 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
This is not to say we are insensitive to our customers concerns about holster wear, its just that the reality of the matter sucks. Holsters whether they are made of plastic, leather, horsehide/cowhide, lined or un-lined, soft leather/ hard leather do not protect gun finishes as much as we would like. Nobody in the industry (at least the ones that are honest about it) can claim they have the solution in their product. |
|
Certain gun finishes are more prone to wear then others and this may be food for thought for those that are concerned about it. Blued finishes are at the bottom of the list in terms of durability and corrosion resistance, but IMHO nothing compares in terms of beauty. Parkerizing offers better corrosion resistance then bluing, but is only slightly better in the wear department. Baked on Teflon or Poly finishes offer better corrosion and wear resistance then bluing or Parkerizing but can scratch easily. Hard Chrome and Nickel based finishes such as NP3 offer excellent wear and corrosion resistance, but are only available in silver or gray finishes. And then finally, there is always stainless steel. Stainless steel is not totally corrosion resistant, but the appearance can be maintained by polishing or bead blasting when needed. |
|
|
| What is the difference
between cowhide and horsehide?
One of the more notable properties of horsehide is its natural ability to repel moisture. This is due to the dense cell structure of the hide thus limiting its porosity. This natural ability to repel moisture makes it very useful for certain applications, particularly for use inside the waistband. Unlike with cowhide, horsehides non-porous nature reduces its ability to fully absorb the casing solution during the forming process, making it much more difficult to get good crisp detail of the weapon when molding around the gun. Also for the same reason horsehide tends not to absorb the dye and finishing materials as evenly making it in my opinion, somewhat inferior in that respect to good cowhide. On the durability issue there has been much BS circulating on the mythical wear characteristics of horsehide. I will not argue that a well made horsehide holster will give you many years and possibly a lifetime of good service, but with proper care a good cowhide holster will last just as long. Some of our holsters combine the use of both horsehide and cowhide, taking into advantage the desirable attributes of each material. So which material is better?? That is a personal preference issue. Where horsehide is available as an option, the choice is yours. |
|
|
| Why does it take so long to
have a holster made?
One of the most frequently asked questions is "Why does it take so long to have a holster made?" The answer is that the demand for our product has always exceeded our ability to produce. It doesn't take so long to actually make the holster, its the processing of the hundreds of orders that are ahead of yours that keeps us behind. It has been our past experience that no matter how many craftsmen we add to the staff, when our delivery times drop, the demand picks up and we are soon back in the same situation. Still, we are trying to address the problem and recently we have added an extra employee, now bringing us up to six.Information concerning our current delivery schedule can be viewed by visiting this page. We understand that many of you cannot wait the time it takes to get our product direct from us. For those who cannot wait, I may suggest that you contact one of our dealers listed at the bottom of the Ordering page of this site for possible in-stock delivery. |
|
|
|
What's the difference between your holsters and those of brand X and what makes yours better? I get this question occasionally and my first impression is, is that the asker would like more for me to tell him why he doesn't want to buy the other guys product, rather then have me extol the virtues of our own. As you are probably aware, there are many other fine makers out there that make a similar product that may address a solution a bit differently then we do. I don't think its prudent for either myself or my staff, to speak negatively of a competitors product in a effort to try and convince you that ours would be more suitable for you. Before you make any decision to purchase, we invite you to compare the quality of our product with what is available elsewhere. When you are ready, give us a call and we will be more than happy to discuss the merits of any of our designs with you so that you can make an informed decision. You will be disappointed however if what you need from us is a scathing review of our competition in order to help you make up your mind. |
|
|
| What can I do to maintain the
appearance of my new leather?
Nothing much needs to be done other than an occasional waxing to help maintain appearance. That applies to items with the smooth-out finish only! Rough out finishes such as on our SS-2 and Summer Special holsters, should be left as is except for maybe an occasional wipe down with a damp cloth. Do not use silicone, oil, or any leather conditioning product that advertises itself as an aid to help soften leather. Angelus has a product we use called Lustre Cream and it is available in both cordovan and black. Fiebings, Carnauba wax is also a good protectorate for smooth leather, but will oxidize on the leather surface if not used or buffed occasionally. One product we recommend wholeheartedly is Renaissance Wax. Renaissance can be purchased direct from the above link, or you can purchase it directly through us. It is the only product we have found that will not permanently discolor our tan colored finish and it works great on black and cordovan finishes as well! You can even use it on metal and wood. We generally stock the small, 65ml tin for resale, as we found that a little bit goes a long way. |
|
|
| My holster is too tight! What's the best way to break it in?
Tightness in a new holster is not uncommon and is much preferable to the alternative. If the draw is a little stiff at first, it is recommended that you work with it to see if it doesn't loosen up with a bit of use. About 25 to 50 presentations should be a good indicator of whether the holster will break in sufficiently on its own or if maybe a little blocking out of the leather is in order. There are many variables as to why a holster would be excessively tight ranging from the texture of your guns finish, to slight changes in climate or humidity from where the holster is made. Regardless of the reason, a too tight holster can easily be remedied by the end user with a method we have been recommending to customers for over 20 years. To block out (stretch) your new holster first UNLOAD your pistol or revolver and place the gun into the 4 mil plastic bag that your new holster was packaged in. Then carefully insert the bagged gun all the way into the holster (do not! I repeat, do not!! wet or spray the holster with any solution to aid in the stretching process). The blocking out process as described above will in no way harm the crisp detailed molding of your new holster, nor will it ruin its retention qualities. It serves simply to stretch the leather a few thousands of an inch larger than the gun. The amount of stretching time needed for satisfactory results range from a just a few minutes to overnight. Any clarifications or concerns on the above, or if you would rather we talk you through the process, then please call us. |
|
|
| How important is it that the holster be fitted to the width belt I
will be using?
It's about as important as selecting the right size shoes for your feet. A sloppy, loose fitting holster on the belt will not allow the holster to perform its intended function and that is to help stabilize of the butt of the gun in regards to both accessibility and concealment. Comfort, concealment and ease of weapon presentation, is as much a result of a proper holster loop to belt width relationship, as is the firmness of the belt that will be the foundation of your carry package. Check out our belt page for more info on this. |
|
|
| How come you don't make small-of-the-back or SOB holsters?
You probably have already read all the many reasons for not carrying SOB posted on the various gun forums all over the web. I will not say that we buy into all the arguments posted against SOB carry other than to say that it is just not a method of carry we feel comfortable producing for. Our policy is, if we don't or won't use it ourselves, then we just won't produce it for the general public! I am fully aware that there are some folks who are convinced they cannot conceal a weapon any other way. For those individuals we are more then happy to recommend other makers who share a different point of view then we do on the subject. Contact us if you need a recommendation. |
|
|
| If you don't make a particular style of holster, will you
recommend someone who does?
We have a very short list of other quality makers that we offer referrals to on request. Our referrals are based on the makers reputation in regards to the quality of their work, as well as how they treat the customer. If we do not offer the style of holster you're looking for, you can call the shop and we will do our best to hook you up to someone who can provide for you. |
|
|
| I bought this holster from you guys a year or two ago. Its like |
|
new and hardly been used. Can I trade it in? Absolutely NOT!!! Hardly a frequently asked question, but asked often enough that I believe it's worth a mention here. I think most people can understand and appreciate that it is best to resolve such matters as returns during a reasonable time frame |
|
| and with us it is within 30 days of original purchase. For a full explanation of our return policy, please refer to our Guarantees page. | |
|
|
|
|
Do you notify by email or other means before shipping an order? On any given shipping day we can have as many as a hundred or more packages going out. The database software we are currently using does not allow us to email tracking information to the recipient and time doesn't allow us to phone each customer individually to advise them that their package is shipping. The same person handling the shipping chores is also handling all incoming phone queries, phone orders as well as settling up customer accounts. The rest of us are busy out in the shop putting the final touches on outgoing orders in preparation for shipping. Simply put, shipping days are always hectic and we do not have the personnel or resources available to allow for individual shipping notification. At some point this may change, but for now we ask that you bear with us. If a customer demands notification upon shipping as a precondition to the placing of an order, then our policy would be to decline the order as we would not be able to guarantee the request. As mentioned in another FAQ, we do not charge credit cards till the day we actually ship the order. We have also been quite accurate in our backlog projections and in many cases we have actually shipped earlier than projected. If you monitor your credit card activity online, a hit on your account from Milt Sparks is a sure indicator that your order is being processed for shipping. At that point, you are more than welcome to call for tracking information if anticipation won't allow you to bear out the 5 or so business days it normally takes for delivery. |
|
|
|
|
|
How soon after placing my order can I call to check on it? Just so it comes as no surprise to you, it is always a good idea to contact us first before placing an order as to what our current backlog situation is. Or you can click this link for our current backlog. Once an order is placed and regardless of whether it is placed by phone, fax or mail, we will always follow up by mailing you a confirmation that includes all pertinent order information, including an estimated delivery quote. These are usually mailed out within 24 hours of receiving your order, or as soon as the order is entered into our database. The order confirmation is for your records. It has a distinct order # and your personal customer ID which will aid us in tracking your order if a question about your order should arise. Don't lose it! Probably 95% of the time our actual delivery's fall right within our estimated time quote. But there have been occasions when we have been a couple weeks late, as well as a couple weeks early (but of course you never hear anyone complain on a forum about getting something early). Our time estimates are based on years of experience in assessing our workload to give you the most accurate assessment possible of our current backlog situation. But unfortunately, it isn't by any means perfect. You will notice that our estimated delivery time frame has both a best and worse case scenario. As an example; if we inform you that we are currently working on a 12 to18 week delivery date, then you can reasonably expect delivery sometime during that 6 week window. Remember though, the key word here is "estimated". An estimated delivery date is not by any means a guarantee of delivery, though we do try our best to be timely. What we won't do is tease you up front with a unobtainable, delivery expectation quote just to get you to place an order. I have heard way too many complaints on the various internet gun forums of makers promising short delivery schedules only to deliver months, if not years after the promised delivery date has expired! Because of the unfulfilled obligations of a few, I know that many of you may a bit leery of estimated delivery dates and may be tempted to call often to check on an orders progress. I sincerely ask that you resist doing this for the following reason. Each time myself, or one of my employees has to stop what they're doing to track down an order, it takes that much time away from someone's order being worked on. Multiply that amount of time by 20 (which is approximately how many customers call each day to check on an order), times it by 5 (working days per week), times that by 4-5 (weeks in a month) and when all is said and done, about 40 man hours each month are spent unproductively, satisfying customer curiosity. Nuisance calls only serve to increase the wait time for everybody. Additionally, calling to check on an order does not speed up the process, nor does it get you into the production queue any quicker. In the 24 years I have been with Milt Sparks, we have never lost a customers order, so if you place an order with us, you can be assured it's not going to get lost in the shuffle! If you mailed in an order and did not receive a confirmation letter within 3-4 weeks, you might want to give us a call. Other than that, please be patient. If you must call to check progress, we ask that you wait at least until the minimum time has expired, though we would much prefer that you wait until it's closer to the max. Please have your order information handy (order #, customer ID, it's all on the order confirmation we sent you) as it will help us track your order faster. If you placed your order via a credit card, a charge from Milt Sparks Holsters on your cards activity page is a sure indication that your order is on its way, since we do not charge credit cards till the day the order is shipped. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Can I use a gun in a holster that it isn't specifically made for? |
|
|
|
|
|
Some of your competitors have posted on internet forums, that certain methods of concealed carry can get me killed! Is this true? Do you believe everything that you read on the internet? Most people would probably recognize that kind of commentary for what it is and ignore it. Those who haven't quite caught on, might first consider the source and then read carefully as to what alternative is being promoted in its place. If you still haven't figured it out, then here's a clue. There's a high probability that you are being marketed to. Some of these self serving, legend in their own mind types, feel their opinions are further reinforced when cheered on by a few overzealous sycophants who practically wet their pants with glee that somebody of self-appointed celebrity might even care what they actually think! Here's the skinny. It is not the best interest of the CCW community, for someone in our industry to critique a method of carry that they have no interest or experience in producing themselves! Yes, we all have our personal bias's and some of those bias's can be very strong. But the savvy maker will recognize the diversity of opinion among his peers and defer to them in cases where he has no expertise. That is unless that maker has such a sanctimonious view of himself that he feels he has no peers! Anyway, in answer to the initial question, the answer is no! A method of carry, by itself will not get you killed. Training or lack thereof, mindset, awareness, tactics (not to mention not having a gun on your person, because some internet expert said you will surely get killed if you carry that way) and a host of other elements may contribute to your untimely demise, the least of which would be on what part of your anatomy you choose to carry your gun. Remember; the first rule of a gunfight is to have a gun! |
|
|
|
|
| Copyright© 2000-2007 Milt Sparks Holsters, Inc. All rights reserved |
