Leather or Kydex

GA Firing Line

Cooper

Woodsman
Mar 6, 2010
165
56
28
35
Alabama USA
What material do you carry?

I have had both, depending on the leather I like it a bit better but I feel like the thinner leathers do not hold the gun as well as a kynex holster with adjustable retention


What are your thoughts?.
 

Mongo

Hunter
Jun 9, 2012
15
0
3
North Central Illinois
Zip code
61032
I always thought kydex was the way to go, so I bought a BLACKHAWK! Serpa holster for my Ruger SR9c. I didn't really care for it, (I thought the retaining push button was a good safety feature until I tried to draw with it) so I got a DeSantis Mini Scabbard and I've been wearing it ever since.
 

Cooper

Woodsman
Mar 6, 2010
165
56
28
35
Alabama USA
I have the DeSantis leather IWB and its leather but its hard to put on how the clip is, it catches my pants and its hard and make it uncomfortable to carry sometimes so I am looking for a new holster.
 

Aimless1

Woodsman
Jan 20, 2013
102
23
28
NW Iowa
I have both....a couple of leather Desantis soft tuck IWB holsters for the LCP and LC9. They work well for the smaller frame guns. I have a leather/kydex IWB hybrid from Ozark Holster Co. for my XD9 subcompact and love it.
 

Cooper

Woodsman
Mar 6, 2010
165
56
28
35
Alabama USA
I am going out today to see if I can find a better iwb holster. I have the Desantis Inside Heat holster and it works but like I said it has some small problems.
 

mayonardo

What Would Paladin Do?
I've used and tested a bunch of holsters, leather, kydex, plastic and hybrid. I think the newer generation kydex holsters can be as comfortable as leather, and they are often more secure, especially after you've used them for a year or more. Leather does conform, but it also loosens and doesn't hold as securely after a period of use. I like leather holsters, but kydex and thermoplastic do offer advantages; they don't loose their shape, can be (depending on the design) adjusted for retention, are close to indestructible, conceal extremely well and are usually less expensive than a quality leather holster.
 

SkipD

Helper-outer
Jun 8, 2012
703
64
63
77
Southeast Wisconsin
Zip code
53024
There are situations where either leather or Kydex makes more sense. Of course, there are even more holster materials such as the sticky (on one side) material used by Remora and the fabrics with elastic used by Uncle Mikes for their Sidekick series.

If I make a holster, it's usually made of cowhide leather simply because I find it easy to work with and can do custom designs easily.
 

lws380

Frontiersman
Mar 22, 2010
465
31
28
LEATHER and HORSEHIDE for obvious reasons. I've got some plastic stuff that came with some new guns, but they have never come out of the boxes. Leather is somewhat forgiving and will mold to the body some and much more than Kydex or plastic. I like that feature of the leather and horsehide.
 
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Cooper

Woodsman
Mar 6, 2010
165
56
28
35
Alabama USA
I find the leather ones to be more comfortable but only IF its quality leather. I have purchased those mass produced and those are put together well but the one I have is hard and thick leather and does not form very well.
 

RobR369

Scout
Jun 12, 2012
0
1
0
I have many different holsters, from leather to kydex, to whatever in the hell the Desantis Nemesis is make out of. The most comfortable I have found so far is the Raw Dog Tactical( small hybrid, single clip) Although, I am looking for a nice all Leather IWB for my Sig P938.
 

Cooper

Woodsman
Mar 6, 2010
165
56
28
35
Alabama USA
I ended up ordering a Kydex from onyour6design It was affordable and they had one I liked I cant wait for it to come in and then I will do a review on it.
 

mayonardo

What Would Paladin Do?
I have an "onyour6" kydex for my Ruger SR9c. Been trying it for a number of months. I have had many kydex and plastic holsters for concealed carry and have formed some definite opinions about the designs. I carry AIWB for concealed and strong side for OWB. I have used a Blade Tech OWB plastic holster which I really liked. In fact, I intend to contact a few holster makers for review samples and write an article on them for my website.

Let us know of your experiences with the onyour6 holster. We can compare notes.
 

poisonivy

Semper-fi
Dec 3, 2014
6
8
0
Smoky Mtns, N.C.
Leather blows my skirt up!!!!! I'm slightly biased as I make animal-skin holsters. If a leather holster is constructed properly, even after years of use, it should still retain a firm lock on the weapon. The act of cinching the belt tight (on a OWB) will make the holster loops naturally tighten up on the weapon even if it has loosened up. A IWB should always retain a good lock on the piece. Today's holsters, of all types, are really a combination of many great designs and styles that leave a shooter with so many choices and options. It's great to have so many to choose from. Finding the right one is like Mama trying to find the perfect pair of shoes or pocketbooks!!!!
 
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