iwb leather holsters

[pepper 2111]

I am wondering how best to condition the leather on my iwb holsters to make them soft and flexible. I have a crossbreed and like it, thinking about picking up a galco or foxx to. I was wondering if you can treat them like ball gloves? A little glove conditioner and out them in the oven? Is it safe with kydex? If its possible, how long and what temp?

Apologies for the dumb question

 

[Trigger Time 23]

I would not treat any leather holster. It will break them down too much and you will lose retention ability. The best thing to do is us it. All mine have broke in by drawing from them. Some take more time than others. Id worry about ruining a holster by using anything on them. Baseball gloves are another story...

Maybe someone will say something else. Just my opinion.

On a side note IWB generally sucks (for comfort). If you can swing an un-tucked shirt OWB is the way to go as far as comfort is concerned IMHO. I have carried both ways for years, but almost exclusively now OWB.

 

[Trigger Time 23]

Also, the only way to change Kydex is with heat. You can use a heat gun, or oven. Again be careful because once they reach the temperature that they become flexible, well they move.

 

[anarchist]

Use is the best way to break in an IWB leather holster. I've got about six Milt Sparks VM2's and a couple of Crossbreeds. Your body heat and sweat will do an adequate job of molding them to your body. You don't want them to get soft as the external parts are there to provide support for the weapons.

As far as putting anything on the leather (inside the VM2) I would go with a product by Rusty Sherrick called Hyde Glide. A little rubbed inside of a VM2 will slick up the draw without ruining the integrity of the holster. Be careful about putting any stuff on IWB leather. You can soften the leather thereby ruining the blocking or whatever you put on may end up ruining your clothes. I've been using IWBs for over 10 years and haven't put anything on them other than a little HG inside. They just get better with use.


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[Strykervet]

OP, I use Milt Sparks holsters. I'd highly recommend you look into them before you make a decision. Their VM2 IWB holster is so good I own three. In fact, if I carry it, it's likely in a Milt Sparks. His quality vs. price is unparalleled in the industry. Now I got all mine made from horsehide. I haven't done a damn thing but use them since I got 'em. Still work like new, pistols won't fall out on their own like others that get worn, yet it somehow "breaks in" and feels better over time. Hard to explain. My oldest one is about 10, yet it looks and feels like it's almost new, yet "broken in" somehow.

But if you get a great hoslter, Milt Sparks, Mitch Rosen, etc., there won't be much you can do to them. Cowhide is treated to be on par with horsehide these days, so both are waterproof, both are tough and both are rigid (though I do feel horsehide is more rigid, hence why I prefer the holster itself to be made from horsehide, loops and shit from cowhide).

Make sure you get a good "gun belt" not a walmart belt. Even a cheapo Galco gun belt will do the job, I even have one. It's not as nice as my double thick gun belt I had made, nor the one Milt Sparks sells, but it makes a BIG difference in carry, that belt does.

At the end of the day, I don't think you wanna soften gun leather anyway. You could maybe polish it, but I don't know, I'd ask the maker if that's okay (I can't see it not being okay). The whole point of it is that it's rigid --a solid place to store the weapon and a solid belt to keep everything where it's supposed to be. Of course the leather itself needs to be tough to begin with, hence why I recommend you contact Milt Sparks. Galco makes a lot of mass produced leather for industry, and it's okay I guess, they have a lot of selection, but for my money, I go with the guys that make 'em by hand. I haven't been too impressed with Galco's latest offerings, and I've also had problems with their gear in the past (M9 pistols in their shoulder holsters). Their leather is quite a bit softer than what I'm used to these days. Too soft in fact; some of their holsters can't be reholstered due to the fact they are so soft they fold when inserting the weapon. That's just a no-go.

Good luck, lots of choices, but I'd hold out and get a good maker and wait on 'em... Get a decent kydex for in the meantime (or use what you have if it works). But stiffness in the right areas and proper stitching are attributes to look for in gun leather.

 

[pepper 2111]

Thanks fellas, i'll consider all of this inofrmation. I never thought i would be compromising the retention level of the holstet. I was just hoping to soften the leather quickly so it conforms to my body a little easier.