When I switched from 7-1/2” Ruger Old Armies to 5-1/2” I eventually came to the conclusion that I should have 5-1/2” holsters.  Jack Houston, of LoneRider Leather was promising me a new rig to show off his skills.  We collaborated on this.  I wanted as authentic look as possible but with modern features necessary for CAS Shooting that wasn’t important in the old west.  For example, they never worried about speed reholstering.  We do.  They were concerned about security when riding a horse. This isn't a problem with us. We need safe, secure holsters, but they have to be fast, too. Also since I found out the average cowboy paid the extra $1.50 for a carved rig he could be proud of, I wanted carved rigs.  And Jack wanted to show off his carving ability. As you can see he CAN carve leather.

The holsters are single loop design, which is authentic for 1870s-1890s.  But they’re dropped a bit, not enough for B-Western, but not too much for Classic Cowboy.  Some modern tricks are used in the back to secure things so that the single loop is not supporting the holster and thus likely to stretch out.  The lip on the top of the holster is rolled outward like a lot of competitive rigs.  Reholstering is easy. If I miss this one, its my own fault. Jack made a 3” belt because the carving pattern needed 3”.  It is more stable than a 2-1/2”.  It doesn’t have belt loops because someone shooting percussion pistols wouldn’t have them, so the belt could be carved, too.  The holsters are angled a bit forward for ease of draw.  I wear them on or just in front of the point of the hip.