Holster wear, cool or not?

[Bunny]

Okay my friends, I know we have all asked ourselves this question, is holster where cool or not cool? My Glock 17 has a lot of holster where and I actually like the look. My friend keeps telling me to get it refinished,what is your opinion on holster where? I personally like it because it shows it is actually a used gun, my personal Glock 17 has over 25,000 rounds through it. I have to admit though when I do see the new finishes on the new Glocks I do get jealous, but I cannot bring myself to refinish my gun. What is your opinion?

[buckshotbarlow]

it's kewl, the uglier the better..

[Dave_L]

If it ain't broke, why fix it?

[Singlestack]

holster where?

[Bunny]

Singlestack, using talk to text

[roberth]

Holster wear is honest.

[kidicarus13]

Cool and hard to artificially duplicate.

[Big John]

It depends on wear the where is on the gun[LOL]

Kidding aside... I wouldn't get my underwhere in a bunch over it[LOL]

Ok... Seriously... Sometime's freshening up an old favorite can be kinda cool. Yer call either way.

[ray1970]

Honest holster wear is cool. "Idiot marks" from poor or clumsy handling practices, not so much. Some of the best shooters I have owned were well loved, well used, and well broken in.

[cstone]

Do you look at your gun a lot?

I bought mine to shoot, which I get to do more often if they get carried a lot. A pretty gun is an accurate gun. [Coffee]

[blacklabel]

Ray nailed it. A well worn handgun should be appreciated.

[Rooskibar03]

I think you've stumbled across an income opportunity. Companies make a fortune selling distressed jeans, maybe there is a market for "tactical wear" finish on new guns.

[Ah Pook]

it's kewl, the uglier the better..
It's a Glock. It could only help the looks. [Tooth]

[Zundfolge]

Carry Guns and Mountain Bikes should never have perfect finishes (but should be in top mechanical condition) ... unless you're a weenie.

[Hound]

Worn is cool. It says you actually use it not just look at it.

[Bunny]

LOL, I love all your comments! I honestly do look at my gondola I know that's bad but I do actually sit out and look at it :-) kind of dumb but that's me I'm the bunny

[Gman]

How does it look when you're looking down the sights?

Wait...are we still talking about guns?

I honestly do look at my gondola I know that's bad but I do actually sit out and look at it :-)

[Irving]

Sounds like he's used to only seeing guns behind the glass. Does he think trucks should be shiny too?

[mcantar18c]

It's a carry gun. You should treat it in the same fashion you would a hammer, or a pair of pliers.
1. It's a tool, nothing more. Don't romanticize it.
2. It's disposable. DO NOT get attached to it. Be ready to throw it away at a moment's notice without hesitation. (A major reason I'm a big fan of Glocks for actual use... I'd rather lose $400 than twice that or more with a HK, SIG, 1911, etc...).
So who gives a rat's ass what it looks like? Clean finish, scratched and beat up, holster wear, covered in batman stickers, whatever. It's tool, not a fashion accessory.

[buckshotbarlow]

please dont turn ot into a safe queen...

[ben4372]

Honest holster wear is cool. "Idiot marks" from poor or clumsy handling practices, not so much. Some of the best shooters I have owned were well loved, well used, and well broken in.
Unless is a super pretty display piece I don"t even mind "idiot marks". As a matter of fact every used one I've bought has had them. Lots of idiots?

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

I still rub mine with the silicon cloth. And try to keep my mtbs clean too.
Disposable? Yeah, but I try to do my best to take care of what I have.

[rondog]

OK, y'all are making me feel a lot better about my RIA Compact 1911! She's looking a little ragged and worn..... I see people posting photos of their "carry guns" that look like they're "carried" in a pistol rug, all shiny and pretty. I have some that I keep pretty, but my CCW guns are only required to go "bang" on command.

[Irving]

I still rub mine with the silicon cloth. And try to keep my mtbs clean too.
Disposable? Yeah, but I try to do my best to take care of what I have.


Oh man, what a loser!

[Bunny]

Sounds like he's used to only seeing guns behind the glass. Does he think trucks should be shiny too?
Ouch! No my truck is busted up! And 75% of my guns have wear

[CHA-LEE]

If you want to get your slide refinished with something that is ultra durable get an IonBond Diamond Black finish. That is hands down the most durable wear and scratch resistant gun coating on the market. Many competition shooters use that finish on their guns with great success. Kydex holsters can usually destroy most common gun finishes in only a few hundred draws. I have seen IonBond guns with thousands of Kydex holster draws on them along with hard range use and they still look brand new.

[Bunny]

If you want to get your slide refinished with something that is ultra durable get an IonBond Diamond Black finish. That is hands down the most durable wear and scratch resistant gun coating on the market. Many competition shooters use that finish on their guns with great success. Kydex holsters can usually destroy most common gun finishes in only a few hundred draws. I have seen IonBond guns with thousands of Kydex holster draws on them along with hard range use and they still look brand new.

what about Rockyourglock? I see that they do do refinishing?

[Bunny]

I Think it is called durablack? The only problem I have with that, is that they get rid of the original Glock finish, they sandblasted down to the bare metal, and then they put their own process on it

[Guylee]

I get all my guns refinished every 100 rounds. It's like a car-the prettier it looks, the better it works!

[Bailey Guns]

I'm in the "who cares one way or the other" camp. I take care of all my guns. But I also don't mind shooting all of them. The last G22 I carried on duty looked like the front half of the slide was stainless steel. Frankly, guys who say they want a gun to carry and ask "what kind of holster should I get to prevent wear on the gun?" always irritated me a little bit. It's a carry gun...why worry about holster wear? That's like worrying your nice camo outfit you just bought at Cabela's is gonna get dirty if you wear it when you go hunting.

[buffalobo]

Seems like anymore I never get to take it out of holster except to clean out the lint once a month. Bad weather and no free time = no matches or range time.

Guess I am lucky, been carrying my G19 for almost 2 years and almost no holster wear.

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

Oh man, what a loser!


Right?
Basic maintenance is for chumps!

[Irving]

Right?
Basic maintenance is for chumps!

I know. Next you're going to tell us about how you change your oil and even shower occassionally.

[Zombie Steve]

I think it was Clint Smith who said when he died, he wanted everyone to raid his gun safes and say "Awwww, man. These guns are all worn out!"

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x214/sbecht/EB.jpg


Holster wear is sexy. This pic is a few years old. The side just says "Special Force" now...

[HoneyBadger]

Everyone post up pics of your holster wear! :D

[Zombie Steve]

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x214/sbecht/BHwear.jpg

[TFOGGER]

My carry gun is a lot like my wife...a little worn around the edges, but a perfect fit for me, and does what I need when I need it to. The gun is a lot lower maintenance, though...

[Zundfolge]

A couple years ago a friend of mine got a great deal on an HK P7M8. The gun was mechanically perfect but had obviously been carried regularly for many years and the finish showed that. The action was the smoothest P7 I've ever handled and the price was under $900 and I've never been more jealous of a deal :D

[CHA-LEE]

what about Rockyourglock? I see that they do do refinishing?

I looked at that website and their coating is "Resin" based. Its probably duracoat, or cerakote. While some Resin based coatings can be found all over the place and in many different colors, they usually don't hold a candle to standard Hard Chrome, much less IonBond from a durability perspective. On my competition guns I use to get them hard chromed as that was a pretty durable finish that was kydex holster wear resistant. On my latest guns I got them coated with cerakote as I wanted specific colors, but that is already showing holster wear after not too much use. I did get a slide done years ago in IonBond Diamond Black and that thing still looked brand new after a crap ton of use. The slide eventually cracked so I had to decommission it, but the coating was still awesome on it. The one drawback to getting something IonBond finished is that it takes several weeks and is fairly expensive. If I had a carry gun on a daily basis that was going to get more holster use than live fire use, I would get an IonBond finish on it. For my competition guns, I usually break, damage or replace them before a finish like IonBond would be worn out. So its not worth the extra cost to get them IonBond finished.

[CHA-LEE]

Here are some pictures of my latest Competition blaster. This is coated using Cerakote Graphite Black on the slide, and Burnt Bronze on the frame and grip. I think it looks pretty cool. We will see how long this coating lasts and still looks good.

5473954741

[ray1970]

Here are some pictures of my latest Competition blaster. This is coated using Cerakote Graphite Black on the slide, and Burnt Bronze on the frame and grip. I think it looks pretty cool. We will see how long this coating lasts and still looks good.

5473954741

Slight thread derail, but why doesn't your slide have any sort of machining to help with manipulation? Seems like a game gun might benefit from some sort of slide serrations of some sort. Just curious.

[CHA-LEE]

Slight thread derail, but why doesn't your slide have any sort of machining to help with manipulation? Seems like a game gun might benefit from some sort of slide serrations of some sort. Just curious.

That is a good question. I rack the slide by pinching the top of the slide between my thumb and pointer finger ahead of the barrel hood. Basically where the slide lightening cuts are on the front of the slide. So those slide cuts are dual purpose, weight reduction and serration for gripping the slide to rack it. It takes a lot less time to rack the gun and rebuild your grip doing it the way I described. Verses the "Sling Shot" method of grabbing the slide from the back then having to move your hand back up front to rebuild your grip.

[ray1970]

That is a good question. I rack the slide by pinching the top of the slide between my thumb and pointer finger ahead of the barrel hood. Basically where the slide lightening cuts are on the front of the slide. So those slide cuts are dual purpose, weight reduction and serration for gripping the slide to rack it. It takes a lot less time to rack the gun and rebuild your grip doing it the way I described. Verses the "Sling Shot" method of grabbing the slide from the back then having to move your hand back up front to rebuild your grip.

Thanks. I was thinking maybe you used those slide cuts but I wasn't sure.

[02ducky]

Think we need a new post in the picture section for this one!

Would be cool to see those loved guns.

[Irving]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gQKQLc8zD8M/VLCyCnBj5OI/AAAAAAAAOyA/YPZy1OBEsfI/w1552-h873-no/20150109_220046_Richtone%28HDR%29.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wD0zzLCz1s8/VLCyPsuCutI/AAAAAAAAOyM/CC7hdvB9nkY/w1552-h873-no/20150109_220136_Richtone%28HDR%29.jpg

[hurley842002]

I "hook" my Glocks too much to have any significant wear, however due to making financial cut backs, I think I'm retiring from the Glock hooking, and just going to stick with 9mm. I've got a 26 that gets regular carry, so I'll bring this thread back from the dead in a few years after I get some wear on it.

[Irving]

I "hook" my Glocks too much to have any significant wear, however due to making financial cut backs, I think I'm retiring from the Glock hooking, and just going to stick with 9mm. I've got a 26 that gets regular carry, so I'll bring this thread back from the dead in a few years after I get some wear on it.

If you'd go to a match, you might start drawing from home for practice over and over and can significantly speed that up.

[hurley842002]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gQKQLc8zD8M/VLCyCnBj5OI/AAAAAAAAOyA/YPZy1OBEsfI/w1552-h873-no/20150109_220046_Richtone%28HDR%29.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wD0zzLCz1s8/VLCyPsuCutI/AAAAAAAAOyM/CC7hdvB9nkY/w1552-h873-no/20150109_220136_Richtone%28HDR%29.jpg
You still have that Comp-tac IWB holster I sold you years ago?

[Irving]

That was you?! and yeah, that's my primary holster.

[hurley842002]

If you'd go to a match, you might start drawing from home for practice over and over and can significantly speed that up.
Very good point lol. Now that I've made a promise to myself to stick to the Glocks I have, I can actually start to stock up on a single caliber of ammo, and maybe attend some matches.

[hurley842002]

That was you?! and yeah, that's my primary holster.
Yup, met at bass pro.

[Irving]

Huh. I didn't recognize your name back then.

[wctriumph]

It will happen if you carry or store a gun in a holster. If you have a gun that you are looking at as an investment piece, don't let it get hear a holster. A little honest wear is just fine by me.