Tips for breaking in new holster

fmrmarine

Inactive
I just got a Bianchi Shadow 7 II for a SW 1911 and it is extremely difficult to put the pistol in the holster all the way and extremely difficult to remove. I didn't have this with the Don Hume I purchased for my XD. Anyone have any tips for breaking in the Bianchi? This is my first of that brand.

Regards,

FmrMarine
 
From the Milt Sparks website, but would apply to any leather holster, really:

Tightness in a new holster is not uncommon and is much preferable to the alternative. If the draw is a little stiff at first, it is recommended that you work with it to see if it doesn't loosen up with a bit of use. About 25 to 50 presentations should be a good indicator of whether the holster will break in sufficiently on its own or if maybe a little blocking out of the leather is in order. There are many variables as to why a holster would be excessively tight ranging from the texture of your guns finish, to slight changes in climate or humidity from where the holster is made. Regardless of the reason, a too tight holster can easily be remedied by the end user with a method we have been recommending to customers for over 20 years.

To block out (stretch) your new holster first UNLOAD your pistol or revolver and place the gun into the 4 mil plastic bag that your new holster was packaged in. Then carefully insert the bagged gun all the way into the holster (do not! I repeat, do not!! wet or spray the holster with any solution to aid in the stretching process). The blocking out process as described above will in no way harm the crisp detailed molding of your new holster, nor will it ruin its retention qualities. It serves simply to stretch the leather a few thousands of an inch larger than the gun. The amount of stretching time needed for satisfactory results range from a just a few minutes to overnight.
 
IMHO the tac rail is most likely the issue ( dont all smiths have rails lol ) and if not a rail issue some non colt/springer/kimber brands have slides that are a bit thicker than some holster makers allow for . Try putting the pistol into a ziplock freezer bag ( heavy plastic bag ) and holstering it fully for a day or two . That may formfit the holster enough , if not do the same thing after " spritzing " the inside of the holster untill damp .
 
I have used waxed paper on all my holsters. Wrap the gun in waxed paper leave overnight, for me the next morning the fit was perfect. I'd say use a fair amount of the paper to stretch out the fit a little.
 
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