May, 2004
This is my latest attempt to get the right balance between historic accuracy and functionality. We do some things they didn't do then:
1. We reholster on the clock. Shooting 2 guns we have to draw one gun and return it to the holster while simultaneously reaching for the other.
2. If we use 2 strong side holsters we usually have to shift the gun to the strong hand from the weak hand and back and back into the holster
3. We wear 2 holsters during relatively athletic pursuits, so we need the same sort of weapons retention and protection that they wanted, but we use the guns a lot more. We also don't wear them out in the rain, snow, heat, and cold every day as they did.
Old time holsters were:
1. Not made of the same quality leather available now
2. More concerned with gun protection than speed
I've had thoroughly authentic holsters, and I couldn't get the gun back in the holster quickly with one hand. I've had several shotgun belts and slides, getting better each time about the ability to get the rounds out quickly and spaced properly.
Jack Houston, "starring as the Lone Rider," loneriderleather@hotmail.com was the maker of my John "King" Fisher replica tigerskin chaps. He came on the Jack Houston, Starring as the Lone Rider alias because his father, under the stage name of Jack Houston, played The Lone Rider in a series of western serials. Jack designed the rig shown here. Jack is LoneRider Leather. A Vietnam vet, a PBR (patrol boat river) commander who had 2 boats blown out from under him, he has been a friend of mine for a long time, and I recommend his work. It just keeps getting better and better. This is no factory, no big operation. He makes leather items one at a time, and customization is, thus, quite easy.
I started with a photo of a carved Mexican Double Loop holster for a 7-1/2" barreled Colt SAA from "Packing Iron":
I had learned that most cowboys would spend the extra $1.50 or so to get floral carving on their rig ($1.50 then, not now), and at that time I decided I wanted floral carving. I asked Jack to match the spirit of the carving in this rig, not to make a line-for-line replica. (Rick Bachmann of Old West Reproductions does that quite well).
But this rig, while available from some craftemen, suffers from the problems mentioned above. I wanted a low cut so I can grab the weak side pistol aroung the frame, culinder, and trigger guard and hand it to the strong side hand leaving the grip free. Evil Roy teaches this in his school.
I also wanted the holster to retain its shape and have the leather bent out to act as a funnel for speed reholstering. Jack uses kydex lining for this and molds the leather with an outturned lip, though not noticeably so from a distance.
I wanted the holster to retain the pistol through an athletic stage but release it instantly when I grab it.
This is what resulted:
The rig doesn't have a name yet. The pistol shown is a Ruger Old Army with action and reliability work by Rowdy Yates at Lee's Gunsmithing and modified Eagle Gunfighter grips in checkered "aged" ivory polymer. Note the quality of the floral carving. I don't think the pictures do it justice. It's nice. The stitching was done by hand. In fact, it was all done by hand, no stamping machines. So far there is one rig exactly like this one. It exudes craftsmanship.
Here's an example of the carving and detail work on the belt. I did specify a Chicago screw retaining the belt buckle so I could replace it with one of my trophy buckles if I wanted too. Since this is a percussion gun, I didn't have Jack put bullet loops on the gunbelt.
Instead 12 belt loops are mounted on the shotgun belt, 6 on a side. I can load the rifle from them at the loading table and still have a couple of rounds handy for a one round reload or the dreaded live round ejection. They're mounted high for speed and can't slip down because of the strip sewn below them.
The shotgun loops, 12 because a local club does weird stages with 10+ shotgun shots sometimes, are molded in pairs. They're about the right distance apart for a double, and they can't slip down and get stuck. Very slick.
The shotgun belt has a "reverse" curve, but just the right amount for the shells to be parallel to my belly. They do not stick out away from the body. To quote Deadwood, "But that would be wrong."
Here's a closeup of the right holster showing the quality of the work, The pistol shown is my SASS Colt with Ivory stocks and action work by Peacemaker Specialists and engraving by Kelly Laster. The holsters were fitted for Rugers. If I shove the Ruger all the way in, the holster will retain it upside down. But it releases quickly and easily in the draw.
I think I'm going to like this rig.