I purchased a "Stingray" leather holster from Galco for owb crossdraw carry of a j-frame for SD while behind the wheel. Well, the leather on this piece is so thin, and construction so cheap, that I realize I just should have hired Ryan Grizzle to make me a custom crossdraw piece. It would have cost twice as much, but that would be light years better than paying half for a POS.

I usually buy custom leather, but I thought I'd give Galco a shot since this specific item gets good reviews on the net. Apparently the "reviewers" aren't normal custom leather consumers. I guess once you've tasted perfection, there's no point in going back. I never will. Again. Ever.

Yeah. There's no point in buying a mass produced off-the-shelf leather holster from a company like Galco, when you can get a significantly higher quality custom leather holster for not that much more.

I have a few Galco holsters. They are thin but I never had an issue with their quality or durability.

Sorry to hear this.

I have a couple of older Galco Fletch holsters that I am quite fond of.

Their quality has been on the decline for some time now. I have an older Summer Comfort which isn't bad material-wise, but it did soak up perspiration and water like a sponge on steroids. My later Kingtuk however was a POS from day one.

The other maker that seems pretty good is Desantis. I have a couple that are very serviceable and not very expensive.

I have a handful of Galco holsters and only a couple of them do I consider to be of inferior quality use wise. I suspect it is like most mass manufacturers, some models within the line exceed and others are below par.
One way to avoid disappointment is to go into your LGS and actually handle the product. In today's world of always seeking the absolute lowest price on everything we buy, we forget there is usually a very good reason to buy from a local supplier that allows you to touch before we buy.

I have 3 IWB Galco holsters that I really like, 1 OWB holster that feels flimsy but has held up OK to the use it has gotten.
All are close to 20 yrs old.
The OWB doesn't get used much at all but 1 of the IWBs is my current daily carry. (the others for different guns used to be)

I think you could stand on my Kramer OWB horsehide holster and not get it to collapse...same with the Rosen holsters I bought from Dillon. Those babies are STURDY!

Flimsey junk same as DeSantis. I recall the Galco which carried a Glock. Holster had no support at its mouth. Rolled like a cigar when the wearer sat down in a vehicle. Right inside the trigger guard. Discharged a round along his butt side and out the bottom of the car. I also recall a local FFL who nearly booted me from his shop because he was trying to sell a skinny lil broke dick Galco belt to a customer for $128.00. I showed him my Armour 1 3/4" belt and told him the price. The dealer was pissed...

Back in the day GALCO was considered top tier above HUME, BIANCHI, etc. An added plus they were local in the metro Phoenix area so ordering was quick. It's my understanding their products started being made offshore (Mexico?) which started the downward spiral. SAFARILAND isn't much better anymore, either.

Find a good custom leather maker. TT GUNLEATHER has a 2-3 week turnaround and pricing is quite reasonable.

I like their Jackass.

I have a buddy who wears the Galco magazine/handcuff combo with paddle. A couple of screws backed out and he called Galco to ask for replacements. They told him to go to the local hardware store for screws.

It was not cool. He moved forward with Safariland.

I've carried a Glock 26 in a Galco Ankle Glove for 8 years, both on and off duty. I have yet to find a better ankle holster for a gun that size. There are better options for belt carry, but they make an excellent ankle rig.

I agree about the ankle glove. I use one with my PPS M2. I also used a Miami Classic years ago for an H&K USP .45 Tactical.

I'm a holster maker myself, and just to put things straight ,a concealed holster should not be made of heavy/thick leather, the holsters Galco and DeSantis put out are quality made holsters, that fit the guns they're made for, they are wet molded to the exact gun the customer requested, the holsters I have and the ones I have seen have been well made with detail to finishing which some makers lack...I normally won't shime in on a post like this, but the statements made about them being cheap makers putting out cheap gun leather is just not true, and if any one were to have a problem , they are a stand up company that will take care of you, they don't want disatified customers, just as I don't...

At an NRA convention a few years ago I stopped by the Galco display. The representative there asked about holsters and when I said I use open top, no thumb break, he scowled and said "we don't do open top holsters."

Bullshit. I own some.

Never content with those who lie, I haven't touched their products again, and it's a shame; they used to make good stuff.

So far as cheap holsters go, I purchased a paddle holster by safariland last year. Safariland has long made some fairly robust holsters and I like them. I had this same model, but it was a lot thinner, a lot cheaper in made and finish, and not at all what I'd expected. I thought they'd only half-finished it.

quote:

Originally posted by TENWOLVES:
I'm a holster maker myself, and just to put things straight ,a concealed holster should not be made of heavy/thick leather, the holsters Galco and DeSantis put out are quality made holsters, that fit the guns they're made for, they are wet molded to the exact gun the customer requested, the holsters I have and the ones I have seen have been well made with detail to finishing which some makers lack...I normally won't shime in on a post like this, but the statements made about them being cheap makers putting out cheap gun leather is just not true, and if any one were to have a problem , they are a stand up company that will take care of you, they don't want disatified customers, just as I don't...

I bought a GALCO belt about 20 years ago. It was thick and stiff and worked well for me in all those years of daily use. Two years ago I bought another GALCO belt. It's already as limp as a Democrats you know what. Something happened to change their quality.

Thank God we still have the 1st Amendment...

quote:

Originally posted by TENWOLVES:
I'm a holster maker myself, and just to put things straight ,a concealed holster should not be made of heavy/thick leather, the holsters Galco and DeSantis put out are quality made holsters, that fit the guns they're made for, they are wet molded to the exact gun the customer requested, the holsters I have and the ones I have seen have been well made with detail to finishing which some makers lack...I normally won't chime in on a post like this, but the statements made about them being cheap makers putting out cheap gun leather is just not true, and if any one were to have a problem , they are a stand up company that will take care of you, they don't want dissatified customers, just as I don't...

Well, for the Galco Stingray model at least, I'm going to have to disagree with you. I have a lot of leather holsters, custom and production, and another galco. But this holster is cheap, cheap, cheap. The leather is too thin to support the damn gun, that is one the main problems. It looks good visually at arm's length, but when you pick it up and hold the paper-thin leather between your fingers, it bends and flops around, including on your belt. It's pretty sad for a $60 item. My Rosen and Grizzle holsters don't do anything close to that, and are superior in other ways to the Galco. I wasn't expecting the best when I bought it, but I was expecting solid - plain but solid. It's not. I didn't think Galco would sell me a piece of junk. It is unfortunate because I like the company because it's been around around for a very long time, but for this holster it didn't come close to being worth $60. I took a chance on it because you can't find one in any brick gun shops in my area, but I was %100 sure it would be a solid because of the brand, but it wasn't. It's just not going to work. I'm not hard to please, and don't send many things back because I research stuff pretty extensively before I buy, but on this purchase I lost. Be warned if you like Galco in the traditional sense, at least for this particular model of leather.

quote:

Originally posted by TENWOLVES:
I normally won't shime in on a post like this, but the statements made about them being cheap makers putting out cheap gun leather is just not true, and if any one were to have a problem , they are a stand up company that will take care of you, they don't want disatified customers, just as I don't...

I normally won’t chime in either but in this case, I’ll make an exception.

Over the years, I have purchased several Gallo holsters. I WAS a loyal customer.
Several years back, I ordered a Royal Guard Holster directly from Galco. Shortly after I ordered it, I was informed it would take 12-16 weeks before it would ship. So.... I was able to locate the same holster on a dealer website and bought it. I then called Galco the next day and cancelled my order.
2 to 3 months later, the cancelled order arrived at my door step and my CC was charged. I called Galco Customer Service and explained what had happened and the guy flat out refused to take back the (un-opened) new in box holster. This guys attitude was probably the worst I’ve ever encountered. Truly memorable. That day, Galco lost my business forever.

thanks for the heads up guys. I was going to order a galco for my buddy. Not any more.

It saddens me that old standbys like galco and Desantis have atrophied.