Breakin in Holsters

[Buckskin Ben]

When breaking in new holsters, besides wet forming, is there a lubricant or dressing that helps to make removal (draw) of the guns smoother?

Seems I read about something that you use to dress the lining of the holster to make the draw smoother or quicker.
Thanks
Buckskin Ben

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy Ben, and Welcome to the Leather Shop

       Ben is this a holster you made, or a commercial made holster, let us know so we can answer your question a little better.


         Regards

       tEN wOLVES 

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Howdy, Ben. I wet mold mine so they just fit in the pocket without binding. A slight bit of use will take care of any dragging. There are some who put one thing or another in them. You'll probably get some more specific answers to that soon.

Welcome to the forum. Looking forward to your posts.

[MontanaSlick]

Ben, what M. Will said, works great, I always line my holsters, the smooth side is kinder to yer guns ,also, Drawslow, but in a hurry.

MS

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Montana Slick,

Your last comment reminds me of an AF instructor I once had ...

He would say, 'Now I'm not ordering you to hurry, because that would be unsafe and dangerous ...
I'm just asking you to move as fast as you safely can in a purposeful and thoughtful manner... '

[J.D. Yellowhammer]

Talcum powder.

[Slowhand Bob]

Thats what we need, a good thread on what constitutes a good fit and how to achieve it.  To some degree the fit will be subjective, due to the fact that we all have a preference on what we want to happen when that hawglaig gits skinned.  Some want little morn a bucket while others seem to want a spandex holster.  Shux, one can even change their mind, over time, as to what constitutes a good fit.  I know I have in many cases.

I have heard some swear by the spray sillycone found in electronic stores works good in tight holsters and do know that Bianchi demonstrates using these to lubricate certain parts during holster assembly in his video, so?  I am also thinking that I have read where one of the holster makers include a small sample of something with their holsters and recommends buying more of it from him to keep those guns from binding, hmmmm!!! 

I do not like stuffing balls in leather, thats not how guns are shaped, but something that might work for short term is padding the gun with several layers of papar and then stuffing the whole setup into a heavy duty freezer bag for insertion into the holster.  I would never just go off and forget about it, if you are using your real gun take it out and remove the wrapping in the morning.  Let the holster rest and get airflow during the day.  You can do this as a regular nightly routine until you have what you want or just do it for a night or two before each planned use.  Actually I must confess that this sounds good and I do believe it will work but snicker snicker, I have never actually tried it personally.  Generally I think a holster fits or it doesnt, and if it doesnt, it needs molding or a different sized gun. 

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy Buskskin Ben

       We haven't heard back from you on the type holster you have, so I'll just throw my thoughts in here, I make all my own holsters, I wet mold them to fit the gun I'm making the holster for, and when the leather is dry ( at least 24 hours )  I start my training , for me I want a snug fitting holster for cowboy action shooting, but I also want the gun to draw smoothly without too much drag, so I train the gun to the holster by taking a piece of 2 to 3 or 3 to 4 ounce leather and cut a piece the same size as the cylinder, just so it wraps around the cylinder to the frame but not around the frame, I then push the gun down in the holster making sure the training leather stays put as I do this, I leave the gun in the holster for as many days as it takes to get the holster trained, (check each day ) when the gun feels right for you, then your done, keep this training leather piece for another time, I do this with all my holsters.
     If you want a more open type fast draw holster, then the steel lined are best, but you can make due with a holster that isn't steel lined too, by using a smooth lined holster, that has a coating of Tan Kote or like finish, or an unlined holster can be smoothed by using Gum Treacanth and rubbing it smooth, use a piece of wood dowel with a rounded end to do the rubbing, or antler tine works great too, then after the smoothing put a couple coats of finish, like Tan Kote or like finish, I leave the Silicone's alone, if you do some of these things your gun should fit just the way you want, but like the others have said, if the gun just doesn't fit, then it most likely wont, you can only do so much to leather before you distort it, and you don't want to go that far.

                         I hope all these answers and input will be of some help to you

                                         Regards

                                   tEN wOLVES 

[MontanaSlick]

Montana Slick,

Your last comment reminds me of an AF instructor I once had ...

He would say, 'Now I'm not ordering you to hurry, because that would be unsafe and dangerous ...
I'm just asking you to move as fast as you safely can in a purposeful and thoughtful manner... '

I was a DI in the Army, never wanted to get any of my trainees hurt.

I did some Cowboy Fast Draw when I lived in deadwood SD, or club name was "Hole in the Boot Gang"
How true, Shane was too fast and his boots prooved it.

I like the "Last Place on the Bottom, hardest award to get.

MS

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Montana Slick,

I can only wish that my club would have such a recognition  ..... I would win it every shoot. *L*

Of course, I have operated weapons that had a nominal rate of 4,000 t 6,000 rounds per minute too ...

But I feel olkay about my 8 minute days on shoots ... as long as I get 96+% of the targets ..

Most of my extra time is spent with my Model '87 trying go learn how to load and cycle it properly .... and lever and reload the second shot before the clay hits the ground ....

I remember reading about Texas Rangers who would let the pistolero expend his Colts while he took careful aim and fired one effective shot.

Moral of the story is that one doesn't have to be particularly fast, just effective ....

[GunClick Rick]

I use fasteline~~Draw fast and lean way over so the other feller don't hit ya...

[MontanaSlick]

Very nice looking guns Mr. Watson do you shoot them often?
I just love my GWII's Colt45's, made my CBFD holsters to measure and little dabba doo  ya with some EVOO
Extra virgin olive oil, not too much now, just a little dabb on the inside of the holsters makes em slicker than Slick.

I aint fast, but I dunt miss either, some times. I came clost to the Last Place on the Bottom once, danged if I messed up and got a clean stage wid me Winnie long range. I just couldn't do it, miss with my Winnie? Never.

M. Slick

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Montana Slick,

I am lucky to have them actually ...

Fixed income retirment means that I can afford the gas and ammo to shooot once a month ....

With the Schofields and Model '73 and Model '87.

The Ruger Old Armys are a newer purchase and, although well used and fired, have yet to be fired by me.

A friend of mine just reloaded some cowboy load S&W .32 for the little pocket pistol (a converted Remmie  Model 1863 that now shoots .32 S&W Short0, so I finally got to shoot it the first Sunday of this month ... when I remember that it shoots a little high, it is actually pretty accurate.

But the Schofields and the Model '73 are tack drivers and make me look very good .... now, if I could just learn to handle the Model '87 I would be in clover ..... *S*

[Marshal Will Wingam]

WWE, what works for me with my Model 87 is to forget putting my hand inside the lever. That's too hard on the fingers if you rack it fast. I sprained my middle finger working the thing fast. Now, I wrap my fingers around the lower part of the loop. When I rack it, I just yank the lever down and jam it forward with the palm of my hand somewhat inside the lever, still gripping the lower part of the loop. I then drop two in with my right hand and slam it shut, grabbing the bottom of the lever which is always easy to find that way. My left hand always has the stock buried hard into my shoulder. that never changes. It's easy to rack fast because you aren't going to tear your fingers off. I fire it that way, too, since my fingers are long enough to hold it that way and work the trigger.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Marshall,

That sounds far better than my efforts!

My major problem is that I seem to be hesitant about levering it ... so my spent round either doesn't get pulled out of the chamber, the spent round gets stuck vertically while being ejected, or the new round coming from the tube magazune doesn't get into the chamber and the gun must be levered again .....

Couls you PM me or make a post about your techiqe with pics? I read and reread your thread and still don't have it totally understood ....

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I sent ya a pm, WWE.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Thanks; I read it.

And I will try that technique at the December shoot (i.e. Incident)

http://www.rivercityregulators.org/showdown.html