An Old Friend

I was photographing some holsters yesterday, and I shot some photos of a Yamam IWB holster I carried for many years.

We all like a new holster; the smell of the leather, the look of the perfectly formed and finished surface. But it is the well used holster that is most comfortable; formed by years of daily use to the pistol and your body.

Sometimes I take the durability of these Front Line holsters for granted, but taking these photos reminded me again. I have seen cheaper holsters that lost their shape, stopped retaining the pistol, or even came apart after a year or two of use. After years of daily carry and abuse, this Front Line holster is still as good as new. Sure, the finish has been polished off of the snaps, and the leather has picked up some scratches and stains, but the holster works as well as it did when I first broke it in.

The belt and magazine pouch have been in daily use since 2007. When I get dressed in the morning, I put my pistol and magazines on my belt, where they stay until I go to bed in the evening. I use them on the range and in training courses, carry them in all kinds of weather, fishing, hunting, working. The holster has not seen quite as much use as the belt and magazine pouch, because I replaced it with the same model holster for a different pistol a year or two back.

I was asked to photograph a worn out holster, but I haven’t come close to wearing out a Front Line holster yet. Not sure I will live long enough to wear one out, either.