the draw. I calculated that by the time I got my gun ready for action I'd be lying on the pavement bleeding.

Promptly returned that holster!

Bob Wright

 

[Master Blaster]

A few years ago I bought a Bianchi leather holster for my 6" 629. The hammer strap was too short. The holster was a top of the line Bianchi leather and was about $120 from midway. So I called Bianchi to see if they would stretch the strap or replace it and their answer was go pound sand we do not adjust our holsters. I sent the holster back to midway and I would never buy or recommend any Bianchi product again.

 

[38riverrat]

My two every day carries are a M442 and a M640Pro. Both are carried in Lobo Gunleather Original Pancake holsters. It is hard to imaging a better holster for concealed carry of these and similar revolvers.
Both holsters are plain, unlined models. Price is reasonable for the quality. About $90 for the last one about a year ago.

Best,
Rick

 

[RETG]

Never been impressed with Bianchi holsters. Prefer Craft or DeSantis for leather and Fobus for polymer.

 

[doubleh]

Many years ago I bought a Bianchi holster for a super blackhawk. After I got it home and stuck the gun in it I really didn't care for most of the gun being outside the holster and I also decided the fuzzy lining wasn't a great thing either due to dust collecting in the lining. Yes, I should have looked better before buying. I can not complain about the quality of the material but I have never used the holster. It's stuck in a box somewhere. I was perfectly capable of making a holster like I wanted but I was running my own little business at the time, busier than a cat on a hot tin roof working 6 and 7 day weeks, and just didn't have the time or energy to be doing leatherwork.

 

[DT Guy]

The problem with holster design, much like firearm design, is that everyone wants something different from their holster.

I would *never* carry anything except an SA revolver in a holster with an exposed trigger, but lots of classic designs (the Tom Threepersons, for instance) are like that, and lots of folks safely carry in them.

Holster makers, especially the large companies, have to give people what they want to buy, rather than what they want to design and make; saying a Bianchi is 'awful' because the design is bad (and I agree, that is a terrible design) is like saying that Ford is bad because their trucks are so big; you probably picked the wrong vehicle.

Larry

 

[BobWright]

As to the exposed trigger area, here is a Galco holster that completely enclosed the trigger:



The problem I encountered with this is that with the extended trigger finger has a tendency to press against the leather, causing a little "drag" as the gun is drawn. Scant delay, but delay nonetheless.

Bob Wright

 

[red rick]

Here is my Bianchi holster that was my dads . I am ok with it and the exploded trigger although I would not have bought it . My 642 has about a 14 lb. trigger pull so I am not worried about the trigger catching something and firing or me accidentally pulling the trigger pulling it out of the holster . I would be more worried about appendix carrying a striker fire pistol .

 

[bannockburn]

Bob Wright

I remember seeing that holster in the Bianchi catalog (I had a Model 38 at the time), and thinking the same thing: this holster was designed all wrong! The snap for the strap was too low and too far over for me to reach it with any sort of speed or dexterity. Of course back then there weren't all that many holsters made specifically for a hammerless snubby so you had to make do with what you could find.

I prefer an IWB holster, like the DeSantis SOF-TUCK, to carry my Model 638 or 649. Well made and very comfortable to wear for long periods of time, it's one decent holster.

 

[dodo bird]

Here is my Bianchi holster that was my dads . I am ok with it and the exploded trigger although I would not have bought it . My 642 has about a 14 lb. trigger pull so I am not worried about the trigger catching something and firing or me accidentally pulling the trigger pulling it out of the holster . I would be more worried about appendix carrying a striker fire pistol . View attachment 971899

That seems very unsafe. Just getting in and out of the car would make me cringe. Trigger guard covered up for me.

 

[American Finn]

I saw this video the other day on YouTube that discussed just this subject:

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

On another forum, now left behind, there was a discussion concerning holsters. I mentioned that my preference was for a GOOD, wet-molded, leather, dedicated holster, to keep that particular handgun nestled in place, like the Kirkpatrick and the Diamond D. One member went sorta ballistic because I mentioned some issues I had with a Kydex holster some years ago. His post involved his claim that "every" leather holster he ever had was "smelly". My quip to him was, "when was the last time he washed his mustache?"
A short while back I ordered an Urban Carry holster for my Ruger LC9s:

This holster has an internal clip that holds this pistol in place on the front radius of the trigger guard and is adjustable for holding tension. I've really grown to like this holster, sans any over-strap needed as the internal clip holds it very well and allows a quick draw.

 

[wcwhitey]

Been carrying a J frame 24/7 personally and professionally for over 30 years now. If your going to run an outside the waistband pancake type holster you have to look at the position of the belt loops. If they run across where the cylinder is the gun will be pushed out by it and not be worth anything for concealment. You need the belt loops to run where the barrel is, this was called a High Ride Pancake holster. Similar applies to an IWB holster, either it rides high up with the cylinder above the belt line or just below around where the grips begin. Otherwise you will be pushing that cylinder into the hip or lower back all day, gets old. It takes time to find the right holster for your situation, I have boxes full. The old Bianchi holster that the OP showed is like something worn by a plainclothes Detective from the 60's under his sport coat or the Sergeant on the Desk in the Precinct. It was never really intended for concealment.

 

[wcwhitey]

Sorry for the big picture, this is a Desantis 085 02, similar to what I have had for for a long time. Tucks into the body very nicely, weight is above the belt. Helps while driving also. I was going to send you a picture of mine but they no longer make the same version.

 

[crestoncowboy]

You certainly can't go by brand. Ive ordered DeSantis, safariland, galco, Gould and Goodrich and Bianchi for years. Usually very good quality. I ordered an iwb DeSantis (invader I think) that was clearanced last year. It is pretty terrible. I have a drawer full of holsters I didn't care for so I just chalk it up.

 

[Craig_AR]

... that was clearanced last year. It is pretty terrible.

Hmmm, s'pose there is a link between those statements?

Craig

 

[crestoncowboy]

Hmmm, s'pose there is a link between those statements?

I've bought a lot of good clearanced things. I have two Glocks that were the failed rtf2 frame i paid 269 for. Brand new. Still have a few cases of 12 guage shells that were clearances at Sam's club. 39 dollars/250 for AA
And many times the new model is poorly received so the model that was clearanced ends up being the desired model.


Saw a zr1 camaro for 34k. 1/2 price of the one brand new (1 year later model) for 70k.

But yeah occasionally there is a good reason. Lol. Sadly the holster had good reviews. I found it stiff. Hard on the gun. Hard on the wearer and cheapish made

 

[RETG]

Never been impressed with Bianchi holsters. Prefer Craft or DeSantis for leather and Fobus for polymer.

However, to add to my post; I purchased an OWB holster from THE HOLSTER STORE and have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
Price was great 68 bucks shipped. Quality is very good; leather very thick, stitching good, thumb break snap easy to snap and unsnap.
How long it will last remains unknown at this time; however, I expect to get some decent life with it.

 

[Armored farmer]

Bob Wright

I remember seeing that holster in the Bianchi catalog (I had a Model 38 at the time), and thinking the same thing: this holster was designed all wrong! The snap for the strap was too low and too far over for me to reach it with any sort of speed or dexterity. Of course back then there weren't all that many holsters made specifically for a hammerless snubby so you had to make do with what you could find.

I prefer an IWB holster, like the DeSantis SOF-TUCK, to carry my Model 638 or 649. Well made and very comfortable to wear for long periods of time, it's one decent holster.
View attachment 972120
View attachment 972121

Another Desantis SofTuck fan here.
I now have them for all my carry guns. Four total. If you're like me and wear shirts tucked in, this is a great way to go. They are my favorite iwb holster.

 

[JR24]

I've given up on leather holsters and prefer kydex on everything now.

Leather holsters are bulky, I hate the leather creak sound when I move and, most importantly I get hot and sweaty and they retain my sweat. Hated putting on a damp or soggy holster and with quality leather not being cheap I couldn't really buy two or three of my favorite holster so I could alternate during summer.

Plus kydex is easier to maintain and keep clean, but I will say that leather is generally a bit more comfortable.

 

[Alte Schule]

I prefer Bianchi and DeSantis. My personal preference is leather with a thumb snap as in this Bianchi Black Widow.

For those that are not aware if you have or receive a leather holster that is to tight, can’t get the firearm in far enough for retention or use the thump strap place the pistol in a plastic freezer bag and then work the pistol in as far as it will go. Put it out of the way for a few days and check. Repeat as necessary. May take a few days or couple of weeks but I’ve done this several times and it always works for me.

 

[herrwalther]

I have a holster somewhere that I used to carry most of my early semi-autos like a Ruger P94 and Glock 22 I used in competition. Thick, cheap nylon made it a bear for IWB carry. I added a clip to the thumb break loop for IWB. It had a thumb break I never could get adjusted right so I ended up removing it. And the tab where it slid onto the belt was too narrow to fit a real gun belt. In all, it was the worst holster I have ever owned and carried with. I almost stopped carrying entirely because I thought all holsters would feel uncomfortable.