I just received my leather holster for my baby eagle, and it is very hard to draw and put back in.
Any way to quickly wear it in? Other than draw in front of the mirror for hours straight

Ever new leather holster I've had gets the same treatment. Sit and watch a good movie on the tube while I holster and unholster the pistol/revolver several hundred times. A stiff draw is a good thing but not so stiff you have to use both hands. Keeps the weapon from falling out at inopportune times.
Others will say wrap the weapon in cellophane and holstered it over night. Use a single layer only. I'm not in favor of this method as the holster will stretch and wear in time anyway. Why shorten its useful life?
NEVER use anything to soft the leather. Holsters are stiff for a reason.

Use Leather Lightning from Mitch Rosen.  Expensive but very, very worth it IMO.  

Leather Lightning

Quoted: Ever new leather holster I've had gets the same treatment. Sit and watch a good movie on the tube while I holster and unholster the pistol/revolver several hundred times. A stiff draw is a good thing but not so stiff you have to use both hands. Keeps the weapon from falling out at inopportune times. Others will say wrap the weapon in cellophane and holstered it over night. Use a single layer only. I'm not in favor of this method as the holster will stretch and wear in time anyway. Why shorten its useful life? NEVER use anything to soft the leather. Holsters are stiff for a reason.

I agree completely and this is what I'm doing tonight as I type this.

Quoted: Others will say wrap the weapon in cellophane and holstered it over night. Use a single layer only. I'm not in favor of this method as the holster will stretch and wear in time anyway. Why shorten its useful life? NEVER use anything to soft the leather. Holsters are stiff for a reason.

What is the point of wrapping the weapon in cellophane?  Also, is it bad to leave a weapon in its' holster all the time?  If so, why?  I got my first leather holster a few weeks back and I leave the gun in holster on my nightstand at night....Is this a bad thing?

Thanks.

Stick the gun in a Zip-loc freezer bag.  Stuff the gun in the holster.  Leave it set overnight.


That came from Greg Kramer, one of two leathermakers I trust.

Quoted: Stick the gun in a Zip-loc freezer bag.  Stuff the gun in the holster.  Leave it set overnight. That came from Greg Kramer, one of two leathermakers I trust.

I guess the same question applies to you....what's the purpose of the ziploc?  Is it to protect the gun from something about the holster, or to add "thickness" to the gun to help stretch the leather?

Thanks.

The following was copied from Milt Sparks web site...

To block out (stretch) your new holster first UNLOAD your pistol or revolver and place the gun into the 4 mil plastic bag that your new holster was packaged in. Then carefully insert the bagged gun all the way into the holster (do not! I repeat, do not!!  wet or spray the holster with any solution to aid in the stretching process). The blocking out process as described above will in no way harm the crisp detailed molding of your new holster, nor will it ruin its retention qualities. It serves simply to stretch the leather a few thousands of an inch larger than the gun. The amount of stretching time needed for satisfactory results range from a just a few minutes to overnight.

Quoted: Quoted: Stick the gun in a Zip-loc freezer bag.  Stuff the gun in the holster.  Leave it set overnight. That came from Greg Kramer, one of two leathermakers I trust. I guess the same question applies to you....what's the purpose of the ziploc?  Is it to protect the gun from something about the holster, or to add "thickness" to the gun to help stretch the leather? Thanks.

A heavy duty bag over the gun makes it quite a bitch to get all the way in the holster, yet it only expands it enough to ease the draw without making it loose on the gun after that.

Thanks guys!

Thanks all!

Straight from Galco


it sounds like you just need to break in your holster, and to pay special attention to the strap.  Our holsters (especially the black or Havana ones) are normally quite tight when new, and yours is a common question.  To break in the holster, begin by working the leather with your hands, bending and flexing the holster in all directions.  Don’t fold it in half or anything, but don’t be afraid to flex it.  This will warm and stretch the fibers of the leather.  



After flexing the holster body for about ten minutes, begin working on the strap.  Pull it, bend it, twist 90 degrees in both directions, and flex it.  Do this for another ten or so minutes.  Finally, take the unloaded pistol and jam it into the holster as far as you can possibly make it go.  Take it out and jam it in again.  Do this about 20-30 times.  Pull the retention strap while you jam the pistol into the holster, to help stretch the strap.  



Once you’ve done this, you should be able to secure the strap.  You may need to work the strap a little more, but the above procedure usually works quite well.  Think of it like breaking in a baseball glove or a new pair of leather shoes.

And I might adHAVE

I put the pistol in the holster and twist it back and forth until it's loose enough to draw smoothly.  I use baseball glove oil, too, even though most will tell you not to do this.  It does make re-holstering a little bit harder, but I like my holsters a little bit flimsy so that they conform to my hip more comfortably.

Quoted: I just received my leather holster for my baby eagle, and it is very hard to draw and put back in. Any way to quickly wear it in? Other than draw in front of the mirror for hours straight

IMO it is very dangerous to have a variable like that if your life may depend on it.  Toss it in a drawer and get a better holster.


I like Fobus holsters even though many people talk shit about them, they work and they work the same every time.   A $25 holster that works is better than a Gucci holster that needs to be pampered.   I have nothing against leather holsters, but that is really not something I should be worrying about.  

Quoted: Quoted: I just received my leather holster for my baby eagle, and it is very hard to draw and put back in. Any way to quickly wear it in? Other than draw in front of the mirror for hours straight IMO it is very dangerous to have a variable like that if your life may depend on it.  Toss it in a drawer and get a better holster. I like Fobus holsters even though many people talk shit about them, they work and they work the same every time.   A $25 holster that works is better than a Gucci holster that needs to be pampered.   I have nothing against leather holsters, but that is really not something I should be worrying about.

I have personally had a Fobus holster come loose at the rivets.  The holster did not break loose from the paddle, but it started to wobble and was sure to break off if I continued to carry it.  YMMV, but this is my experience with Fobus.

It's normal for leather holsters to be tight when they're new, especially if you have a parkerized gun.  Leather holsters are not intended to be "ready for prime time" right out of the box.

Quoted: Quoted: I just received my leather holster for my baby eagle, and it is very hard to draw and put back in. Any way to quickly wear it in? Other than draw in front of the mirror for hours straight IMO it is very dangerous to have a variable like that if your life may depend on it.  Toss it in a drawer and get a better holster. I like Fobus holsters even though many people talk shit about them, they work and they work the same every time.   A $25 holster that works is better than a Gucci holster that needs to be pampered.   I have nothing against leather holsters, but that is really not something I should be worrying about.

Any quality leather holster is going to be like that.  If it was loose when new, then you'd have retention problems, and it could end up too lose.  Like new leather shoes or boots, it needs to be broken in.  Kydex is nice, but Fobus is IMO junk.  I've seen too many fall apart and break.  Crap is crap, plastic or leather. Fobus and High Noon alike.

My holster maker uses a simple approach to fitting his holsters. Soak the holster well in warm water, seal the pistol in a baggie and stuff the pistol in the holster. Set aside for several hours until leather is almost dry, remove pistol and let holster fully dry. After over a decade, the holsters still fit the weapons they're crafted for.

Works for me.