Guns: Breaking in the holster

I remember the exact moment - I was browsing around in our local military surplus store, perusing the endless racks of Uncle Mike's nylon wonderland. Now, not to be down on any Uncle Mike's holster user, but I'm of the belief that one size does NOT fit all, at least when it comes to holsters. I decided to order my first custom holster - a leather IWB from HBE Leatherworks (Eric is probably swamped with orders, so turnaround time might be astronomical right now).

That holster didn't require any break-in - right from the box, it fit the gun snugly, but not too snugly. I think there is such a thing as too tight on a holster - if a natural, firm draw doesn't loose the gun from its recess, your holster is a liability, not a lifesaver. Kydex users are probably poo-pooing me right now, but I could never warm up to the stuff (leather can subtly conform to your body, after all).

Some holsters come very tight from the maker. The usual procedure is to carefully wrap the gun in either wax paper or a thin plastic bag and let it sit in the sun. After a couple of hours, the holster should be looser.

One caveat: GO SLOW. Use the thinnest wax paper or plastic you can find and don't overdo it. The holster can always be loosened more with more of the treatment or with repeated presentations, but it's extremely difficult to get a holster "tight" again. If in doubt, take it out.