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Hello all!

I am new to concealment and so I have found that when I conceal my 9mm XDM subcompact in the holster it came with it creates scratches all over the tip of the gun. Sorry to be an "over protective" woman, but this was my first gun and its my "baby". I kept it in a pristine condition and now it has scratches. I have a smaller gun that I normally conceal on a daily basis, and I don't care about the scratches on it because that is what I bought that particular gun for...to be used daily.

Is there anything I can do to protect my XDM from wear from a holster? Any protective coverings? Are certain materials wear less than others?

Thanks!

Leather?

The marks give your gun character.

Leather is better than Kydex but I would not say there is something out there that would not scratch the pistol.

TexasComputerDude wrote:The marks give your gun character.

There are suede-lined holsters that are supposed to reduce holster wear.

I am not necessarily recommending Safariland because there are a lot of available holster manufacturers. But here is one example of a suede-lined holster: http://holsterfinder.safariland.com/Hol ... tails/1057" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Personally, I don't worry about holster wear. All my guns are for shooting, not for "Safe Queen" status. A gun is a tool.

george wrote:No offense, ma'am,

but the best thing you can do is take your new pistol outside and bounce it across the driveway once. You won't worry anymore about holster wear any more, and you will quit treating your pistol like your fine china.

Stuff explodes out of that thing... it's designed to be that way.
Don't worry about it. Embrace the scratches.

:

RoyGBiv wrote:

george wrote:No offense, ma'am,

but the best thing you can do is take your new pistol outside and bounce it across the driveway once. You won't worry anymore about holster wear any more, and you will quit treating your pistol like your fine china.

Stuff explodes out of that thing... it's designed to be that way.
Don't worry about it. Embrace the scratches.

Scratches are not really a big deal. Both leather and kydex will get you the same amount of holster wear on your gun. The only difference is kydex will get you there a lot faster.
This is the wear I have on my Springfield Loaded. Like others mentioned, scratches give it character.

Lightbulb1988, don't listen to most of these guys...I know exactly how you feel. They do too but some are just being too rude to actually answer your question without making you feel like a noob. I guarantee that they all feel the exact same about a new car/truck and not wanting to get any scratches on it even though "it's just a tool...to get me from one location to another...it's constantly exploding inside to make it move". I highly doubt any of them would take a hammer to their new truck so they "won't worry about wear anymore".

It's a good question and I was wondering the same thing, so thanks for asking. Thanks to all who've answered and I look forward to hearing more options (if there are any). Like any other purchase, I simply want to know all my options and the pros / cons of each so I can make an informed decision based on what's important to me (which one importance is minimizing wear and tear if I can help it).

I've heard that suede-lined holsters can trap grit and actually accelerate wear. Smooth leather-lined holsters are reputed to help.

I too used to worry about my babies getting scratches and wear.Especially my P238 Liberty version. Now that I have put several thousand rounds through both of them, and they both have wear marks on them from draw practice, I look at them as marks of experience - proof that I am committed to learning to protect myself and my family! Kinda like tattoos with better stories and won't sag as I age Now the scuff from my Sig flipping off my belt in a mad dash to the bathroom - that is another thing

I hear the leather holsters are easier on the guns.... but even though I am a girl I must have mean sweat - my M&P is on its need for another slide in a year and a half from rusting. This time I am going to get it coated instead of replaced. As soon as I can decide on a color I keep sweating through my leather holster and my 9 is my most common carry, all day working outside etc gets quite sweaty - the finish is actually coming off in my all leather holster. Guess I am not the delicate flower my momma wanted.

Divided Attention wrote:...my M&P is on its need for another slide in a year and a half from rusting...

Eezox: http://eezox.com/gun-care.html

I understand how you feel. I purchased a Kimber CDP II thinking it would be a beautiful addition. After 50 rounds of break in setting it on a towel between reloads with no holster work, it had two scratches. I sold it!!!!!! I'm a gun USER not a gun COLLECTOR. Sure I try my best to be "nice" to my carry and competition guns, like you, I would like them to stay "pretty". The fact is, if you use them, they will show wear. If you want a pristine safe queen, then don't use it. If you want to be proficient and DEADLY with it, then let it earn those badges of courage and use.

I carry a Kimber Ultra II Stainless most of the time, and sure , she shows some wear. However, she shoots just as sweet with those little beauty marks. Sometimes I carry a PF9, it never was pretty. LOL I clean it, oil it, and abuse the heck out of it. Guess what...it goes BANG every time, and hits where I am looking.

So, collect and preserve/worship the safe queens if you want, but shoot the heck out of your "tools" and don't look back.

Yep, I used to worry about holster wear & scratches on the 1st few guns I had many years ago. As holster wear and scratches are inevitable, I now only worry about rusts and like someone said above, Eezox is an excellent CLP especially for rust prevention.