M&P finish, Kydex wear, Blackhawk nylon holsters & other comfortable carry options

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DocSunShine

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M&P finish, Kydex wear, Blackhawk nylon holsters & other comfortable carry options

Hey guys, I find myself carrying either 40c or 40 shield in #5 Blackhawk nylon IWB holster, works surprisingly well. Now I've never been concerned much about pristine finishes.... But, I'm obsessed with the beauty of my M&Ps and I'd planned on purchasing some kydex holsters custom made, but now I'm rethinking.

So my question is, how bad is kydex on the finish of M&P's? Also, what are opinions of good carry options that will not ruin finish? And finally, what size Blackhawk would fit full size 40 & 45? I really like those cheap nylon holsters, very comfortable, surprisingly.
 
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I carry my 9 in a Crossbreed everyday. The leather is harder on the finish than the kydex in my opinion.
 
I'm at work right now, so i can't look. I'll look tonight and update ya. Not that i recall though
 
I've been carrying my M&P 9c in a kydex Comp-Tac Infidel
Inside Waistband Holsters - products new home - The Infidel Holster
since late 2008. I have over 13K rounds thru it now. I practice with it about once a week and when I do it's draw, two shots and reholster. Shoot about 40 rounds that way. I also carry in the Infidel. That's a lot of holster wear. Here's how it looks.
MPKydex.jpg

You can see a small shiny spots around the trigger guard. That's where the holster retains the pistol. You may draw differently than I do or use a different style holster so you're may look differently after 13K rounds.

Dave
 
I have carried a 9c in a Crossbreed ST for over 2 years, and now my Shield in another Crossbreed for the past 4 months. Neither gun shows any signs of wear or scratches.

Frankly I never gave their looks a second thought...I bought the guns to carry everyday for defense, not for looking pretty. Don't think a bad guy would care either way.........
 
Lee in Quartzsite said:
I have carried a 9c in a Crossbreed ST for over 2 years, and now my Shield in another Crossbreed for the past 4 months. Neither gun shows any signs of wear or scratches.

Frankly I never gave their looks a second thought...I bought the guns to carry everyday for defense, not for looking pretty. Don't think a bad guy would care either way.........
Click to expand...

I know, i agree with you about looks, I don't want to be that guy. I'm just really loving the looks of my new M&Ps and want to keep then as nice as possible.
 
yeah no problems here either. I think it's an issue with epoxy/ceramic coated stuff...

I have a cerakoted 1911 (fresh) and I know the kydex (or leather) will wear out the paint.

but I don't think it's going to wear out the melonite treated barrel's black finish lol. it hasn't for 3 years so far.
 
I swear by Comp-tac gear, use it extensively for years, and find their holsters place little to no wear on my pistols. The main thing with kydex is to keep it clean. It is not the kydex that scratches a pistol but the dirt and grit that gets inside the holster. If you wipe out the inside of the holster on a regular basis and even wash it out once in a while, you will have no problems provided you buy a quality kydex holster. Good horsehide, high end holsters are also gentle on the finish but they command their price. Bill
 
DocSunShine said:
Hey guys, I find myself carrying either 40c or 40 shield in #5 Blackhawk nylon IWB holster, works surprisingly well. Now I've never been concerned much about pristine finishes.... But, I'm obsessed with the beauty of my M&Ps and I'd planned on purchasing some kydex holsters custom made, but now I'm rethinking.

So my question is, how bad is kydex on the finish of M&P's? Also, what are opinions of good carry options that will not ruin finish? And finally, what size Blackhawk would fit full size 40 & 45? I really like those cheap nylon holsters, very comfortable, surprisingly.
Click to expand...

Big kydex fan here. Ease of adjustments, easy to work with, better retention qualities, doesn't need to be "broken in", can be reshaped with a little heat and patience. Another plus that I actually don't really care about one way or the other is that kydex is easier on a guns finish than leather. My carry guns are tools, not prized heirlooms, so holster wear is of no concern to me. But I understand it's important to some, they like to think of their sub $500 service pistol as a piece of unblemished art.

Skip the generic nylon Uncle Mike's/BLACKHAWK!/Bulldog Extreme cheapo garbage holsters and get something made specificially for your carry gun. You'll thank us later.
 
It is not the kydex or the leather that wears the finish off the firearm. It is the dust particles that settle between the firearm and your holster. As you move around they work on your firearm like sand paper. If you carry every day take a real close look at inside your holster and around the trigger of your firearm and you will see what I am talking about. Unholster every night, and at least twice a week wipe down your firearm and inside your holster, and that will go a long ways in preventing holster wear.
 
I'm going against the grain here, but I like the holster wear on my guns. It really let's me know how much I carry..."Priceless".

I used to keep em nice, clean and new.
 
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