Hey guys, I am now CC my M9 and and have a new FIST #10 belt holster. Here's my question... When I draw the weapon the holster and belt pull upwards before releasing the pistol. Is this what I should expect? I have a 'Wilderness trainer' pistol belt which I am pleased with so far. I guess the bottom line is that the draw is a bit hindered. Perhaps I need to practice more or the holster needs more 'break-in' time? Any thoughts? thanks Mike1
this is gonna be great, everybody's gonna share their holster break-in advice!!! new leather holsters will grab. it'll break in. try rubbing it down with mink oil. smoosh it all around like a new baseball glove. try wrapping your m9 in a plastic bag and holstering it a few hundred times. that'll stretch it out. even when it's broken in you can expect a little rise before release. i cinch my belt down pretty tight to combat this.
I considered the staples, but didn't want to incur unnecessary cleaning bills trying to remove the blood from my trousers! Bigtaco, I do cinch my belt down, but gets a bit uncomfortable at times. I had a Bianchi leather holster for my 92fs at one time and didn't really have this same experience. I did get the holster used though... I will continue drawing and re-holstering to break in and maybe some oils to soften the leather inside. Don't want to hinder the proper retention.
Never use any types of oils to soften the leather. It will ruin the fit all together. If the holster is really way too tight you can wrap the gun in a layer or two of plastic wrap. This increases the width by just a few thousandths. let the gun sit overnight or maybe two nights, then draw and repeat.
Hi Madecov, You bring up a good point about the oiling, I did wonder if that might alter the necessary fit. I'll try the plastic wrap tonight. Any thoughts if the type of pants might play a part in this? If you wear a loose fitting pair, they might have the tendency to move around a lot move vs. a better fitting pair. Mike1
well, i wasn't suggesting putting the oil on the inside. i was suggesting rubbing mink oil on the outside. it will make the leather softer without removing it's shape. if anything would cause trouble it would be smooshing the holster around. but they always bounce back to their form. i know lots of people rubbing lots of mink oil into lots of holsters while they're smooshing it around without any trouble.
mink oil will also cause mold to form on leather. ever see the mold on old leather slings? Guess where it comes from ? never ever use any type of oil that will soften the leather, even on the outside. Just like a baseball glove it will make the leather so soft it will no longer retain the firearm. You can pick up a can of sugical grade silicon in aerosol form and lightly spray the interior of the holster. Otherwise just wrap the gun in even a light dress sock and stuff it into the holster overnight, it will only need a tiny bit of stretching at a time. All you want to do is excellerate the break in process. Rusty Sherrick sells a product called hide glide. Rosen sells leather lightning. These are water based silicon suspension that makes the leather slick on the inside but will not soften it. Before I became a police Officer I was in the leather manufacturing business (China is a bitch). Trust me on this Mink Oil is not a good choice. Something like Lexol to clean the leather is fine, but you want to maintain the molding, fit and retention.
Wow, this is great... I wrapped my M9 in plastic wrap last night and this a.m. I removed it and holstered the weapon. I drew the weapon and indeed noticed a bit of a difference! I think I'll do this again tonight. Still has needed retention, but has eased the draw ever so slightly. Good tip. Mike1
Mike - How close does the belt fit the slots in the holster? They should match. If the slots are too big, it could contribute to the problem you're experiencing.
I had a custom made Duty holster for my M40A1. Gun went in fine, wouldn't come out (Bad) I ended up placing the gun in 2 heavy crew socks and stuffing it into the holster for 3 days. Gun now comes out better but sticks a bit (still bad). I ended up putting the gun into 3 socks (all thick crew style) and stuffed the gun into the holster. now it's perfect. If one plastic bag isn't enough, use 2. Or one thick one.
Hey Revchuck, The slots in the holster fit perfectly at 1.5", but good thought ! madecov, The plastic wrap was a really good tip. I never would have thought about that. The holster is still a little tight so needs more work. I feel confident that 1-2 more applications should do it. When I say plastic wrap I mean something like 'saran wrap'. Thanks again! We're moving to Katy, just bought a house there. Got a lot of work ahead of us...
[Katy, is just around the corner from me. Harris or Ft.bend County] Yeah, that's what I was thinking... This is just inside harris county, off of Highland Knolls in between 99 and Mason Rd. I've got a lot of painting and etc. for the next week or so... :lol: hey I just found out that I can get free range time at ASC being a part of the Texas State Guard! and yet another perk!
Free 8-O They only give me 1/2 off and I patrol the park and the facility. I run alarm calls there evrytime they have one go off. They've even had some that were good alarms as apposed to false alarms.
Yeah, that's what I was told by one of my CO's over the weekend. haven't tried it yet... Wow, I'm surprised they would even charge you or any LEO there, go figure... Supposedly the owner is retired military?
