Getting Started in Cowboy Action Shooting, page 8, Leather Gear

Starting Out:
You will need 2 holsters, a belt, and a shotgun belt or slide. Every shooter I know has gone through a considerable amount of leather gear. Generally we don’t buy the right thing at first, and the state of the art changes, and our taste changes.
This was my starter rig It’s a strong side and cross draw rig. I had lost weight, so it was on the last hole in the belt. This hasn't been a problem lately	When you get started, unless you have a mentor, you will probably think that a strong side holster and a cross draw holster are the way to go because you use your strong hand for drawing and holstering each. But the Single Action Shooting Society™ is rather picky about guns pointing outside of the 170° "downrange" portion of the range. Thus crossdraw shooters have to "do the dance" to make sure the gun comes out of the holster and goes back in pointed downrange, not behind you. Personally I've seen the muzzles of lebendy-leben odd cross draws. SASS gives you a stage DQ if it's empty, and a match DQ if it's loaded. It's when you reholster that you'll find out if you bought a good set of holsters or not. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO REHOLSTER WITH ONE HAND. If you have to use your other hand to "open up" a collapsed holster, it's a bad thing. It might be a perfectly historically accurate holster, but it's slowing you down in a speed event. More importantly, it's also not good because you have to sweep your weak hand with the muzzle, violating the rule, "Never let the muzzle cover anything you're not willing to destroy." (Jeff Cooper).
	This was my second rig, still cross draw, from Alfonso's of Hollywood. The holsters are metal lined so they won’t close up and thus require two hands for reholstering, a slow and unsafe practice. I stupidly asked for a left-handed rig, not knowing they would give me a left-handed belt as well. Left-handed men have been wearing their belts right handed all their lives, so this one drove me nuts. I lost a lot of weight and had the tongue moved considerably tighter when this picture was taken. About then I began to realize the strong-side/cross draw was not for me.
	Then I went to a strong side rig for my 7.5” barreled Ruger Old Armies. Lacking the metal lining, I had some problems with these holsters closing up, but I kept tennis balls in them between matches.
	Two strong-side holsters is superior for duelists because twisting around to observe the 170° rule with a cross draw and shooting classic duelist is cumbersome. If you stand square to the target it's less of a problem, but if you line up your body with your shooting arm, then you have to move too much to switch guns. SOLUTION: DON'T use the classic duelist stance. Stand the same way you do to shoot your rifle. It is much faster in transitions.
Texas Paladin transferring from his weak hand to his strong hand using two strong side holsters	Most of the top shooters are using 2 strong side holsters. With the cross draw rig you have to “do the dance” to make sure that when you draw and reholster the cross draw gun the barrel doesn’t break the 170° rule. There are, at some events, people who watch all cross draw shooters like a hawk in an effort to call a safety violation. At some events you can just twist your body. At others you’d better move your weak foot forward and twist your body
	Kirkpatrick Leather led a quiet revolution in holsters, unnoticed by the gun writers. Their holsters look like old west holsters, but they're Kydex lined, angles are optimized, and various tricks are used to make them faster and more efficient. SASS Wire wags would call them "Gamy" holsters. This was one of the first, the Idaho John rig. Famed IPSC shooter and instructor John Shaw came to SASS with the intent of winning, and, like IPSC, looked for every advantage. The strong side holster rides like his IPSC holster, in front of the point of the hip, muzzle forward. The weak side crossdraw sits as close to it as allowed by the rules. The ideal drill is to use the weak side gun first, then take it in the weak hand and reholster it while drawing the strong side gun.
	The Old West fast draw is generally a myth as holsters of the day were not amenable to a fast draw. It took Hollyweird's steel-lined Buscadero rigs to facilitate fast draw. The modern SASS rigs have more in common with those rigs than the old west. The Kirkpatrick Long Hunter Shooting System: The LH-09 rig takes the shooting experience of two-time modern world champion Long Hunter, the leather expertise of Kirkpatrick, and rolls it into a beautiful, competitive, cowboy action rig. Built for speed, the new Long Hunter features hand molding for a perfect fit, rolled-out edges for smooth reholstering and exposed trigger guard with cut-down front for quick first shots. The extra-wide molded skirt is designed for comfort and stability and the slight drop with 8-degree muzzle-forward cant allows you to draw the revolver without breaking your wrist at an uncomfortable angle. The holsters are molded away from the body for a unobstructed draw and a kydex lining with adjustable tension screw allow you to set the holster to your liking.
	I wanted to retain the look of the old west and still be competitive (well, at least not slowed by my equipment. My days of serious speed are long behind me). Fortunately one of my best friends is Jack Houston, of LoneRider Leather. I sent a photo of the cover to the excellent book, "Packing Iron" and some specifications and wants.
This is what he sent back. Jack Houston at LoneRider Leather made this rig to my specifications for 7-1/2" Ruger Old Armies (Colts shown in the photo) It's carved and exquisitely finished. The Mexican double loop holsters look like the holster on the cover of "Packing Iron," but the cylinders and trigger guards are exposed. This makes grabbing the weak hand gun around the cylinder so that when you hand it over to the strong hand, the grip is free, making for a much more secure transfer. The lip is rolled out for quick reholstering. The front is cut low.
Evolution: Note how deeply the gun in this rig sits and how much is covered.	This rig still covers the cylinder. It has a tendency to close up, so I stored it with a tennis ball shoved in the top to hold its shape. *You should not have to do this.*
Here you can see the cylinder is exposed, making the transfer easy from the weak hand to the strong hand
LONERIDER LEATHER CUSOM RIG When i switched to 5.5" barreled Ruger Old Armies, Jack Houston made me a new rig to fit, angled muzzle forward to my tastes (placing the holsters in front of the point of the hip so I can see them when reholstering. Finding your gun on the ground is quite embarrassing.
This design is a "Mexican Single Loop" style adapted to what we do with a low front and exposed trigger guard. It is also beautifully carved.
Following that came an even gamier rig
This holster is, by design, pushed an inch or more away from the body at the top. It is quite fast and secure.
Mernickle Holsters Evil Roy Shooting System Bob Mernickle runs one of the most successful and innovative holster manufacturing companies making Cowboy Action Shooting leather. Teaming up with Evil Roy increased his audience extensively.	The Evil Roy "ER1" is loaded with features: •An up-graded 2 1/2" wide belt (from the original 2") •Heaver leather belt construction to stabilize the belt on the body better. •7 holes in place of the original 5 for more adjustment to the belt. (winter/summer clothes) •Heavier two ply leather construction on the holster for longer years of hard usage •Stronger thread for both longer lasting stitches and a nicer cosmetic appeal. •A thick Suede belt lining to keep it where you want.( Not where it wants to go) •A stronger metal lining to keep the holster opening more rigid. •A contoured Mexican loop shank to easily get the thumb behind the gun •A wider opening to allow a faster one hand re-entry with out the fear of the guns cylinder hanging up on the edge of the holster. •Easy snap on, snap off speed load shell carriers. •High set shell positioning for a faster grab during a mandatory re-load. •An attractive 1800's style full boarder tooling job •A beautifully engraved tri-color 5 point star
The Mernickle Evil Roy Slim Jim Series This has the same draw as our famous ER1 series. We designed this to look like it might have come out of the civil war giving those people that love the look of a highly competitive shooting system. Like the ER1, this has the suede lined belt and metal lined holsters. No more pulling the gun out and having to use two hands to get it back in. The same T-nut lock system is used to insure the holsters stay where they are put yet give you the flexibility of loosening the screws off and repositioning them where required.

The crossdraw holster is held tightly in place by chicago screws that are much closer to the belt than the strong side holster to guarantee it does not violate the 30° (from vertical) limit on crossdraws.	The holsters on the blue background are the crossdraw setup. You could have 2 strong side vertical, one strong side vertical and one cross draw, or one strong side muzzle forward and one crossdraw. You will note that the crossdraw holsters are pretty authentic sliminess, complete with trigger guard protectors. If you shoot crossdraw or with two strong side holsters and shoot double duelist or gunfighter, these are the holsters for you. If you shoot traditional or duelist shooting with one hand and use two strong side holsters, they should not have the protectors, like the ones with the red background.
Notice: An IMPORTANT thing is left out of the catalog. The Slim Jim comes with US insignia. It is also available with CS insignia. I'm of the opinion that the default insignia should be CS. Not knowing that the shotgun belt (not shown below) would come with a US insignia, I'm still in shock over it. Had I known, of course, I would have ordered a CS insignia. No extra charge.
Transitions, 2 Strong-side holsters (shown left handed) Photos taken with unloaded and double-checked percussion pistols. Standing at the default start position	Thanks to Grubstake Charlie for help with these photos. Duelist style shown: Begin draw
Note weak hand grasps second pistol...	around top strap and trigger guard
Fire the pistol with the strong hand. The weak hand should be pulling the weak hand pistol loose in the holster	Fire the last shot wit that pistol
"LOOK" the pistol into its holster as you pull the weak hand pistol from its holster. It cannot leave the holster completely until the other pistol is empty.	As the strong hand gun is holstered, the weak hand gun is drawn
Take the gun from the weak hand with the strong hand.	Note how the weak hand is holding the weapon by the top strap and frame in front of the trigger guard, leaving room for the strong hand to achieve a firm firing grip without fumbling or shifting. Note the strong hand is positioned to cock the pistol. Make sure the weak hand has released the gun before it is cocked if you are shooting duelist.
fire the weak side gun	When the last shot is fired the weak hand should be close by (closer than is shown here would be good.)
Reacquire the pistol with your weak hand grasping it as you did before	"LOOK" the gun into its holster.
Making sure the gun goes into the holster. It's hard to win with a stage DQ	Finished. If you need one of the long guns, your strong hand should be going for it.
Transition using one cross draw, one strong side holster, shown left-handed, duelist Draw the cross-draw holster first

As you fire the last shot with that pistol the weak hand should be close to the gun	Weak hand goes over the gun
Grasp the gun firmly over top strap and cylinder	"LOOK" the gun into the holster
While holstering the cross-draw pistol, draw the strong hand gun
After the last shot is fired...	"LOOK" the gun into the holster
	The weak hand is available for picking up a long gun or ammunition for the shotgun, etc.
Shotshell belts:
Shotshell carriers have evolved, too. If you look at the Idaho John rig you will note the shotshells are low over the belt, easy to stick when you're trying to extract them in a hurry.
My early rigs had shotshell pouches that were too deep, and rounds stuck easily. The first LoneRider shotgun belt was a massive improvement with molded double loops high on the belt with a leather ridge to keep the shells from sliding down. It didn't stick. Rifle rounds were similarly mounted for on-the-clock reloads.
Then Jack Houston gave me a later designed shotgun belt, with molded and riveted double loops that hold the shells in securely but don't stick at all.
These manufacturers are NOT the only ones by any means. Holster makers are VERY prolific in CAS. Remember, whatever you start with will not be what you're using 5 years from now. But don't buy the cheapest available. You tend to get what you pay for, but the proliferation of hobbyist leather makers means that sometimes you can, indeed, get bargains if you know what you're looking for.	Here's another of LoneRider Leather's newest shotgun belt. This one holds 16 shotshells but no pistol. They are made to order.
Mine holds 12 shotshells and 6 rifle/pistol rounds for emergency or planned reloads on the clock. I don't carry rounds on my pistol belt (percussion pistols didn't need them!)	This is a shotshell slide by LoneRider Leather, but every company has one. Some people don't like the bulk and weight of a separate shotshell belt, and normally 6 or 8 will be plenty for a stage. Those of us in the Houston area tend to carry more because a local club has been known to have 14 shotgun rounds on a stage, prompting me to use my shotshell belt AND a slide!
This is the prototype of LoneRider Leather's "CAS System." One belt holds everything. These holsters have a muzzle forward cant, but straight drop is available, too.	Your shotgun belt should be customized for you and your guns. This Mernickle Evil Roy belt is made for someone who grabs 2 shotshells at a time and accesses his rifle ammunition for a rifle reload with his right hand.
This version has the shotshells in individual pouches for loading a '97 singly.	A close up of the rifle ammunition pouches, again, raised above the belt for easy access. After all, a good rifle reload is under 2 seconds shot to shot.
	Having some rounds for rifle or pistol reloads where you want them is a good thing. Mernickle includes a strip for 6 rounds with their Evil Roy series. You can put it where it's most convenient for the once a year pistol reload or once every few months rifle reload. Those might not be the same place.
Buscadero Rigs:
Since most of our Silver Screen heroes wore Buscadero rigs, a lot of us wear them. Shown here is Jack Houston. Here he's dressed as Gene Autry, with blue jeans, fancy boots, and a double buscadero rig, carved, nickel trimmed. The guns are stainless Vaqueros. He will be a different B-western cowboy at each match, having a lot of fun with it and having some neat costumes. Buscadero rigs look good, but they're hell to sit with, uncomfortable on horseback, and not authentic to the 19th century. It's generally conceded they were designed in 1916, but there's a photo of Commodore Perry Owens with a reverse buscadero rig, and Texas Ranger Captain John Hughes had an early precursor to the buscadero rig.
The Mernickle's show off a spectacular buscadero rig. You may spend as much on your rig as you want to.
Ladies Rigs:
As I learned when I was 8 or so, Girls are different from boys. Many of the rigs used by men just won't work for women. I've been recommending Buscadero Rigs for women because they need the drop to get the guns below their waists to facilitate the draw. But lately a few companies have improved on that with rigs specifically designed for women.	Pretty Mean Shawmee models the Lady Tequila Rig by Kirkpatrick Leather. The belt has a reverse curve so it will fit the curve of the hips and not slide down. Women are short waisted, so using the belt for the shotshells fits a lot of women better than having 2 belts. The rig is fancy and feminine. The rig was made for the requirements of the Carolina Belles and input from champion shooter Tequila.
The belt is two pieces, and it comes with two tongues so one size fits all.
	San Pedro Saddlery worked with the Carolina Belles to make the Fannie Kickinshoot rig, a very fancy, very feminine Buscadero rig with integral shotshell loops. The belt is lined with red suede. The suede lining of the belt is to help it stay in place. The belt is hand carded in the "Tombstone Rose" pattern. The roses are hand-tinted red and yellow with green stems and leaves using spirit tint dyes, and the background is black. It is border stitched with hand laced Buckstitch. Six Shotgun Loops arranged in double sets are centered and the belt buckles in the back with a Faux Black Hills Gold 3 piece buckle set with small faux rubies and four matching conchos. The holsters are carved to match and lined with red kidskin for a smooth draw. The holsters are finished with a Hitched Horse Hair and silver hammer tie.
LoneRider Leather did this ornate B-Western rig for Miss Annie Bellum. Buscadero rigs often work well on women's figures	The Holy Terror rig by Mernickle
Please go to Getting Started in Cowboy Action Shooting, Page 9	Back

Starting Out:

You will need 2 holsters, a belt, and a shotgun belt or slide. Every shooter I know has gone through a considerable amount of leather gear. Generally we don’t buy the right thing at first, and the state of the art changes, and our taste changes.

This was my starter rig It’s a strong side and cross draw rig. I had lost weight, so it was on the last hole in the belt. This hasn't been a problem lately

When you get started, unless you have a mentor, you will probably think that a strong side holster and a cross draw holster are the way to go because you use your strong hand for drawing and holstering each.

But the Single Action Shooting Society™ is rather picky about guns pointing outside of the 170° "downrange" portion of the range. Thus crossdraw shooters have to "do the dance" to make sure the gun comes out of the holster and goes back in pointed downrange, not behind you. Personally I've seen the muzzles of lebendy-leben odd cross draws. SASS gives you a stage DQ if it's empty, and a match DQ if it's loaded.

It's when you reholster that you'll find out if you bought a good set of holsters or not. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO REHOLSTER WITH ONE HAND. If you have to use your other hand to "open up" a collapsed holster, it's a bad thing. It might be a perfectly historically accurate holster, but it's slowing you down in a speed event. More importantly, it's also not good because you have to sweep your weak hand with the muzzle, violating the rule, "Never let the muzzle cover anything you're not willing to destroy." (Jeff Cooper).

Alfonso's Rig

This was my second rig, still cross draw, from Alfonso's of Hollywood. The holsters are metal lined so they won’t close up and thus require two hands for reholstering, a slow and unsafe practice. I stupidly asked for a left-handed rig, not knowing they would give me a left-handed belt as well. Left-handed men have been wearing their belts right handed all their lives, so this one drove me nuts. I lost a lot of weight and had the tongue moved considerably tighter when this picture was taken.

About then I began to realize the strong-side/cross draw was not for me.

Then I went to a strong side rig for my 7.5” barreled Ruger Old Armies. Lacking the metal lining, I had some problems with these holsters closing up, but I kept tennis balls in them between matches.

Two strong-side holsters is superior for duelists because twisting around to observe the 170° rule with a cross draw and shooting classic duelist is cumbersome.

If you stand square to the target it's less of a problem, but if you line up your body with your shooting arm, then you have to move too much to switch guns. SOLUTION: DON'T use the classic duelist stance. Stand the same way you do to shoot your rifle. It is much faster in transitions.

Texas Paladin switching hands using 2 strongside holsters

Texas Paladin transferring from his weak hand to his strong hand using two strong side holsters

Most of the top shooters are using 2 strong side holsters. With the cross draw rig you have to “do the dance” to make sure that when you draw and reholster the cross draw gun the barrel doesn’t break the 170° rule. There are, at some events, people who watch all cross draw shooters like a hawk in an effort to call a safety violation. At some events you can just twist your body. At others you’d better move your weak foot forward and twist your body

Idaho john rig

Kirkpatrick Leather led a quiet revolution in holsters, unnoticed by the gun writers. Their holsters look like old west holsters, but they're Kydex lined, angles are optimized, and various tricks are used to make them faster and more efficient. SASS Wire wags would call them "Gamy" holsters. This was one of the first, the Idaho John rig. Famed IPSC shooter and instructor John Shaw came to SASS with the intent of winning, and, like IPSC, looked for every advantage. The strong side holster rides like his IPSC holster, in front of the point of the hip, muzzle forward. The weak side crossdraw sits as close to it as allowed by the rules. The ideal drill is to use the weak side gun first, then take it in the weak hand and reholster it while drawing the strong side gun.

Long Hunter Shooting System

The Old West fast draw is generally a myth as holsters of the day were not amenable to a fast draw. It took Hollyweird's steel-lined Buscadero rigs to facilitate fast draw. The modern SASS rigs have more in common with those rigs than the old west.

The Kirkpatrick Long Hunter Shooting System:

The LH-09 rig takes the shooting experience of two-time modern world champion Long Hunter, the leather expertise of Kirkpatrick, and rolls it into a beautiful, competitive, cowboy action rig. Built for speed, the new Long Hunter features hand molding for a perfect fit, rolled-out edges for smooth reholstering and exposed trigger guard with cut-down front for quick first shots. The extra-wide molded skirt is designed for comfort and stability and the slight drop with 8-degree muzzle-forward cant allows you to draw the revolver without breaking your wrist at an uncomfortable angle. The holsters are molded away from the body for a unobstructed draw and a kydex lining with adjustable tension screw allow you to set the holster to your liking.

Packing Iron

I wanted to retain the look of the old west and still be competitive (well, at least not slowed by my equipment. My days of serious speed are long behind me). Fortunately one of my best friends is Jack Houston, of LoneRider Leather. I sent a photo of the cover to the excellent book, "Packing Iron" and some specifications and wants.

LoneRider Rig

This is what he sent back. Jack Houston at LoneRider Leather made this rig to my specifications for 7-1/2" Ruger Old Armies (Colts shown in the photo) It's carved and exquisitely finished. The Mexican double loop holsters look like the holster on the cover of "Packing Iron," but the cylinders and trigger guards are exposed. This makes grabbing the weak hand gun around the cylinder so that when you hand it over to the strong hand, the grip is free, making for a much more secure transfer. The lip is rolled out for quick reholstering. The front is cut low.

Evolution:

San Pedro holster #1

Note how deeply the gun in this rig sits and how much is covered.

San Pedro Holster #2

This rig still covers the cylinder. It has a tendency to close up, so I stored it with a tennis ball shoved in the top to hold its shape. You should not have to do this.

LoneRider Holster

Here you can see the cylinder is exposed, making the transfer easy from the weak hand to the strong hand

LONERIDER LEATHER CUSOM RIG

When i switched to 5.5" barreled Ruger Old Armies, Jack Houston made me a new rig to fit, angled muzzle forward to my tastes (placing the holsters in front of the point of the hip so I can see them when reholstering. Finding your gun on the ground is quite embarrassing.

This design is a "Mexican Single Loop" style adapted to what we do with a low front and exposed trigger guard. It is also beautifully carved.

Following that came an even gamier rig

This holster is, by design, pushed an inch or more away from the body at the top. It is quite fast and secure.

Mernickle Holsters

Evil Roy Shooting System

Bob Mernickle runs one of the most successful and innovative holster manufacturing companies making Cowboy Action Shooting leather. Teaming up with Evil Roy increased his audience extensively.

The Evil Roy "ER1" is loaded with features:

•An up-graded 2 1/2" wide belt (from the original 2")

•Heaver leather belt construction to stabilize the belt on the body better.

•7 holes in place of the original 5 for more adjustment to the belt. (winter/summer clothes)

•Heavier two ply leather construction on the holster for longer years of hard usage

•Stronger thread for both longer lasting stitches and a nicer cosmetic appeal.

•A thick Suede belt lining to keep it where you want.( Not where it wants to go)

•A stronger metal lining to keep the holster opening more rigid.

•A contoured Mexican loop shank to easily get the thumb behind the gun

•A wider opening to allow a faster one hand re-entry with out the fear of the guns cylinder hanging up on the edge of the holster.

•Easy snap on, snap off speed load shell carriers.

•High set shell positioning for a faster grab during a mandatory re-load.

•An attractive 1800's style full boarder tooling job

•A beautifully engraved tri-color 5 point star

The Mernickle Evil Roy Slim Jim Series

This has the same draw as our famous ER1 series. We designed this to look like it might have come out of the civil war giving those people that love the look of a highly competitive shooting system.
Like the ER1, this has the suede lined belt and metal lined holsters. No more pulling the gun out and having to use two hands to get it back in. The same T-nut lock system is used to insure the holsters stay where they are put yet give you the flexibility of loosening the screws off and repositioning them where required.

The crossdraw holster is held tightly in place by chicago screws that are much closer to the belt than the strong side holster to guarantee it does not violate the 30° (from vertical) limit on crossdraws.

The holsters on the blue background are the crossdraw setup. You could have 2 strong side vertical, one strong side vertical and one cross draw, or one strong side muzzle forward and one crossdraw. You will note that the crossdraw holsters are pretty authentic sliminess, complete with trigger guard protectors. If you shoot crossdraw or with two strong side holsters and shoot double duelist or gunfighter, these are the holsters for you. If you shoot traditional or duelist shooting with one hand and use two strong side holsters, they should not have the protectors, like the ones with the red background.

Notice:

An IMPORTANT thing is left out of the catalog. The Slim Jim comes with US insignia. It is also available with CS insignia. I'm of the opinion that the default insignia should be CS. Not knowing that the shotgun belt (not shown below) would come with a US insignia, I'm still in shock over it. Had I known, of course, I would have ordered a CS insignia. No extra charge.

Transitions, 2 Strong-side holsters (shown left handed)

Photos taken with unloaded and double-checked percussion pistols.

Standing at the default start position

Thanks to Grubstake Charlie for help with these photos.

Duelist style shown:

Begin draw

Note weak hand grasps second pistol...

around top strap and trigger guard

Fire the pistol with the strong hand. The weak hand should be pulling the weak hand pistol loose in the holster

Fire the last shot wit that pistol

"LOOK" the pistol into its holster as you pull the weak hand pistol from its holster. It cannot leave the holster completely until the other pistol is empty.

As the strong hand gun is holstered, the weak hand gun is drawn

Take the gun from the weak hand with the strong hand.

Note how the weak hand is holding the weapon by the top strap and frame in front of the trigger guard, leaving room for the strong hand to achieve a firm firing grip without fumbling or shifting. Note the strong hand is positioned to cock the pistol. Make sure the weak hand has released the gun before it is cocked if you are shooting duelist.

fire the weak side gun

When the last shot is fired the weak hand should be close by (closer than is shown here would be good.)

Reacquire the pistol with your weak hand grasping it as you did before

"LOOK" the gun into its holster.

Making sure the gun goes into the holster. It's hard to win with a stage DQ

Finished. If you need one of the long guns, your strong hand should be going for it.

Transition using one cross draw, one strong side holster, shown left-handed, duelist

Draw the cross-draw holster first

As you fire the last shot with that pistol the weak hand should be close to the gun

Weak hand goes over the gun

Grasp the gun firmly over top strap and cylinder

"LOOK" the gun into the holster

While holstering the cross-draw pistol, draw the strong hand gun

After the last shot is fired...

"LOOK" the gun into the holster

The weak hand is available for picking up a long gun or ammunition for the shotgun, etc.

Shotshell belts:

Shotshell carriers have evolved, too. If you look at the Idaho John rig you will note the shotshells are low over the belt, easy to stick when you're trying to extract them in a hurry.

My early rigs had shotshell pouches that were too deep, and rounds stuck easily. The first LoneRider shotgun belt was a massive improvement with molded double loops high on the belt with a leather ridge to keep the shells from sliding down. It didn't stick. Rifle rounds were similarly mounted for on-the-clock reloads.

Then Jack Houston gave me a later designed shotgun belt, with molded and riveted double loops that hold the shells in securely but don't stick at all.

These manufacturers are NOT the only ones by any means. Holster makers are VERY prolific in CAS. Remember, whatever you start with will not be what you're using 5 years from now. But don't buy the cheapest available. You tend to get what you pay for, but the proliferation of hobbyist leather makers means that sometimes you can, indeed, get bargains if you know what you're looking for.

Brown new design shotgun belt from LoneRider Leather

Here's another of LoneRider Leather's newest shotgun belt. This one holds 16 shotshells but no pistol. They are made to order.

LoneRider Shotgun belt

Mine holds 12 shotshells and 6 rifle/pistol rounds for emergency or planned reloads on the clock. I don't carry rounds on my pistol belt (percussion pistols didn't need them!)

Shotshell slide from LoneRider Leather

This is a shotshell slide by LoneRider Leather, but every company has one. Some people don't like the bulk and weight of a separate shotshell belt, and normally 6 or 8 will be plenty for a stage. Those of us in the Houston area tend to carry more because a local club has been known to have 14 shotgun rounds on a stage, prompting me to use my shotshell belt AND a slide!

Prototype CAS System by LoneRider Leather

This is the prototype of LoneRider Leather's "CAS System." One belt holds everything. These holsters have a muzzle forward cant, but straight drop is available, too.

Your shotgun belt should be customized for you and your guns. This Mernickle Evil Roy belt is made for someone who grabs 2 shotshells at a time and accesses his rifle ammunition for a rifle reload with his right hand.

This version has the shotshells in individual pouches for loading a '97 singly.

A close up of the rifle ammunition pouches, again, raised above the belt for easy access. After all, a good rifle reload is under 2 seconds shot to shot.

Having some rounds for rifle or pistol reloads where you want them is a good thing. Mernickle includes a strip for 6 rounds with their Evil Roy series. You can put it where it's most convenient for the once a year pistol reload or once every few months rifle reload. Those might not be the same place.

Buscadero Rigs:

Since most of our Silver Screen heroes wore Buscadero rigs, a lot of us wear them. Shown here is Jack Houston. Here he's dressed as Gene Autry, with blue jeans, fancy boots, and a double buscadero rig, carved, nickel trimmed. The guns are stainless Vaqueros. He will be a different B-western cowboy at each match, having a lot of fun with it and having some neat costumes.

Buscadero rigs look good, but they're hell to sit with, uncomfortable on horseback, and not authentic to the 19th century. It's generally conceded they were designed in 1916, but there's a photo of Commodore Perry Owens with a reverse buscadero rig, and Texas Ranger Captain John Hughes had an early precursor to the buscadero rig.

Jack Houston models one of his buscadero rigs

The Mernickle's show off a spectacular buscadero rig. You may spend as much on your rig as you want to.

Ladies Rigs:

As I learned when I was 8 or so, Girls are different from boys. Many of the rigs used by men just won't work for women. I've been recommending Buscadero Rigs for women because they need the drop to get the guns below their waists to facilitate the draw. But lately a few companies have improved on that with rigs specifically designed for women.

Pretty Mean Shawmee models the Lady Tequila rig

Pretty Mean Shawmee models the Lady Tequila Rig by Kirkpatrick Leather. The belt has a reverse curve so it will fit the curve of the hips and not slide down. Women are short waisted, so using the belt for the shotshells fits a lot of women better than having 2 belts. The rig is fancy and feminine. The rig was made for the requirements of the Carolina Belles and input from champion shooter Tequila.

Pretty Mean Shawmee models the Lady Tequila rig, rear view

The belt is two pieces, and it comes with two tongues so one size fits all.

Pretty Mean Shawmee modeling the Lady Tequila rig

Fannie Kikinshoot models the Fannie Kickinshoot Rig from San Pedro Saddlery

San Pedro Saddlery worked with the Carolina Belles to make the Fannie Kickinshoot rig, a very fancy, very feminine Buscadero rig with integral shotshell loops. The belt is lined with red suede. The suede lining of the belt is to help it stay in place. The belt is hand carded in the "Tombstone Rose" pattern. The roses are hand-tinted red and yellow with green stems and leaves using spirit tint dyes, and the background is black. It is border stitched with hand laced Buckstitch. Six Shotgun Loops arranged in double sets are centered and the belt buckles in the back with a Faux Black Hills Gold 3 piece buckle set with small faux rubies and four matching conchos. The holsters are carved to match and lined with red kidskin for a smooth draw. The holsters are finished with a Hitched Horse Hair and silver hammer tie.

LoneRider Leather did this ornate B-Western rig for Miss Annie Bellum. Buscadero rigs often work well on women's figures

The Holy Terror rig by Mernickle

Please go to Getting Started in Cowboy Action Shooting, Page 9

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