Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Leather for handgun holster material?

This topic came upon a nearby thread, which I'll not step on. The idea, put out there by someone I respect, was that leather is a poor material for a handgun holster.

I'd like to learn more about this perspective.

Does the hesitation have to do with blued guns not playing well with the preservatives in the leather? (that would be the easiest reason for me to understand).

Or is it something else?

Gotta admit I rather like leather holsters, and in I once learned a LEO point of view that "the good guys have leather holsters".

But.....

In old days they used to sharpen straight razors on leather belts, so I guess there will be some wear to the finish. My complaints are leather breaks in eventually resulting in looser gun/holster fit plus leather can hold moisture, therefore, guns should not be kept in holster for extended periods of time. I guess leather is ok if one wants to parade guns in holsters on internet only to be taken out and put back in safe when posting images is done. I use plastic holsters now.

The people who think leather is a poor material for holsters are too cheap to buy a good one. Holster wear happens with either material. Leather strops are treated with stropping compound. It's the compound that does the sharpening - not the leather.

Slavek/Maser, your Google-fu is weak.

Like any other material, it has its up sides and its down sides. Worked out well the first 400+ years, and continues to serve pretty well. Not to say there aren't "better" options avail these days, but I still prefer leather, but I have some tupperware in the collection too. I just find leather generally a bit more comfortable when I carry IWB, but others may vary.

I like leather better, but don’t leave guns in leather holsters. For “modern” (read striker-fired) I’m okay with proper, fitted synthetics (not the “one size fits all” monstrosities.)

I understand Herrmann leather is quality and it's worked very well in my limited experience with it,I think Herrmann is near St.Louis Mo.

I have Galco and Bianchi leather for my favorite handguns. But I am well aware of the damage which may be caused by wet leather.

An elk hunt ten years ago. We got caught in a driving cold rain and sleet storm half way up a mountain. Our better judgement overcame our sense of valor, we t urned our horses around before we got hypothermic, and spent a night in the sheepherders tent which had been set up beside my truck and horse trailer. The next day, we rode up the mountain to our proposed campsite in calm air ans sunshine. We set camp up and crashed for the night.

The next morning my buddy pulled his BAR out of the leather scabbard after forty eight hours of being wet. It was a rusty mess. I do not think it has been properly restored yet.

I was carrying a SS Ruger #! in 7mm STW. with a laminated stock. It was unharmed.

Moral: Fine Blued firearms and wet leather do not mix. Keep the leather dry and all is golden. There is a good reason that many firearms are available in SS or plastic today.

Yes, we could just as easily claim that blued steel is a poor choice for firearms. In fact, IMO, there's more truth to that.

I live in a rain forest and use quality leather holsters for my packing guns nearly exclusively and with great satisfaction. One reason being that when a deer hears a handgun come out of a kydex holster it apparently sounds like the gates of hell being opened and they take off. Leather holsters are also quiet when the brush hits them, unlike plastic ones. I waterproof mine with beeswax by rubbing the wax in as I warm the leather with a hair dryer. Once treated that way they're good for years of use. I also never leave any weapon in any sort of case overnight.

Some people are simply obsessed with losing a few dollars of resale value if their gun has some bluing loss or shows wear. They are afraid to carry them in leather holsters for fear of losing 50 dollars over the course of a couple decades of ownership.

Personally I buy the majority of my guns to be used in the field. If I wear the bluing off them, fine. If I completely wear one out from a very high volume of shooting, I will hang it up on the wall as a testament to all the fun and adventures it accompanied me on and try me best to do the same before my body wears out.


When I am dead and gone, my kids will not be concerned about 50 or 100 perfect handguns. They would likely prefer I take them on adventures in the mountains and high desert and go shooting and have fun.



This Milt Sparks 55BN holster has seen thousands (not hundreds) of hours of carrying N Frame .44 Magnums in the field.

It is not loose in the least bit. It is as tight as ever and I find the wear marks to be a testament to the good times afield.












This is a 55BN for a Glock 20/21. I used this as a duty/off duty holster for years. Executive protection for a governor, competition, etc. Again, heavy use, around the clock. It has some scuffs, but the holster itself is in excellent functional condition.








This is a Milt Sparks Executive Companion and was literally the very first one ever built for a Colt Officer's ACP. I purchased it more than 30 years ago. In 1991.

It was a nice light tan when I bought it but many years of riding against my body and sweat have turned it the color it is now.






Though never intentionally abused, my guns don't exactly get treated gently either.

I have a Kramer horsehide IWB that’s almost 30 years old that I just replaced because it had softened up at the tab covering the thumb safety. It is still very much usable. The vertical scabbard I got a few months later is still very stiff and form fitting to the gun. Cheap holsters would never give give that kind of service. I’ve had a couple kydex holsters and never found them comfortable enough for concealed carry and used them for time spent in the woods. Kydex wears out just like any other product. Buy what makes you happy.

This Milt Sparks 55BN for a Glock 19 has literally been around the world, multiple times. Been on my belt and on the top of a few buildings including embassy rooftops to defend them.








Well worn (cosmetically) now, it is functionally as perfect as the day I received it from the guys at the shop.






Definitely a favorite of mine both for practical and sentimental reasons. I don't care at all if it somehow wore a little finish off a Glock, which considering that the pictured gun is an older Gen 3 with the Tenifer finish, it is not likely that leather is ever going to wear all the way through to actual bare metal. Even if it did, refinishing a slide is not a problem either.

This seems to be an annual rant for me, so here we go. Leather is usually tanned using chromium salts or vegetable-tanned. Chromium salts can make for a good product and is cheaper, but not is not compatible with firearms - although it is often used. I would bet a dollar the story of the rusty BAR after a couple days was the result of a chromium salts tanning process. It should be no surprise that nothing good happens between salt and metal. If you're wondering, trim a piece of your holster and burn it. Quite often a chromium salt will burn with a greenish hue and/or leave a greenish ash. Vegetable-tanned leather will just sort of smudge. In my opinion, if the flame has the greenish hue continue burning the rest of the holster.

I guarantee Milt Sparks exclusively uses vegetable tanned leather. It's the first question you should ask of any other maker.

Mackay, I'm with you 100%. My guns are for using and shooting. Wear just means there's some good stories to tell along the way. Someday I want my kids to have to them if for no other reason than to say, "Dad, used to carry this one hunting every year, I remember those times with him."

I don't understand the people that buy a $500 plastic gun and worry about scratching it or wearing it out. At $500 it's disposable, shoot the crap out of it, buy a new one. By the time you wear it out, you'll have spent 50x the cost of the gun in ammo.

As previously stated, any decent leather holster is made from a quality veg tanned leather. It should also be fitted to your specific firearm. Wear comes from dirty leather, and/or poor fitting holsters.

If you’re going to carry and use a firearm for any length of time, it will eventually start to show some wear. If you don’t like that, wax it and put it in the safe.

Short answer. You ain’t gonna carry a pistol for years and it still look new. Not in any holster. Not in your pocket. Hell, not in your hand.

JOG, I hadn’t known this before, thanks for that rant. I don’t know anything about how horsehide is tanned. I kinda wish I knew a way to treat my old holster to stiffen it back up. It isn’t damaged any just has grown soft, might be trying to keep pace with its owner……..

Soak it in warm water, then let it dry. Apply Neatsfoot oil ONLY to the smooth side of the leather. It should now be stiff again.

I only have leather. I think it’s similar to liking blue steel, fixed power scopes, and walnut stocks.