There are plenty of quality leather gun holsters on the market made by reputable companies. Depending on the type of leather used and how it was shaped and formed will dictate how pliable it is. Leather holsters have been around for quite a long time going back to the wild west days with cowboys carrying their six shooters on their hips.
Nowadays with the concealed carry movement growing exponentially guys are on the hunt for a comfortable holster to carry their concealed carry gun in. Although there are some really nice looking leather options for concealed carry, they can be dangerous to use.
Over time and use leather becomes softer and more pliable. When you draw your gun from the holster the leather at the top will tend to collapse, making it difficult and dangerous to re-holster your pistol. Even holstering slow can be dangerous. If the leather collapses just enough to catch your trigger you’re almost guaranteed an accidental discharge. Just take a look at the featured image and you’ll understand.
We almost had this happen at a pistol course I recently attended. We were practicing our draw from the holster. The guy next to me went to holster his pistol after he completed the drill we were doing until the instructor spoke up telling him to stop. Upon looking closer the lip of the leather holster had actually caught the trigger and started taking up slack in the trigger. If he would have continued to holster without the instructor noticing we could have had both an accidental discharge and a serious medical injury to deal with.
Our instructor’s advice…Get a kydex holster WITH a sweat guard. A sweat guard not only protects from actual sweat, but also gives you an index point when holstering. When holstering you should always look as you holster the gun. Some will challenge that statement saying you need to remain aware of your surroundings while holstering. My instructor’s counter to that is that the threat/s should ALL have been dealt with before holstering anyway. Oh and be sure to do a tac-reload before holstering to insure your gun is topped off and ready for the next fight.
