Talk to me about Kydex

[Mad Professor]

CharlieWH2O is right. Kydex is harder on a guns finish than leather. And it will show up on the front of the trigger guard the quickest. A guy has to decide if using it as a tool is more important than keeping it as a showpiece.

I’m willing to get one refinished if it gets to that point. But I understand if some are not. I’m currently carrying a much higher dollar gun than I ever have, and likely it will need to be refinished if I decide to sell it a year or so down the road.




A well fit kydex holster will abrade less than some. And a good kydex holster properly fit will have almost no drag once it moves past the point of retention. They are hands down faster on the draw than leather if that is important to you. A quality one is difficult to break off of your belt in a fight over it. Not do much for the injection molded stuff out there. Some builders are using higher quality material like Boltaron. Kydex is just a brand name PVC thermoform like Kleenex is to tissue. Many companies are not even using material that is up to the quality of Kydex.

 

[Ignored Member]

Scratches add character. If you baby your gun, then you don't use it as you should.
It's a tool. Not a piece of art on the wall.

 

[bigchuck83]

I prefer Kydex iwb holsters with a single belt clip. easier to remove the holster, and with a kydex holster i never have to worry about the holster deforming and making reholstering difficult.

 

[adamsredlines]

I found these guys, may be old news, may not be, but it is intriguing.
Leather wrapped around the plastic, so kinda the best of both worlds.
They offer a crazy number of configurations and mine appears to be on the list which is nice too.

https://tuckergunleather.com/Deep-Carry-DC-1/

 

[Spider27monkey]

I prefer Kydex iwb holsters with a single belt clip. easier to remove the holster, and with a kydex holster i never have to worry about the holster deforming and making reholstering difficult.

I'm a minimalist when it comes to holsters. Kydex really seems to shrink the gun for me. Glock 30.4 OWB with a single belt clip. Also have them for my 19.4 and 17.4. I've carried my Glocks in Kydex for a long time and never had issues with holster wear on the pistols.

 

[TerryMiller]

Raven Concealment Phantom of you can stumble across one. They have been discontinued.

That would be my first choice. They show up on Ebay. There is a LH there now. AR15.com is another place. Sig forums.


JM Customs OBW1 product from their custom line.
I have not ran one of these, big have ran there IWBs. (I actually happen to have one on at the moment. They make some really good stuff.

I’ve had a few from bravo concealment that were 80-90% of the Phantom.

There are many out there bending kydex into holsters that really don’t know what they are doing. Both from the kydex forming or even knowing how a gun should be carriers and drawn from a holster.

Search out a Phantom if you can. There were a bunch mass marketed to dealers in a cute box. I still spot one on occasion at a shop when traveling. They are desirable enough that RH Glock 17 with no light bring $150 + on EBay.

Would you care to name the makers that are like that in bold above? I'm torn between going with leather with a kydex "retention tab" inside for holding the firearm or just staying with kydex. I saw an ad for Urban Carry Holsters that has the retention tab and it piqued my interest. As much as I prefer the look of leather over kydex, if removal from kydex is quicker than with leather, I'd like to know of a good source for kydex.

 

[1911Sooner]

Vedder and Alien Gear are both very good.

 

[Mad Professor]

Would you care to name the makers that are like that in bold above? I'm torn between going with leather with a kydex "retention tab" inside for holding the firearm or just staying with kydex. I saw an ad for Urban Carry Holsters that has the retention tab and it piqued my interest. As much as I prefer the look of leather over kydex, if removal from kydex is quicker than with leather, I'd like to know of a good source for kydex.

Terry, do you want me to name holster makers that I feel are making an inferior product? I’m not sure I know many that I could identify. Some I have came across by buying guns that cane with a holster or other package deals. Many I have seen in various classes I have attended or assisted with. When I see someone struggling to draw or holster their gun, I usually start playing close attention. If you are accidentally or negligently shot, the chances are pretty high that you shot yourself. And it usually occurs on drawing or holstering the gun.




What I was referring to is some might not form/cut the holster correctly to allow a full firing grip before removing the gun. Usually by not giving enough clearance in the bottom of the trigger guard near the grip. Sometimes by t having enough clearance in the belt. This is most common in IWB holsters than OWB holsters. You have to be able to get the exact strong hand position against the tang and trigger guard that you plan on firing the gun with. You don’t have time to move it around when you need the gun the most.

A lack of definition in the forming of the kydex around the gun is usually a sign the holster is not fit well.

Not blocking out bumps and controls correctly in the holster so that the gun pushes against areas in the holster after the initial release but during the draw. The gun should insert in the holster and not have any drag until the last 3/16-3/8”.

Retention too loose or too tight. The holster should retain the firearm enough to prevent it from falling out. But not enough to impede the draw. Many I see are so tight people have difficult in drawing. You see their whole holster, belt, and pants come up an inch or more while trying to draw.
There should be a very slight amount of free space when the holster is all the way inserted. A few thousandths of an inch. This allows a slight bit of run before hitting the retention. This allows a bit more retention while still allowing ease in overcoming that tension. I’ve had to adjust this on most holsters I have bought and even fixed several friends have bought.

Clips and mounting hardware that are more concerned with the ease of putting the holster on than in keeping it secure on the body.

A lot of things seem to “work” until you get them in a situation where they do not.

Things like sweat guards should not get in the way. On OWB holsters I usually prefer the sweat guard to be “less than full”. None, or short. I’m ok with full if it is very tight against the gun and doesn’t interfere with getting that initial full grip.

Not enough sight rail clearance and the front sight drags on the holster while it is being drawn.


I’d have to play with that one from Urban Carry.
A really good fit leather holster has retention from just being fit well. But you will encounter friction all the way out during the draw. That is the reason it leads to a slightly slower draw time. I don’t see that holster eliminating the drag on the draw. So my first guess is they are trying to fix an issue that should not exist to begin with.

Now security holsters is an entirely different game. Not at what I’m talking about in this thread.

 

[OKNewshawk]

They're not custom, but if you want to stay local (as in Jenks,) then you need to look into Tulster holsters. https://tulster.com/
If you check out their authorized dealers, the map hasn't been updated in a while. Blueline Weapons is no more and their location has become a cannabis dispensary.

 

[Mad Professor]

I found these guys, may be old news, may not be, but it is intriguing.
Leather wrapped around the plastic, so kinda the best of both worlds.
They offer a crazy number of configurations and mine appears to be on the list which is nice too.

https://tuckergunleather.com/Deep-Carry-DC-1/

“Best of both worlds” Good luck with that.

Dude, if you want a leather holster, buy a “quality” leather holster. You can get one for that price.