This was posted by dfariswheel previously on the 1911forum in 2005. I personally agree with him; it's time for a new holster. It's like tires for a car, not a place to cheap out (said the guy who bought recaps as a poor teenager
).
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The sign that your holster's service life is over, is when the gun gets too loose.
It doesn't matter HOW nice the holster LOOKS, time to replace it.
You can get a temporary better fit by remolding the holster to the gun.
How you do this depends on what leather dressings or oil might be in the leather and what finish is on the outside.
If the holster will absorb water you can dunk it in a sink full of hot water and a little liquid soap as a wetting agent.
If the leather won't take water, get a bottle of common alcohol, put it in a spray bottle and spray the leather until it's good and wet.
Put the holster on a CLEAN, WHITE towel in a cool place away from sunlight and let stand.
This is known as "casing" the leather.
When the holster has returned to it's natural color, but still feels cool to the touch it's ready.
NOTE: MOST people don't let the holster stand long enough, and try working with it while it's still too wet.
Let it stand longer than you think needed. If it's too dry you can always spray some more water or alcohol on it.
When the holster is ready, insert the BARE gun into it.
DO NOT wrap the gun in ANYTHING, this will cause the leather to stretch out even worse.
Carefully mold the leather around the gun with your CLEAN fingers, pressing the leather around the prominent features like the cylinder or slide and frame.
You can also use smooth plastic or even metal tools to press the leather around and into the gun.
Once you're got the leather formed more closely to the gun, REMOVE THE GUN, and gently press the holster closed slightly to counter it's opening up when the gun was removed.
DO NOT allow the holster to dry with the gun in it, because this will cause the leather to stretch out, ruining the fit.
If the leather was at the right stage of dampness there should be little or NO moisture on the gun.
Wipe the gun down with an oily patch.
Put the holster back on a CLEAN, white, dry cloth away from heat and light, and allow to dry BONE dry.
Apply a couple of coats of neutral shoe polish.
DO NOT apply ANY oils or leather dressings, since these will soften the leather and cause it to stretch out.
This will temporarily tighten up the fit, but, this is a sure sign it's time to buy a new holster.
. Holsters are hardened by wetting in hot water for a few seconds; re-moulded; dried in an OPEN fan-force oven (personally I use a space heater blowing into the open side of a timber box) for a half hour or so (until obviously dry); temp 140 F or so.
It'd be OK to sell it to someone who already owns such stuff.
