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get a smart carry or a bellyband or a compression shirt.
No more scratches

It's a tool - wear and marks are just part of the use of said tool...

carlson1 wrote: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 it is!

My Browning Hi Power shows no signs of wear or use. My SA Compact 1911, which is my EDC, shows character even though it rides in an OWB leather holster.

Oldgringo wrote:

carlson1 wrote: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 it is!

My Browning Hi Power shows no signs of wear or use. My SA Compact 1911, which is my EDC, shows character even though it rides in an OWB leather holster.

My face and body show a lot of signs of wear and use. I guess that means I have a lot of character.

I just got the second windshield rock chip on our 3 month old 2012 Highlander. It sucks, but it's not a show car.

Your pistol was built with defensive uses in mind. Scratches are part of that life. My advice is to carry it, and buy a pretty chrome 1911 to protect and wrap in fabric before tucking it in. That's what I do.

Superman wrote: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".

The hammer seems silly to me, but every car I have owned has been on gravel roads and/or a gravel parking lot within the first month of ownership. Why? Because they're tools for the job of transportation, and with my lifestyle that includes unpaved surfaces. Furthermore, sometimes birds use it as a bathroom and bugs use it as a kamikaze target. It happens. I try not to abuse my tools, but I don't baby them either.

Superman wrote: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).

If you want a handgun to remain looking as good as new, don't carry it. Make it a safe queen.

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

That's exactly what the guy at Galco told me.

In response to the OP: I like my guns to stay as nice looking as possible because it enhances their resale value. I tend to hang onto my guns, but you never know.....

That said, there is a big difference between "honest holster wear" and "go throw your gun down in the driveway." That's just dumb. When you clean your pistol, make sure the outside of it is as clean as the inside. I use one of those silicone impregnated socks to wipe my pistols down with after I've cleaned them. That keeps the finish nice and shiny, and it lubricates the finish just enough that it might resist light scratching a little bit better than a dry finish.......at least, that's what I've convinced myself of. But like others have said, only safe queens stay pristine. Eventually, even the best made holster is going to put some wear on the finish of your pistol, just like enough driving miles will unavoidably lead to some sandblasting of your car's paint. If you really love this pistol and you have confidence in it, the wear marks are simply a history of your ownership and care for it, and they are inevitable. It took a while, but I eventually stopped worrying about it.

I finally talked my wife into letting her hair go gray a couple of years ago. It is glorious that way, and I much prefer it. Not that she needed it, but I think it lends dignity and grace to her years, and is much more dignified than a mid-50s aged woman trying to look like a 20 year old. You just can't take people like that seriously.

We make fun of stretch marks, but they can be the sign of a family raised, children loved and cared for, and a stable home, as much as they can be a sign of poor health and abuse. Pistols are like that too. A cherished pistol which you have owned and carried for years may have lost its new-in-the-box shine, but it has replaced that with the patina of trust, confidence, and care. It has been there for you, hopefully never needed, and quietly reliable and ready to hand. Sometimes the best dogs are the oldest scruffiest ones, the ones who stuck and earned your loyalty.

Don't worry about your pistol's finish. You take care of it, it will take care of you. The wear marks are merely testimony to your confidence with it, and comfort carrying it.

Egads, I've gone and gotten all sentimental. I'm off to the dog-park.

Holster wear is something to be proud of, not abuse to be ashamed of.

Heck, practice drawing your weapon, a lot, that'll give it more character. (Only after triple-checking that it is empty and that ammo is out of reach.)

My carry is stainless and I've been carrying it daily for 3 yrs, have not noticed any wear yet.

The Annoyed Man wrote:We make fun of stretch marks ... Egads, I've gone and gotten all sentimental. I'm off to the dog-park.

I think you're stretching that analogy a bit too far ...

WildBill wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:We make fun of stretch marks ... Egads, I've gone and gotten all sentimental. I'm off to the dog-park.

I think you're stretching that analogy a bit too far ...

Nah, it's just a touch of literary elasticity.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

WildBill wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:We make fun of stretch marks ... Egads, I've gone and gotten all sentimental. I'm off to the dog-park.

I think you're stretching that analogy a bit too far ...

Nah, it's just a touch of literary elasticity.

That's a swift rebound!

WildBill wrote:

Oldgringo wrote:

carlson1 wrote: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 it is!

My Browning Hi Power shows no signs of wear or use. My SA Compact 1911, which is my EDC, shows character even though it rides in an OWB leather holster.

My face and body show a lot of signs of wear and use. I guess that means I have a lot of character.

No Wild Bill you are a character!

WildBill wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:

WildBill wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:We make fun of stretch marks ... Egads, I've gone and gotten all sentimental. I'm off to the dog-park.

I think you're stretching that analogy a bit too far ...

Nah, it's just a touch of literary elasticity.

That's a swift rebound!

More like communicative hysteresis.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

WildBill wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:

WildBill wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:We make fun of stretch marks ... Egads, I've gone and gotten all sentimental. I'm off to the dog-park.

I think you're stretching that analogy a bit too far ...

Nah, it's just a touch of literary elasticity.

That's a swift rebound!

More like communicative hysteresis.

Or a residual retort.