Handgun carry is ruining my pants

[walton6467]

I've been carrying for five or six years and carried in a variety of ways; inside waistband, outside waistband, shoulder holster, ankle, belly band, etc. I've tried them all. I have a huge storage container just stuffed full of holsters.

 

In the last couple of years, I've been carrying a P938 inside the waistband, small of the back, in a Barsony brand leather holster clipped to my belt. This has been successful in concealing for me and is fairly comfortable and I've trained on pulling from that position, etc.

 

In the last few weeks I've noticed the leather has stretched some, I suppose from soaking up the gun oil and sweat or something and an 1/8 inch of the end of the barrel and slide are exposed where they used to be inside the holster. Because of this, I've ruined two pairs of pants in the last week.

 

Both times, I was sitting in a hard chair or bench for a while and the end of the slide against the hard seatback or chair bottom is cutting through my pants! I've ruined a nearly new pair of Levi's and an expensive pair of dress pants with a quarter sized hole right between the pockets in the seat of my pants. Last night at a restaurant, I dropped my napkin and when I leaned over to get it, my wife burst out laughing and told me she could see my backside because of the hole in my pants. I've also had a couple of dress shirts with holes cut thru the tail of the shirt in back from exactly the same reason.

 

Has anyone else had the experience of regularly ruining clothes? Any suggestions on solving this? I like the Barsony holster and may just replace it with a new one. Can any of you recommend a holster that isn't going to cost me $100 that will accomplish what I'm doing?

 

 

[MacGyver]

Everything has a price.  I wear a pair of 501's just about every day.  I find that pocket clips on knives do more damage to my pants than do my holsters, though I typically carry a j-frame in a kydex pocket holster.  It'll eventually cause a permanent "print" - even it it's not a gun-shaped one.

[peejman]

Any form of IWB carry is hard on pants, particularly with holsters that leave the muzzle or slide serrations exposed.  How many pairs of pants can you ruin before that $100+ holster pays for itself?

[jgradyc]

Couldn't you sew up the area where the holster stretched to keep the barrel from extending out of the holster? 

[2.ooohhh]

How many pairs of pants can you ruin before that $100+ holster pays for itself?

 6 or 7, but I've found by varying what I carry and what holster I use, that I don't notice much if any wear on my belts/pants/guns.

[peejman]

If it's rubbing specific spots in your pants, you could put one (or more) of those iron-on patches on the inside of the pants as a wear pad. 

[shaftbass]

I got tired of the holster battle and began pocket-carrying a S&W hammerless J frame (340PD) without a holster around 2007.  I haven't had the desire to carry anything else.

Edited September 26, 2014 by ReefBlueCoupe

[sigbrown1297]

I run a G-code INCOG for y G19.  Had one for my SA XDs.  Love the holster.  Very comfortable and easy on and off but won't slip off accidentally.  Run it on my Aegis belt, which has the perfect stiffness to hold it in place.  

 

Oh and it has the black tactical fuzz on the outside of the kydex so it feels better against the skin if you don't wear an undershirt.

Edited September 27, 2014 by amendment2customcoating

[tnhawk]

I also frequently carry a P938 IWB.  I've been using a Crossbreed MiniTuck holster without any problems.  I get more wear from the pocket clips of knives than from my pistols.

[runco]

How many miles are you trying to get our of your pants and/or holster.  Maybe you are the end of life for those items.  Time to spend some money.  Me personally, I like the Crossbreed Supertuck style holster.  I have about 5 now for my varying pistols.

[DaveTN]

Radius the corners of whatever on the Sig is cutting through your pants. There are a lot of closed holsters that don’t cost a bunch. Put duct tape the inside of your pants where it is cutting through; duct tape fixes anything.

[Dane]

I've worn a crossbreed for years and haven't noticed any wear on my jeans or dress pants,

[Jamie Jackson]

I agree with the trend here. A quality holster with a quality belt just simply works. :up:

 

I too get a damage from my ancillary tools to my pocket edges...but not my carry guns and extra mags.

[Brasschunker]

I run a G-code INCOG for y G19.  Had one for my SA XDs.  Love the holster.  Very comfortable and easy on and off but won't slip off accidentally.  Run it on my Aegis belt, which has the perfect stiffness to hold it in place.  
 
Oh and it has the black tactical fuzz on the outside of the kydex so it feels better against the skin if you don't wear an undershirt.

THIS^^
I have this exact setup and I notice no wear but I carry appendix. A good gun belt is the key for comfortable carry.

[Will Carry]

HA HA ha. I ain't never ruined a pair of pants but I know what you mean about a sack full of holsters.  I spent about 5 years buying every kind of holsters, fanny packs, CC Tee-shirts and so on. Now I pocket carry and/or IWB carry.

[BigK]

There are a lot of closed holsters that don’t cost a bunch.

This is what I was going to suggest. If I read the OP correctly, the muzzle end is what is causing the wear. Seems like the best solution to me too.
My pocket holster is starting to wear marks on the front/side of my pants where it rubs against stuff on the outside, but it's not very noticeable yet.

I get more wear on my shirts. Almost every shirt I have has holes where the back of the slide is rubbing against stuff. As soon as I noticed, I started tucking my shirt behind my holster when I buckle my seatbelt, but I can't do that at work. Chairs with hard backs and/or arms still rub holes.

Par for the course, I guess. Beats being defenseless.

[glowdotGlock]

I have been carrying IWB for several years now. I didn't like the first few holsters I went through but I have ben carrying a G19 in a Shepherd for a couple years and no complaints.

[McGarrett]

I carry my sp101 IWB in this holster from Simply Rugged; http://shop.simplyrugged.com/ecommerce/Silver-Dollar-Pancake%E2%84%A2-.cfm?item_id=152&parent=669 it is very well made and was not all that expensive for a custom made holster. I got one of their belts also. I have not noticed any abnormal wear and tear on my clothes. I'm carrying in the RH in the 4 o'clock position. You can get the holster and belt for $100. I added the IWB straps for $15 also.

 

For a semi-auto it would be this holster; http://shop.simplyrugged.com/ecommerce/Cuda-.cfm?item_id=407&parent=669. It's $66, still not bad for a custom holster.

 

Real mans belt; http://shop.simplyrugged.com/ecommerce/Real-Man-s-Belt-single-layer-of-leather.cfm?item_id=171&parent=670

 

+1 on having a good belt. I don't know how your built or how you wear your pants but maybe try to get a looser cut or the next waist size up. Give yourself a little room and use your belt to make up the difference. I wear Dickies carpenter jeans to work and they are cut a little bigger and I have also been losing some weight but just kept that same size to have a little room. Not baggy like a ganster but just room to move around. I wear a wife beater t shirt tucked in and then my outer shirt untucked for cover. Works well and very comfortable. Just my 2 cents.

Edited September 27, 2014 by McGarrett