I did a search but it didn't help much, I guess I am looking for advise, I plan on taking my 686 hunting this year, not as my hunting gun, but just to have by my side. Question, would anyone know of a decent holster (without breaking the bank) that would fill the bill, would something like the "BlackHawk" or "uncle Mikes" work. I know I am thinking cheap but outside of a hunt once in awhile I have no use for a holster, my guns travel to the range in a case, Thanks to any & all for the advise. msn

Sir: I would personally look for a good use Bianchi or Safariland leather holster. I find them on a regular basis at gun shows anywhere from $15 to $35. This is an item the dealers get along with the used guns they buy and don't value them highly. Many tines the dealers will have a box of used holsters under their tables.

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Living a dream - S&WCA #2364

I don't mean to bad mouth the woven nylon web holsters suchas Uncle Mikes, but leather does not let the gun flop around as the woven holsters do.

May I suggest the "Sourdough" from Simply Rugged Holsters. Simply Rugged Holsters

They make great holsters at a fair price and they will last for the rest of your life.

The Bianchi #111 "Cyclone" is a great field holster, it has a thumb break retention strap and can be worn either strong side or cross draw. Also, Ray Cory of Lobo Gunleather makes several different models that would work well.

The barrel length makes a great deal of difference on used holsters. I seem to find more used 4" than I do 6" ones around. I also find more K and N Frame holsters used than I do L Frame ones.

The Bianchi Cyclone mentioned above is a good choice, or one very much like it. For a 6" gun I would prefer a cross draw holster. A thumb break is also a must for a pistol carried deer hunting.

I would do a search for a used leather holster. If nothing surfaces in your situation I would look at Nylon. It almost hurt me saying that, I hate nylon. With you using it once a year, that is probably the best bet atleast for this deer season.

Bob

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ICORE MO2908

I second the recommendation of the Simply Rugged Sourdough Pancake. I have one for my 27 and another for my 19 and 64 snubs. These holsters are reasonably attractive, tough as nails, and hold the gun securely. A new one can be had for about $65.

A good leather holster will last a long time if you take care of it. I am in agreement on the crossdraw, it's out of the way when you sit and it allows you to draw by reaching under the bottom of a coat.
I hunted with a handgun for several yrs and tried a lot of different options.
Good luck!

I second the Bianchi #111 Cyclone it fits my 686 perfectly

Check on EBAY and on GB, as there are many sellers with both older unused holsters, and nice used ones, for much less than new. I have found a number of nice used holsters there. Got a nice unused leather holster on GB for my 6" 686 this month for $10 including shipping.

I found a leather shoulder holster worked well for me with a Ruger Blackhawk 44 mag. With the long barrel, the positioning under my coat helped keep it out of the weather, yet it was easy to access with a zipper front on my hunting coat. Also, it wasn't in the way when sitting down.

4 inch or 6 inch?

I agree with washburn832 and stevieboy. I have a sourdough for my 686+ with a 4" barrel. It's a nice holster. Also added a speedstrip wallet to go with it.

I just bought a Don Hume leather holster on gunbroker for about $35 shipped for my 4" 586. The condition is new & it fits great. I like quality leather with the 2 spaced slots for the belt. They hold much better than a single,centered, wider belt loop. Then just get a firm belt & away you go. Yes, the simplyrugged is nice too.

Here is my Model 66 in a Simply Rugged holster.

I also have a couple of holsters made by Ray Cory of LOBO Gun Leather, and he is in the process of making me another one for my Model 19-4.

Bgrafsr, that holster and grip combo looks sweet!

Wow am I getting old and grouchy. My experience has been that cheap (as opposed to inexpensive) holsters are always a mistake. I agree with the suggestion to look at used, and Bianchi or Safariland can't be beat for quality.

A couple of years ago I was stumbling kind of aimlessly around a gun show. I pulled up short in front of a box of junk (my meat.) There in the box was a spectacular full flap Bianchi. Made of real leather, and priced fairly at $45. The problem was it had a tag on it saying it was for a 686, and clearly a 6" barrel. Not owning one (I buy K frames to lug around and N frames to shoot), I passed.

Someone has said you don't regret the deals you buy, you regret the ones you pass over. So going home that night, it started eating at me. I shoulda bought it, but it was too far to drive back on Sunday, so I just let it eat at my soul. And then I thought about it for months.

The next show the guy was in a different place (there should be a law requiring vendors to be in the same place.) But he still had the holster and he even remembered me. Vendors seem to key in on buyers who are genuinely intested in something and figure they've got a sale locked up. So I was honest with him (I'm not a good poker player) and said I was interested, but I don't have a 6" L frame or I'd have bought it. He took the bait and suggested a 6" K might fit. To which I countered and said it might not, too. Followed by $45 would be a decent steak dinner for me and momma. He knew he was beat (or that he had me beat, I don't know) and just said "ok, $35". So it went home with me, and its now resting in a shallow grave in my gun room.

I bore Y'all to death with that story because I'm kind of partial to full flap holsters for guns I like and kind of want to keep nice. Full flaps tend to not fill with water if it rains, and the flap protects the grips pretty well. You can leave the grips you normally shoot the gun with on it because the chances of damage are pretty remote.

Which brings us to the issue of your chances of finding a great quality but nearly unused holster in time for your hunt. Good luck with that. But if you ever see one, snag it quick because other jokers like me look for quality at reasonable prices.

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Dick Burg

Personally I think a good holster is essential if you plan on carrying a gun and using it for any kind of SD. Your gun won't do you much good if you can't get access to it. I've bought Uncle Mikes holster and pretty much re-made them myself so they worked like they should. I have a shoulder holster I carried a Sig P220 in for years but the gun fell out of the holster more than once until I decided I would have to fix it myself if I ever expected it to work like it should. If I had a lesser quality gun at the time I might have had a very bad experience when my Sig fell out of my holster onto concrete. But Sig is a very rugged gun and isn't likely to fire from being dropped from much greater heights than my chest.

I really think nothing can compare with a holster that is custom made to fit the gun I'm carrying. I've looked through a lot of those used holster boxes at the LGS's and I've seen some good and some bad holsters. The problem is finding one that fits your gun well. You can spend a lot of time and effort looking through those boxes from my experience.

I am currently using either a CrossBreed SuperTuck for CCW and for carrying my 629 with a 8 3/8" barrel I have an El Paso Saddlery 1942 Tanker shoulder holster. The CrossBreed holsters aren't really super exensive or they weren't when I bought mine (I have 2 of them actually). The Tanker cost me about $125 but it is a holster that is going to work when I need it. It's perfect for carrying my Smith on an ATV or horseback. Considering there are a lot of bears around my home place and my farm I don't like to be outside too much at night without the 629. And I want to have access to it in a hurry.

The Uncle Mikes holster I have actually works pretty well now but that's only because I re-designed it. I sometimes still carry my Sig in it or my XDm. I actually used a Uncle Mikes IWB holster for years with a Tokarev pistol. It wasn't terrible until it wore out. Then the flap kept falling over and the beavertail on the Tokarev kept digging into my side. Holsters that are made by people that take shortcuts usually have flaws like that at some point. I strongly suggest you either find a good holster to fit your 686 or make one for yourself. You want that gun to be where you expect it to be when you need it and you want to be able to get it out quickly too. I understood that you wanted to wear your gun for protection. I just wouldn't skimp too much if you think you're likely to need that protection. You can get a good holster for not a lot of money. You just generally need to build it yourself or modify one that you buy so that it becomes a good holster.

The grips are Herret's Jordan Troopers and are 30 some years old. I got them for my issued Model 10 heavy barrel, and then put them on my issued Model 66 when we went to those.

I buy Jordan Troopers for most of my shooting guns because they are custom made for my hand.

Droooooool. Those Herrets look beautiful with the carved leather!

I second (or fifth?) the recommendations for Simply Rugged. I have one for 4" N frames and love it. I wanted to do a review but lost the straight from the box pics. I believe the Sourdough is a top notch holster and whole heartedly recommend it.

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