Second Rule of Gunfighting

[Charles L. Cotton]

We all know the first rule of a gun fight - bring a gun. Well, here is the second rule - be able to get the gun you brought out of its holster!

I really, really like good holsters. I have more holsters than my wife has shoes; naw, that pushing it a bit much. I have Comp-Tac holsters and leather holster from large commercial manufacturers like Galco (formerly Jackass Leather), Safariland and Bianchi. In the last several years however, I’ve been staying away from the large volume shops and have been buying from Milt Sparks Holsters, Inc., a small shop in Idaho.

We all know a well-boned holster made of good quality leather should be tight when you first start using it. All of my Sparks holsters have required a brief break-in period, often involving nothing more than leaving the gun in the holster over night. With some of the holsters, it is recommended that you place the pistol in the plastic bag it comes in, then shove the gun/bag combination into the holster and leave it overnight.

I recently received my second Sparks IQM, a snap-on OWB holster. I was unusually tight, so I used the bag method. The next day I tried drawing the gun and it was just a hair tighter than I would have expected, but nothing drastic. I put the gun on, after doing a systems check of course, and went to the office.

I took a group of associate attorneys, legal assistants and law clerks to lunch and on the way out, I jokingly said “I hope this is a peaceful lunch, since I probably couldn’t get my pistol out of my new holster if I had to.� Well, I meant this as a joke, but it turned out to be prophetic. When I got back to my office after lunch and was about to take the holster off and put it in the desk drawer, I decided to see how tightly it was still holding the pistol. I could not get the Commander out of the holster!! I don’t mean it was hard, not even really hard; it was impossible. Using both hands I couldn’t even get it to budge. When I took the holster off the belt, the gun came out fine, it was still drawing a little too snug, but nothing to worry about.

Anytime you put a new OWB on the belt, even one with snaps, it pulls the pocket tighter around the pistol. The IQM is designed to minimize this effect, but it is still there to some degree. I’ve known of this fact for more years than I am going to admit, so there was no excuse for not taking a few practice draws, before leaving the house that first day. I got up later than normal and was in a hurry. Since I had taken the pistol out of the holster with no problem while it was off the belt, I neglected to “test� it again on the belt.

Who knows; if we’d had a repeat of Lubys in Killeen perhaps the adrenalin dump would have let me get the gun into action without too much difficulty. If not, I can see the headlines now:
“NRA Boardmember, multiple Thunder Ranch graduate, long-time supporter of CHL shot and killed trying to get his stuck pistol out of his holster!� Oh yeah, that’s how I want to be remembered.

Complacency is deadly folks; learn from yet another of my mistakes!

Regards,
Chas.

[HighVelocity]

Yikes! That could have certainly had disastrous results.

Everyday before I leave the house, I draw and press check. It's a good habit imho.

[gigag04]

As do I.

Also if i get up from my desk at home and walk out to the living room, as I pass my bathroom mirror, I'll draw down real fast on my reflection.

It took about a day to break in my galco sillhouette for the xd-9sc.

[OverEasy]

Chas.
The Fist OWB leather holster I got for my wife was very tight. I used a heavy plastic freezer bag for the overnight streach. It was still snug. Fist reccommended CRC brand of Silicone spray (available at autoparts stores) to spray on the inside of the holster. They don't reccommend oil! The silicone spray works really good, its dry and doesn't come off on the gun.

Someting to be said for KYDEX holsters is they will give up your gun with ease even if they are tight. I know, they aren't anywhere near as pretty as leather!! But if it's for CC nobody is going to see it anyway.

[RPBrown]

problem with a Don Hume OWB. Contacted mfg. and they too said to spray with silicone spray. Tried it and it did make it a little better. Wore it all day. Went to sit down at home to take off my boots and gun hit the floor. Silicone spray worked too well along with sweat, heat and 10 hours of wear. Ordered a new one today.

[dws1117]

Thanks for the holster lesson. the little things like this help up CHL newbs. I know that a new gun needs to be broken in but never considered the same would apply for a holster.

I'll pick up my new Tucker OWB holster this week and keep these tips in mind.

[HighVelocity]

I have a Safariland retention holster for my Sig p239 and there's a trick to drawing the gun from it. Yesterday I discovered by accident that if the holster is not on your belt and on your hip, i.e. loose on the table, and you insert the gun, there is no way on this planet that you're going to get the gun out. I was wrestling it and cursing it when I heard a noise. It was my wife standing behind me snickering.

[Braden]

Hey Charles...maybe it's time to start lifting some weights and get those drawing action muscles in shape.

Just kidding. I tend to prefer kydex so this isn't a problem I normally have, but it's a good lesson to be learned.

[Delta]

3rd rule of a gunfight,

"NOT TO BE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE"...

There are no winners in a gunfight !!!

[longtooth]

I agree w/ overeasy. Since I worked leather for about 10 yr real regular & still do a litte ever now & then, I reall like the looks, feel & smell of a good leather holster. I have jsut got my 1st Kydex from the big city there. Hoffner's Ultimate Shirt Tucker. I will not tuck it though. Carry a kimber compac & that is a little too big to tuck I imagine. I really like the no look reholstering & the low front design. When you clear the belt you are already out of the holster. Will be at the Pasadena gun show Sat. Any one else.

[ElGato]

Longtooth, I have a class Sat. but will try to be there Sun. afternoon.
RPBrown You might be able to save that holster, tighten it back up and get rid of some of the silicone by soaking it in water, wrap the gun in plastic and letting the holster dry around it. I use a lite plastic bag from the produce dept. This method also works for a holster that is too tight. I am drying a Fist on a gun now and have done it on a lot of holster's, saddle skirts and fenders that need reshaping.
Tomcat

[Baytown]

Chas. that sounds like a perfect holster for a liberal. Think about how many people were safe because your blaster was safely stored and could not be handled by children.

Glenn

[too-tall]

Hey Charles,
After a lot of thinking on your situation, I have come to the conclusion that it is most likely a defect in both pistol and holster.
You need to rid yourself of these poorly made items as soon as possible.
I have a safe place where I can dispose of them for you. Seeing as how we are such good friends and all, I will not charge you anything for their disposal. All you would have to pay is the shipping. :D


Too Tall

[Charles L. Cotton]

Bless you Too-Tall; it's good to know my buddies are looking out for me!

The holster is now broken in, but it's still very difficult to draw from certain sitting positions, i.e. sitting in my car. I think I have identified the problem and I'll post the results of my correction, if it works.

This is the first time I've ever had a problem like this with a Sparks holster. In fairness to Tony, I think it's a combination of a very good fitting holster and a very sharp edge on the muzzle side of the ejection port. My Commander is a SS "enhanced" model with the flat-top. The edge of the flat-top at the ejection port is very sharp and I think it's digging into the holster when drawn from a particular sitting position.

Regards,
Chas.

[HighVelocity]

The edge of the flat-top at the ejection port is very sharp and I think it's digging into the holster when drawn from a particular sitting position.

Hmmm... The flattened portion of the top of the slide is wider than the sight channel in the holster?
Is there leather shavings on the gun in that area when you draw?