Holster for 686 4.2 inch UPDATED WITH PICS!!! POST #18

If you want quality leather, cowhide or horsehide or whatever, consider:

http://www.kramerleather.com/home.cfm

http://www.mitchrosen.com/

http://www.c-rusty.com/

http://www.miltsparks.com/

Lessonz said:
What holster do you folks suggest to help preserve the finish on our handguns as best possible. I get that all finishes will wear with holsters, but some must be better than others
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Kramer:
Is horsehide really better for holster making than cowhide?

Horsehide is an extremely dense, non-porous leather. Until the end of the 1930's horsehide was the leather of choice for products that required extreme durability. The density and non-porous nature of horsehide which makes it such a durable leather, is also the reason that horsehide does not dye uniformly in colors other than black. If multiple pieces are crafted from horsehide and dyed tan or mahogany, there is a very good chance that each piece will have a slight color variations. Black will be uniform. These color variances are considered part of the natural beauty of horsehide and attest to it's authenticity. Horsehide holsters will last longer and withstand considerably more abuse than a cowhide counterpart. U.S. Navy SEAL TEAMS use our horsehide rigs for extended salt water operations. Cowhide will not stand up this kind of use. YES, there is no question about it, horsehide is more durable than cowhide. This however, is not say that cowhide doesn't make a fine holster that will provide many years of hard service if properly cared for. But, if you want the ultimate in holster leather, horsehide is the answer.

Will a lined holster protect my guns finish?

Generally speaking the finish on a gun is more likely to wear in a loose fitting holster than it is in a snugger fitting moulded rig, since the gun moves around all day long with your body motion. In a moulded rig however, the drawing of the gun will obviously cause more wear than in a looser fitting generic holster that offers less resistance during the draw. It is our opinion that a gun that is carried every day and used at the range to practice one's draw technique etc. is going to wear the bluing to some degree sooner or later regardless of whether or not the holster is lined. Horsehide is usually smooth as any that could be added to the holster and we therefore have elected not line our holsters. A gun is a working tool and if it is used with any regularity, it IS going to show a certain amount of blue wear, if you use your gun, it will shows signs of blue wear regardless of what type of material your rig is lined with.

http://www.kramerleather.com/faq.cfm#q30
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Milt Sparks:
I am concerned about holster wear on my guns finish. Is there anything that can be done to prevent this?

Our holsters are designed for use by professionals and others who carry a handgun routinely for sport, personal defense or as mandated by their profession. We would hope that anyone considering carrying a sidearm for sport or personal defense would seek out and attain proper training, and then practice regularly. Having said that, I'll get to the heart of the subject. The act of drawing your pistol from whatever container you choose to carry your weapon in, creates friction at the points of contact, and eventually those points will begin to show signs of wear. For that reason it would be unreasonable to expect that your personal sidearm will remain in pristine condition forever. It matters not whether your holster is lined or un-lined, as a lined holster simply delays the inevitable. If you practice hard your guns finish will wear, or maybe it would be better to say, develop character. You will have to learn to deal with it.

This is not to say we are insensitive to our customers concerns about holster wear, its just that the reality of the matter sucks. Holsters whether they are made of plastic, leather, horsehide/cowhide, lined or un-lined, soft leather/ hard leather do not protect gun finishes as much as we would like. Nobody in the industry (at least the ones that are honest about it) can claim they have the solution in their product.

Certain gun finishes are more prone to wear then others and this may be food for thought for those that are concerned about it. Blued finishes are at the bottom of the list in terms of durability and corrosion resistance, but IMHO nothing compares in terms of beauty. Parkerizing offers better corrosion resistance then bluing, but is only slightly better in the wear department. Baked on Teflon or Poly finishes offer better corrosion and wear resistance then bluing or Parkerizing but can scratch easily. Hard Chrome and Nickel based finishes such as NP3 offer excellent wear and corrosion resistance, but are only available in silver or gray finishes. And then finally, there is always stainless steel. Stainless steel is not totally corrosion resistant, but the appearance can be maintained by polishing or bead blasting when needed.

What is the difference between cowhide and horsehide?

One of the more notable properties of horsehide is its natural ability to repel moisture. This is due to the dense cell structure of the hide thus limiting its porosity. This natural ability to repel moisture makes it very useful for certain applications, particularly for use inside the waistband.

Unlike with cowhide, horsehides non-porous nature reduces its ability to fully absorb the casing solution during the forming process, making it much more difficult to get good crisp detail of the weapon when molding around the gun. Also for the same reason horsehide tends not to absorb the dye and finishing materials as evenly making it in my opinion, somewhat inferior in that respect to good cowhide.

Horsehide is also somewhat rustic in appearance in comparison to cowhide. Cowhide is graded at the tannery in direct relation to the percentage of scar, range marks and other surface imperfections on the hide. Grade (A) being the best, is what we order from the tannery and a true Grade (A) will generally, but not always, be devoid of any surface imperfections. Horsehide on the other hand, basically only comes from the tannery one way, un-graded and usually with plenty of the above imperfections. On the bright side, much of the scaring, stretch and range marks common on much of the horsehide we get today, is present in unique patterns much like figured wood. We actually set aside some of the more distinct pieces to be used in conjunction with exotic trim where exotic trim is an option on some of our holsters. Since horsehide is unpredictable in its grading, you must accept the fact that any horsehide product you order from us may exhibit some of the above characteristics and is not considered by us to be a defective product. Any horsehide we use in our products is guaranteed to be structurally sound, regardless of any natural markings that may be present on the surface. I guess the bottom line is if you expect from us a clean holster, devoid as much as possible of any natural markings, order cowhide.

On the durability issue there has been much BS circulating on the mythical wear characteristics of horsehide. I will not argue that a well made horsehide holster will give you many years and possibly a lifetime of good service, but with proper care a good cowhide holster will last just as long.

Some of our holsters combine the use of both horsehide and cowhide, taking into advantage the desirable attributes of each material. So which material is better?? That is a personal preference issue. Where horsehide is available as an option, the choice is yours.

http://www.miltsparks.com/
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<http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5295991>
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enefgee said:
Bob Mernickle is a transplanted Canadian, he makes good solid leather for revolvers.
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Just ordered from them. But its weird they say they dont have a tracking number when they ship. I dont get it. They use USPS. Like i said to the lady, if the package gets lost how the hell do we find it. Made no sense to me.
 
I just bought these two from Bob Mernickle. They will be custom made to fit my 686 4.2 inch Smith. Gonna be 4 to 6 weeks before it gets shipped as they have to make it and are short staffed. Stuff isnt cheap but looks like its good quality.

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GunGuy34 said:
I just bought these two from Bob Mernickle. They will be custom made to fit my 686 4.2 inch Smith. Gonna be 4 to 6 weeks before it gets shipped as they have to make it and are short staffed. Stuff isnt cheap but looks like its good quality.

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Nice kit Gun Guy. I'm thinking about ordering a holster from Mernickle for my .45 Redhawk 4.2'' and for my soon to be Rossi Ranch Hand.
 
swiens said:
Not to hijack but would that be IDPA legal?
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Ill probably never use either one, well maybe the hip holster for at the range but thats it. Still a nice revolver without a nice holster seems naked. If i had it back i wouldnt have got the shoulder holster though.
 
I ordered these two holsters from htt p://mernickleholsters.com/

The shoulder holster doesn't fit me the best as im a big guy, but it is adjustable, i just need to do some adjusting. They adjust with screws, nice seems to be good quality for sure. Bullets are held really snug, had a hard time getting them in and out, but will get easier with use im sure. Ill probably sell the shoulder holster just the same.

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The side holster is my favorite. They did mess up the order and forgot to send the tan leather belt and another set of speedloader holsters but they are now on their way. Both holsters, with the tan belt and extra set of speedloader holsters that are missing from the pics, cost me $479.85 taxes in and I paid 30 something bucks for duty fees.

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GunGuy34 said:
I ordered these two holsters from htt p://mernickleholsters.com/

The shoulder holster doesn't fit me the best as im a big guy, but it is adjustable, i just need to do some adjusting. They adjust with screws, nice seems to be good quality for sure. Bullets are held really snug, had a hard time getting them in and out, but will get easier with use im sure. Ill probably sell the shoulder holster just the same.

IMG_0785.jpg


IMG_0784.jpg


IMG_0783.jpg


The side holster is my favorite. They did mess up the order and forgot to send the tan leather belt and another set of speedloader holsters but they are now on their way. Both holsters, with the tan belt and extra set of speedloader holsters that are missing from the pics, cost me $479.85 taxes in and I paid 30 something bucks for duty fees.

IMG_0781.jpg
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