Tip for those breaking in a mass produced leather holster

[TGO David]

I thought I'd mention this since I haven't seen it specifically discussed here before:

DISCLAIMER:

I am not the originator of this idea by any stretch of the imagination. It's one of the older tricks in the books. I also do

NOT

recommend that you do this to custom made, high-end holster. I would only advocate doing this to a readily available mass produced leather holster from the likes of Galco, Don Hume, Bianchi, DeSantis, etc.

Now with that out of the way...

I recently purchased a DeSantis Speed Scabbard leather outside the waistband holster for my Smith & Wesson M&P .40SW handgun. I wasn't looking for top quality leather; I was just looking for something to get the job done on those rare occasions when I actually want to carry visibly or want to carry OWB but under a cover garment of some sort.

As is the case with almost any mass produced holster, the fit of the leather on the firearm was incredibly tight. Too tight to provide the sort of fast, smooth draw that I prefer with a holster. In fact, it was tight to the point that I would have considered it to be unsafe for carry use because of the drag on draw and the binding on re-holstering. So I turned to an old trick that my grandfather showed me years ago.

Using the unloaded handgun wrapped a few times in a plastic shopping bag, I took an aerosol spray can of silicone lubricant (available at any hardware or autoparts store), saturated the inside of the holster, and then crammed the unloaded bag-wrapped handgun into the holster and let it sit for a while. An hour or so will usually suffice, but leaving it over night is even better.

After letting it sit for a while, I withdrew the firearm, sprayed more silicone lubricant inside the holster and then began holstering and unholstering the wrapped firearm over and over again. I did this for maybe a dozen or more times and then left it holstered for a bit longer.

The end result is a holster that has very little drag when drawing and is now a little better molded to my specific firearm. And since the Speed Scabbard has a retention adjustment screw, I can dial in just enough "snap" for positive retention when I reholster the firearm.

It's an easy way to speed up the breaking in process on a cheap leather holster and might be helpful to someone else here who wants a little smoother draw from theirs.

Again, I wouldn't recommend doing this to a custom made top-shelf holster. The craftsmen responsible for making those typically produce holsters that do not need this sort of breaking in and usually recommend against doing anything like this.

[chipperi]

Hmm I just bought a Desantis. Packaged with it was a fairly stern warning not to soak, use mink oil, and a couple other things. They say the best way to break in their product is to just wear it daily.

Edited March 30, 2009 by chipperi

[TGO David]

Yep, wearing it daily is the best way. This is the faster way.

[enfield]

I would never put silicone on a leather holster. It'll soften and stretch the leather.

All you need to do is wrap the pistol in saran wrap, shove it in the holster and leave it there for a couple of days.

[TripleDigitRide]

I would never put silicone on a leather holster. It'll soften and stretch the leather.

All you need to do is wrap the pistol in saran wrap, shove it in the holster and leave it there for a couple of days.

What's the purpose of wrapping the piston?

[Guest sermon8r]

Hmm I just bought a Desantis. Packaged with it was a fairly stern warning not to soak, use mink oil, and a couple other things. They say the best way to breal in their product is to just wear it daily.

Your picture should reinforce the need for a good gunbelt.

(bet you thought i was going to talk about something else)

[chipperi]

Yes I agree:-\ The day after I took this pic I went out and bought a good wider and more sturdy belt from a local motorcycle shop. I also joined a local gym to lose the gut putting so much strain on it.

[chipperi]

What's the purpose of wrapping the piston?

Well usually you put rings on a piston to create good piston to cylinder contact for efficient compression.

But the purpose of wrapping the pistol would be to make the gun slightly larger to expand the holster.

[musicman]

Also to keep what you just sprayed in the holster form gumming up the gun, is my guess.

[Mike]

If you want to break one in without spraying a bunch of junk in the holster.

Stuff the pistol in a thin dress sock and work it into the holster. Leave it overnight and remove in the morning.

Done.

[TGO David]

To be fair, I did first try wrapping the gun in a few heavy plastic bags and leaving it in the holster overnight. It didn't stretch the holster much at all. That's when I moved on to Plan B. The silicone spray worked like magic, but I do encourage everyone to heed the disclaimer.

If you can't risk damaging a $50-60 holster then don't try it at home.

[Mike]

Dress sock > ziplock

[TGO David]

Dress sock > ziplock

Plastic = less compressable than a sock.

[Smith]

On most of the custom holster I have gotten, they will tell you they are really tight (almost unusable) at first. they do it on purpose to make sure you get a good fit. they then told me about the plastic bag trick. Worked like a charm after that and wearing a while. I just used walmart plastic bags.

[Guest dfunk]

When I ship a holster out, it's usually pretty tight and needs some break-in time. My suggestion (and shipped inside each rig) is a piece of waxed paper wrapped around the UNLOADED firearm - wax side out. The wax will lube the leather and the few layers of paper is usually enough to help stretch things the 1 or 2 mm needed for a more relaxed draw. Wax is something holster makers use quite often and won't harm any leather. Plus, the paper won't harm or gunk up your pistol.

[Currently]

I made custom tool holsters for several years.

The forming of the leather in the unfinished stage is done by soaking it in water and forming it around a jig/die or the tool itself. The leather is then left to slowly air dry and while slightly damp can be sewed.

The fastest and safest way to breakin any leather good is to get it damp and wear it till it dries. Do not apply heat or sunlight. This is true for boots, leather jackets and holsters.

For those that will naysay, think a bit and remember how many times you went hunting with wet boots ... I have several pair that are over 4 years old. Stick newspapers in them and let them dry in cool dry place. Best place is in front of an air conditioner cause the air is dry because it was dehumidified in the cooling process.

I broke in my new Galco by getting it damp enough to darken the leather and then wore it for a day or so wiping the moisture off my firearm every hour or so with an old dry wash cloth. This is also followed up with a good firearm cleaning to address the moisture penetration. If you are on top of things, your firearm will NOT rust.

Mink oil and silicone will cause the leather to stretch out prematurely. Water will not. It will conform the leather to the firearm and your body shape quickly and safely.

I do the same with my m/c leathers and all my boots.

Edited April 4, 2009 by Currently

[titan14]

Im going to make an "educated" guess here...since I have never broken in a leather holster....

I played baseball since i was old enough to pick up a ball....an old "trick" i used to break in a glove....

i would place my brand new(expensive) gloves in a bathtub full of water...let it soak for several hours....even overnight....

Get it out and dry it off as much as possible....take the glove and place two baseballs in it and tie around the glove with a shoestring....put it in a window sill or on the dashboard of a car....let it dry for a couple of days.......then "condition" it with glove oil....

easiest and fastest way to break in leather...i assume the same process would work on a holster....although I would wrap the gun with some sort of plastic to prevent the obvious rust factor.....

Please correct me if this wont work with a holster.......

[strickj]

Im going to make an "educated" guess here...since I have never broken in a leather holster....

I played baseball since i was old enough to pick up a ball....an old "trick" i used to break in a glove....

i would place my brand new(expensive) gloves in a bathtub full of water...let it soak for several hours....even overnight....

Get it out and dry it off as much as possible....take the glove and place two baseballs in it and tie around the glove with a shoestring....put it in a window sill or on the dashboard of a car....let it dry for a couple of days.......then "condition" it with glove oil....

easiest and fastest way to break in leather...i assume the same process would work on a holster....although I would wrap the gun with some sort of plastic to prevent the obvious rust factor.....

Please correct me if this wont work with a holster.......

Yeah,I dont think I want my holsters in the shape of a couple of baseballs!

[titan14]

lmao....no balls ....use the gun...

[Guest Bill Lumberg]

For leather holsters, a thin piece of hosiery, such as a sheer man's dress sock or women's stocking, placed over the unloaded weapon, works best. Plastic bags work better for plastic (which includes kydex holsters. Lube should be avoided unless there's no other option. Less is more in those cases.

[Guest dfsixstring]

Inside the package of my last DeSantis holster was a green card that said to wrap the pistol in a man's dress sock and push it into the holster and leave it like that over night. I like what "Currently" said about "slightly" dampening the leather and letting it dry naturally. That makes sense - as he said, only if you keep on top of the pistol to make sure it doesn't rust.

[Guest spoolie]

Davids method works perfectly.

[dunndw]

I've always put the unloaded gun in a ziploc bag, then wore the gun/baggie/holster around the house.