That Box of Holsters

[Petrol & Powder]

On another thread a member commented about that "Box of holsters" we all have and it made me laugh a bit because it's so true.

While I occasionally thin the contents of the "Old Holster Box", I think most of us wonder how that collection of holsters forms in the first place. So, I started doing some real evaluation and here's what I came up with:


The Junk: The holster is the "leather part of the handgun" and it is part of the overall system. It gets used every day, often all-day, in all types of weather. Buy the best you can afford.
When I was younger I made the mistake of buying junk just a couple of times and then vowed to never waste money on a poor quality holster. That doesn't mean all of my gear is from well established makers (although a lot is) but it does mean that it is all high quality. However, years ago the junk holsters fed my Old Holster Box.

The Gift: This is another source of stuff in the Old Holster Box. Someone gives you a piece of gear that turns out to be destined for the holster box. There's not much you can do other than politely say thank you.

The Gimmick: We all know this one; you see something that looks like it would be the answer to some problem. Sometimes it turns out to be a great solution and we're happy. But, sometimes it just turns out to be a piece of gear that didn't work for you.

The Worn Out Gear: Holsters take a beating and eventually even the best gear will wear out. This is the stuff that gets relegated to the "Old Holster Box" because we can't bring ourselves to throw it away but we no longer trust it. Deep down inside we know it needs to go away but we're just not there yet.

The Holster to the Non-Existent Gun: Yep; you know that gun you sold/traded off in 1993 and forgot you had a holster for it. Guess where that holster ends up?

The Phase: We all know the guy the jackrabbit's from one mode to another. He was in the "western phase", then he was in his "tactica-cool" phase, then he was in his "cross draw" phase, and then..............you get the point. Fortunately I never suffered from that malady, as it applies to holsters. I have suffered it in other regards.

And the last contributor to the holster box is the; It Just Doesn't Work For Me: We've all purchased good quality holsters that appeared to fit our criteria and attempted to use that gear only to find out that it just does not work for us. It's Good Gear, it's well made, it's configured the way we like and when you put it on - IT JUST DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU. This is one of the most frustrating situations because there's just no way to know until you try it in the real world.

[white cloud]

I need to go through the holster boxes and cull a bunch. When it comes to holsters, the mind can do some strange things.

[RED BEAR]

Petrol and powder your right we all have a box. Looking at mine i can't for the life of me understand how it got so big.

[Texas by God]

We should have a large online holster swap meet someday. Then we'd have fresh holsters in our box. On the bright side I did find a great "field" holster for a S&W Shield complete wth magazine pouch in my box the other day.

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[stubshaft]

Been there, still doing it...In addition to the store bought holsters there are the ones I made from Kydex that work until I get a wild hair to "improve" it again.

[Love Life]

I’m sitting here laughing as I type this. Petrol & Powder pretty much nailed it. My worst holsters are the gun store/ gun show specials. Saving money buying a $35 leather holster has cost me a bunch of money, lol.

I’ve learned that cost and quality directly correlate. Especially when it comes to comfort, hold of the gun, fit of the gun to holster, draw capability, etc. Most any holster will hold a gun. How well it holds it, how well it fits ( better/correct fit leads to less holster wear), how well it reholsters, snaps, retention etc are all the small details that add to cost, and are absolutely worth it.

In my opinion, the $75.00-$150.00 price range from well known makers is the sweet spot. After that you start getting into stamped designs, carving, etc. None of those add to the functionality of the holster, but they sure do church it up!!

That being said my S&W model 28 4 inch has ridden in a $17 leather Tagua holster since I bought it in 2010. Anybody who has seen this revolver knows the finish is pretty well worn. That revolver has hiked all over the Sierra Nevada and pine nut mountains, all over the desert, and all over the woods of Georgia and Alabama. It’s my faithful companion carrying the 358429 over a stiff dose of unique in 38 special brass. The holster has served me well and I’ve really never found a need to replace it.

One of my favorite holsters for the 1911 that I use when I need the slimmest possible profile is my Bianchi model 6D ATB http://www.safariland.com/default/pr....html#start=14 Holster. It was $11.00 back in 2006 when I bought it. It takes the finish off pretty quick, doesn’t block sweat at all, and is a 2 hand reholster because the thing squished flat when the gun is drawn. However it’s very slim, holds the gun securely, and the clip keeps the holster in place very well.

It’s all about trade offs. For outside the waist band holsters I only use Mernickle for leather holsters. I have one Kydrex holster and it is for Glocks and lives on a grab and go belt I made along with 5 loaded magazines in Kydex carriers, a stainless knife in kydex sheath, a water proof flashlight, and a small nylon gear pouch with mini screwdrivers, gun oil, a shortened cleaning rod with brush, a shortened AP brush, and a small bottle of CLP.

Wow. I rambled a lot on that one.

[Petrol & Powder]

Over the years I've thinned the collection down to what works and what I want to keep but strays keep showing up from time to time. I think we're all destined to have an "Old Holster Box" even if we don't want to have one.

I'm old school so most of my holsters are leather but I have a few made from synthetic materials. Nothing wrong with leather or synthetic. I refuse to buy poor quality anymore but I still manage to keep within budget. That means some New Old Stock leather, the occasional higher end names and some well made off brand stuff.

I picked up a small 2" K-frame pancake style OWB leather holster from Nevada Gun Leather a few years ago and it is good quality and didn't cost much. I have a lot of Don Hume stuff (I've always been impressed with their value). There's some Galco, Mitch Rosen, Old G&G stuff and even some Bell Charter Oak.
Some of the old Bianchi, Safariland, DeSantis, El Paso and Boston Leather is still out there and working strong.

[Love Life]

El Paso is top shelf.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I would also put TT gun leather on top shelf https://www.ttgunleather.com/

[Love Life]

Exodus Gun Leather as well.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

We had a range master who was a retired police captain. He told me when the collection of holsters in his dept got too large because of the change over from revolvers to semi-auto, he took the large box down to the Tiajuna, Mexico Police Dept and dumped it on them.

[Love Life]

My thoughts on outdoors/field holsters: Flap holsters are a solid choice, and quite quick to get a gun out of with a little practice. They are great for rainy and snowy climates, but do equally as well in climates with heavy brush. I also prefer a closed toe with a drain hole. Open toe holsters allow to much stuff to get on/in the barrel when sitting or going through heavy brush.

For concealed carry holsters: IWB holsters need to carry the gun low for me. Access to the gun/grip comes #1 to me with concealment a close 2nd. I normally get my IWB holsters without a sweat shield. My sweat eats bluing so I have to do a good wipe down every day. That’s why I prefer parkerizing or hard chrome on a carry gun. One handed re-holstering isn’t that important to me.

OWB holsters are usually worn by me for the range. 99.9% of the time it’s a Mernickle.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Man oh man....I wish I could say that I've got a box of various holsters. The true facts of the matter are that I've got two of the very large Rubbermaid totes full of them. Most of them are stuff I'm unlikely to ever use again. I mean, like black basket weave law enforcement leather, smooth black duty leather for jobs that didn't use the basket weave, multiplied by holsters for specific pistols and revolvers that I evolved through. Then, there are holsters for various military pistols, both foreign and domestic, that might be good for protecting their contents from the elements, but are kind of impractical for civilian use in sporting or defense. Next, there are the holsters that just didn't work out or became unusable due to a physique that changed from V to /\ involving larger belts and holsters located differently. Holsters for guns that I sold. Plus, a drawer full of holsters for guns currently in use. And, have you ever noticed that for the most part they don't have much of a resale value, even if you can find someone who wants that particular holster. On the other hand, if you see one you want, even used, they're kind of expensive. One of life's great mysteries....

[Petrol & Powder]

Der Gebirgsjager - you could get that down to just one holster box if you wanted to, just get a bigger box

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Now that is funny! But...I wonder if I could lift it......

[Love Life]

I’m in. Have a bunch of holsters collecting dust right now. I need a right hand, lined holster for a 5 1/2 inch SAA. Needs to be able to fit on a 2 1/2 inch gun belt.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

We should have a large online holster swap meet someday. Then we'd have fresh holsters in our box.

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Now wait a minute.......this might be a truly great idea! We could sort through our "stuff" and have an online swap meet. I like it!
Could be straight across trades, or trade with a little cash to offset condition, outright sale -- or just informative for future reference so you'd know where to find one if needed. I'm in, if you all want to do this. Could be a regular thing, like every Friday or something. Them Texas boys are pretty smart! Like right now, I'm having a vertical shoulder holster made for an 1861 Navy 'cause I don't want it riding out in the rain and snow on my belt, and if someone had one they didn't want anymore I wouldn't have had to pony up the $135!

[Mgderf]

I have the odd holster or two. Everyone does.
I did run into a holster score the other day though.

I strolled into my local Goodwill store the other day just to kill a little time.
I had someplace to be, but was a little early.

Anyway, I found a black leather belt-slide holster on the shelf.
It's not often you see firearms related items in Goodwill.

I picked the holster up and noticed it looked brand new. It was still flat as a pancake. No curve to it whatsoever, and not the first scuff on the leather, inside or out.
I decided it was made for a large frame revolver and I have a few of them.
I turned it over to check the price and just about fell over.
The tag read, $.99. That's right, ninety nine CENTS for a new leather holster.

When I got it home I realized there is no name on this holster, nothing, not a mark.
It does appear to be well made. It looks like a Galco, or maybe Desantis. I'm wondering if it wasn't a factory reject for some reason, but I can't find a fault, outside of no name.
I started trying to fit it to revolvers and found the Cinderella fit on the 3rd revolver tried.
This holster was custom fit for a 3" barreled Judge with a 2-1/2" chamber.

As it turns out, I have a 4" barreled Taurus Judge with a 2-1/2" chamber.
My barrel protrudes from the bottom of the holster, but not enough to cause an issue.
The back of the front sight still rests inside the holster, so no chance of a snag.

I've found some good deals on firearms in the past, but this is by FAR the best holster deal I have found.

[Murphy]

This is a great idea. I'll be keeping a watch on this thread.

Murphy

[Rick Hodges]

Only one box? Hah!

....I have a bunch of junk Safariland basketweave duty gear that was made during the early 90's out of a synthetic hybrid leather material. Purchased when my department mandated Glocks. Need to trash it all, seems it self destructs with time and exposure to sunlight. Holster seems ok but cuff case, and spare magazine carrier flaps rotted to dust. Its a shame....I have 70's era Safariland real leather that is still serviceable.
I don't currently own a 1911, but have all sorts of leather for one...LOL never know when I might need that Miami Vice "*******" rig again. Not much resale for any of it, and not much market being I'm a southpaw.