Treating a leather holster

[langloisandy]

Gents,

A little goes a long way with the leather care products. " A dab 'll do ya"...... I fix a ton of mistakes that people make with over-caring for the leather (usually oils and greases).

Saddle soap for cleaning and then something to add moisture and emollients to the leather.

Andy (leather guy)

[m25operator]

There is a fine line between leather preservation and leather integrity, as a high power competitor, and handgun competitor, things like the aforementioned Lexol, and or neats foot oil, are great for making leather supple and looking good, but bad for allowing leather to keep it's shape, and support. Too much neats foot on a sling will make it limp and lifeless, not allowing the support you need. Same thing with leather holsters, it will lose its form, become too loose, a good leather holster, will have a definite hardness to it, the shape will remain, and the stiffness, silicon allows for good retention, but once the pistol moves, it is like lightning. I love leather over Kydex, but, Kydex is king, especially if suede lined and silicon treated..

[garand4life]

For those of you who have used a leather a while. Does this white dulling effect sound like a lack of moisture in the leather. I am talking about the inner lining the rough area. When I remove the gun I wipe it down with rem oil and the gun looks fine but I just want to stop this wear on the gun as to prevent any finish damage.

[GUNS-R-US]

My problem is the creaking noise my Crossbreed holster for my M&P is making when I Move any suggestions to quite it down?

[langloisandy]

Garand,

re: Finish wear.

You are always going to have some wear on a gun in a holster, the constant movement of the holster material against your finish will abrade it away, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly depending on finish and materials used. There is not much you can do to stop holster wear other than not carrying your gun!

Let me get some photos of my GSP up, it is shiny in spots from riding in my CCW and my Duty rigs.

NOTE: Watch out for suede lined holsters, some are great some are not. I have seen some serious finish damage from suede lined rigs. The suede acts like a dirt/dust sponge and then is like sandpaper up against your pistol giving premature wear and tear.

Andy

[Sponsor]

[crusader rabbit]

Don't know if anyone else has tried it, but Mink Oil (comes in a shoe-polish-type can) has worked well for me in maintaining a decent finish and eliminating the "creak" some holsters have.  It doesn't take much, just a little worked in with a piece of rag.  Let it sit for awhile and buff it some to remove any excess.  Also tends to seal the leather against water and stains, but it will darken light leathers slightly.  And keep it away from suede.

[langloisandy]

Gents, Be really careful applying products, I have had to fix waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy too many holsters that were overlubed/overwaxed/over-messed-up .....I tend to stick with a decent cleaning when needed then a dab 'o polish for the outside, MAYBE some lexol for the inside.

Andy

[outrider]

I agree with Andy...don't overkill the lubricants and conditioners...

[denster]

As my business is making concealed carry holsters let me offer a few suggestions. First the light color on your slide that returns to normal when you oil it is due to the leather absorbing the oil that is on the slide. Nothing to be concerned with. Second it is not a good idea to treat the inside of the holster with anything although a light spray of silicone oil will not hurt the leather. Initially a good leather holster will fit very tight. This is necessary as leather will stretch a small amount with use and the fit will be just right. Wearing the holster with the gun in for a couple of hours will allow it to aclimate to the weapon, your form and how tightly you buckle your belt. This is called breaking in a holster.
Third finish wear from carrying in a holster is inevitable but can be minimized. It does not come from contact with the leather as leather being much softer than gunmetal is not capable of wearing the metal. What causes it is the transfere of primer residue from the gun to the leather mixed with the oil on the surface of the weapon. This makes a mildly abrasive paste when combined with the movement of the weapon in the holster causes finish wear. A close stitchline and detail molding minimizes the movement of the weapon thereby minimizing but not eliminating finish wear. Interesting that soft leather, like suede, traps more of this residue and actually increases wear.
Fourth regarding holster creaking. This comes from breaking down of the fibers in the leather as it learns to be a holster. It will go away on it's own with use.

[Coca-Cola Kid]

Third finish wear from carrying in a holster is inevitable but can be minimized. It does not come from contact with the leather as leather being much softer than gunmetal is not capable of wearing the metal. What causes it is the transfere of primer residue from the gun to the leather mixed with the oil on the surface of the weapon. This makes a mildly abrasive paste when combined with the movement of the weapon in the holster causes finish wear.

Can you show us the science on that?  You get holster wear even with kydex, and that does not have anywhere for this formula to adhere.