Holsters tend to be one of those personal things.  Either you like them, or you don't, and what you may like, others may not.  Earlier this year, I purchased a S&W 629, my first 4" revolver.  I began to look for a holster to carry the 44 in.  Wanted something to OWB carry the gun for range use, camping and woods carry.  CCW?  Umm, not really looking to CCW the 629, but if a holster could do the above, plus conceal, why not.





My first holster I purchased was the Simply Rugged pancake for a 4" N-Frame.  I'll say it now:  I don't like this holster.  I purchased this based on the Internet ravings others have posted.  

Pros:  Its a great field carry holster in that it protects the gun well.  The rear sight and hammer are well hidden.  Everything is out of the way, and nothing for a jacket or shirt to snag on.  The muzzle is protected somewhat.  

Cons:  Well, not sure how to get this point across.  The leather used to make this holster is soft.  Very soft.  I could call it flaccid.  The holster collapses on itself when the gun is not inside.  I have a difficult time getting the weapon reholsted with one hand as the mouth collapses on itself.  I've found you can rotate the gun as you reholster and this helps.  Another issue: the way I carry the gun on my waist, the cylinder digs into my side after wearing the gun.  Not something I'd want to carry allday in the woods.  





Another holster maker I came across this year is Lobo Gunleather.  I had him make a holster for a Ruger GP100 at first.  Since that worked out well, I ordered up a basic pancake for the 629.  The only thing I added was an inner hammer shield.  I got the holster in last week, and so far am liking it.  

Pros:  I like this holster.  The leather Lobo uses is stiff, very stiff.  He makes the stiffest leather holsters I've come across.  But, the guns always fit.  What I've found is these holsters need to have the "wings" broken in.  Put the holster on, add the gun, then wear the thing.  Alot.  The weapon fits inside and can be drawn fine, just the holster needs some belt time to break in.  Gun protection is good.  The pancake brings the gun in close, so the sight and hammer are somewhat protected.  The muzzle is well protected.  I've only worn this around the house over the course of several days, I've found it to be comfortable to wear over several hours.  Just need to have on a thick leather gun belt.  

Cons:  Fit and finish are adequate.  Stitching is functional, but not on the level of a high end holster maker.  Some may hate the leather stiffness.  But, this is a $50 holster, not a $120 one.  





In summary, I'll compare both these "pancake" holsters to tortillas.  The Simply Rugged holster can be thought of as a soft flour tortilla.  The Lobo a deep fried corn tortilla.  Both will make a taco, just depends on what flavor you prefer.

(cross posted this from "Accessories" section)

My Simply Rugged is not soft like yours. Have you contacted them?

What he said.

If you don't want it you can send it to me and I can get rid of it for you.  

For a large revolver OWB, check our Andrews Custom Leather or Milt Sparks.

+1. The Sparks PMK is probably my favorite OWB revolver holster.

Both the holsters I posted are half the cost and half the wait time of the Sparks.  A nice thing about the S&W N-frame is the abundance of good holsters available at all price points.

Thanks for taking the time post your write up. I have several lobogunleather holsters and have been pleased with them considering their cost and lead times. Last year I ordered a lobogunleather belt, snap loop GP100 holster and an G17/G19 Horsehide IWB. The only minor grip I had with them was that I had to lock tite the screws holding the loops in place.

Ray is very good deal with and I'll probably order more holsters in the future from him. I like being able to order a custom holster for the same price a as galco or similar.

2 things: First, stop trying to reholster one handed. Second, contact Rob with Simply Rugged and voice your concerns with him. He stands behind his product 100% and will be interested in hearing about your experience.

I see no reason why you should stop trying to reholster one handed personally.  I run Sparks gear and have for close to 25 years. Buy once, cry once and never look back. I've logged many hundreds of miles with a  .44 Magnum on my hip through the backcountry and wilderness areas of Idaho. Sparks is never a bad choice and will last a lifetime

I was looking at the Simply Rugged and the Lobo enhanced pancake. it seems like a suede lined lobo is going to run me $100 and a milt sparks is about $125

... what sparks model would be best for a 4in N frame? going to use it on the range and colder weather CCW

Interesting, I've been looking for the perfect holster for my 629 V-Comp which is a 5" with the compensator installed.  There are very few holsters out there for a 5" N frame to begin with so finding what I want has proven impossible.  The one thing a holster must have for outdoor/camping/trail/hiking/hunting carry is a retention strap.  It is just way too easy to lose things you thought impossible to lose when out in the woods so my holster will have to have a retention strap with a good strong snap.  A lot of people trust tight holsters to keep their guns and that's fine, to each their own, but I'm not trusting $2k+ of gun that way (price of gun, mount, optic).




I found some that are close, like the Bianchi Cyclone but it has to be strong side/cross draw and be 5" so I've never seen one that had everything I needed all in the same holster.  If I can find a roached out one for really cheap or even really free, I can make a pattern and make my own to my own spec, especially since it needs to fit the gun when it's wearing the RMR but haven't found one yet.  I've looked for just a leather pattern for a strong side/cross draw holster and never found one.  I'd prefer to make my own, I've made other holsters, so hopefully, I can find a pattern.  I tried making my own pattern last year and I just couldn't make it work well so I guess I need a professional pattern.

Personally I found these guys and have bought the chest holster for my 629 and the hip holster also.   Their work is top quality.  

Diamond D Gun Leather

Their website says due to the overwhelming demand for the guide holster they aren't taking any orders for any of their other products except the Alaskan, so they are aren't an option.  Unless you want one of those two holsters I guess.