Which holster - snug or loose?

C

Carmady

New member
I have a small/medium frame gun with a 4" barrel, and two holsters which fit.

Holster 1 is a S&W which is a loose fit, and has double layered leather with smooth leather inside (as well as outside).

Holster 2 is a Brauer Bros., tight fit with rough leather inside.

Also, the rear sight doesn't go in the Holster 1, the sight is right at the end of the leather. The rear sight sort of drags its upper corners on Holster 2 because it's tight and the sight goes down into it.

Both hold the gun fine, but my major concern is holster wear. I'm leaning towards Holster 1 because I think it'll cause less finish wear since it's smooth and loose, but I'm not sure.

Which would be easier on the finish?
 
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Recommend locating a copy of John Bianchi's book:..

Blued Steel & Gunleather.

It has good information of holster selection and why fits important.

I prefer a tight fit as the sidearm stays with you, loose, can have a surprise of not being there.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck.
 
Personally, I wouldn't worry much about blue finish wear unless it is a collectable gun. In which case, I probably wouldn' carry it anyway. I would choose "tight".
 
Loose enough to draw quickly, tight enough to make sure it stays there, if the tight holster is leather soak it with saddle soap, put the gun in a plastic bag, and let it sit in the holster over night, it loosened the Triple K holster I have for my GP100.
 
First off, let's look at the brand. S&W, while they make great guns, are not leatherworkers. It may be a good holster, but I'd rather have the quality of a well respected old holster maker. Plus, as has been said before, a tighter grip will loosen, and loose grip will loosen more. Use the Brauer Bros, and thank me later.
 
You want a tight fitting holster. Holster wear is going to happen regardless but I would think that a tight holster might cause less wear than one in which the gun is bouncing around in it.

Just another suggestion, but it doesn't sound like either holster was made specifically for your gun. I'd look at Bianchi or Galco and see if you can find a better fitting rig.
 
Everybody likes it tight, what a surprise.

The Brauer Bros. holster does fit very well. The back of the male part of the retaining strap snap almost rests on the cylinder, but not quite. That would have been a deal breaker, metal against metal.

Thanks.
 
I always go for snug. Even if they seem overly tight, I suppose the need for drawing it will help with clearing the leather. And yes, tighter fits will reduce finish wear, but unfortunately wear is unavoidable.
 
Carmady said:
The back of the male part of the retaining strap snap almost rests on the cylinder, but not quite. That would have been a deal breaker, metal against metal.
Click to expand...

There are felt dots that you can get to glue onto the back of the snap to protect the gun. I have a few Brauer Bro holsters, and if I used them more frequently (the guns they fit are more collection pieces inherited from my father), then I'd use one myself.
 
Hey JimmyR, I had the same thought last night and found some thin leather scraps and will Super Glue a dot about the size of a quarter over the snap.
Thanks for the reassurance.
 
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