I have a beloved 642 that I want to wear to court and other dept involved activities. I am looking for a holster that is $60 or less with retention. It looks like the serpa has the best retention of any j frame holster made but I'm scared it is too rough on the finish. I found a Gould & Goodrich leather holster with a thumbstrap that I'm leaning towards. Just curious if any of you guys have ever hunted for a retention holster for a j frame.

The Gould & Goodrich

When I was Police Chief I carried a 638 in a Serpa with Belt Slots. I still have it by the way if you are interested.
It is a little hard on the finish in one small area. If you held the button down when holstering the revolver this might cure the wear issues.

On the Plus side, it is the only retention holster I have ever seen worth a hoot for a hammerless J Frame.

Bob

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ICORE MO2908

Thanks, I am a little hesitant about using the Serpa due to the wear then. I had searched before and found your post intresting. I'm leaning towards the G&G hoping it's fairly easy on the easily worn clear coat.

The holster at the top is made by Bianchi, it's lined and works well with all my j-frames including Bodyguards (Model 49 pictured) and Centennials like your 642. I believe the Bianchi model # is 55L.

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"Shall not be infringed"

The Bianchi that snaps behind the trigger guard Black_Sheep shows above is the way to go if you'd prefer a leather holster over a plastic Serpa. Bianchi's name for that model is the Lightning.

Does the Lightning hold your j-frame relatively close to your body? Any pics of the belt slots?

This is a DeSantis that fits the Centennial series perfectly. Mine's on the leftie side, but they make them for right handers.

The Bianchi 55L is a close-ride holster. I've worn them under a t-shirt or North Face softshell jacket with zero issues. Nice holster for that pistol.

There's always my favorite J frame holster --- the front pocket of your jeans!

I use that one a lot.

Thanks everyone I found out that Safariland is making a j frame ALS so I'm going to try one of them. The ALS for my Glock has been great.

I started outy the day pocket carrying my 642 looking like this.

Well I went to a gun shop but with intentions of ordering a ALS from GT Distrubutors. I asked what J frame holsters and grips they had, to my suprise I walked with my 642 looking like this.

I got the holster and Magmas for $50