Kydex in the hot car

Just picked up a Crossbreed supertuck which is also my first holster that has any kydex in it.

I'm starting to cary more often now and this is going to mean I'll have to leave my gun and holster in the car more & more often. Does summertime heat in the car get hot enough to wreck the kydex?

Also, when I go to the range, I usually cary my gun there, shoot anywhere from two mags to 100 rounds then reload my defense ammo and re holster. Is the gun hot enough to soften the kydex at that point?

Thanks

I don't think so, probably half of the interior of your car is some kind of plastic and it doesn't deform in the heat. Don't know for sure, but I bet it will be just fine.

I live in TN and another heat realted issue that I have heard of is that the car can get so hot during the day that if you store your weapon in it the ammo will actually expand to the point that it causes feeding issues. I know from experience that a metal frame handgun gets so hot during the day that it takes my entire hour commute home to get it cooled off. I am looking at storing my weapon in a lunch cooler during the day while I am at work.

Keep it under the seat or in another shaded place, and it'll be fine

100 rds won't get your gun hot enough to deform it either.

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Originally Posted by mtcraigco

Keep it under the seat or in another shaded place, and it'll be fine

100 rds won't get your gun hot enough to deform it either.

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Thanks for the answer Mark and thanks for the speedy service! I wore it out yesterday and it's way more comfortable than my Galco IWB. I think it's a keeper!

I can tell you do not leave the empty holster on the dash board. I did down here in south TX and came back and the kydex was deformed from what it was. The gun did not fit, I had to use a hair dryer to fix it.

Earlier today I noticed this graphic on the Comp-Tac homepage:

http://www.comp-tac.com/images/sun.gif

So at least one holster maker does not recommend it :wave:

I'm in Phoenix. My wife left her Crossbreed in the van which was in the sun. Her pistol still fits fine but one of the clips opened up a little. Was no problem to fix though.

I usually leave mine on even if I have to disarm. to avoid any problems.

Holdcards

I leave mine on too. That was one of my main reasons for going with Kydex holster, leave it on and it doesn't flatten.

Kydex is plastic, and exposure to DIRECT sunlight will have an adverse effect of it. I would certainly never leave it lying on the seat or dashboard where it will certainly warp. Under the seat or even in the trunk would avoid the suns rays. If you have one of those shields for your window, that would make a big difference.

my Kholster arrived last friday, kydex holster with leather backing.
on the outside of postal box, it states "keep away from heat"

This may be a dumb question, but isnt it a pain to take the holster on and off while getting in and out of a car? Why wouldn't you just keep the holster on empty and run into wherever you're going?

also kydex comes in different thickness
possibly thinner gauge will be more suspectable to heat:yup:

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Originally Posted by MidWestCarry

This may be a dumb question, but isnt it a pain to take the holster on and off while getting in and out of a car? Why wouldn't you just keep the holster on empty and run into wherever you're going?

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I agree. I only have two kydex holsters, a FIST K5 pocket holster (actually have two of these) and a Comp-Tac MTAC IWB. When I go somewhere where I can't take my gun, the MTAC stays on me and the gun goes in a COM car safe. If I'm carrying pocket with the K5, I just leave the gun (PM9 in my case) in the holster and put the whole package in the COM. I'm assuming leaving the gun in the pocket holster helps keep it's shape since I haven't had any problems yet.

The manufacturers of higher-quality holsters 'fully anneal' the KYDEX sheet during forming, so that means the KYDEX will not begin to distort unless the holster (not the car) reaches 172F. Most polymer products used in vehicle interiors have an HDT (heat distortion temperature) of about 160F.