What Holster to wear

[Strawberry Bill]

I'm trying to gear up without the benefit of a local club and was wondering what classes I could shoot in with Uberti 1873 Cattlemans in 357mag and what holsters are allowed

[Deadeye Don]

Hi Bill.  Are you interested in shooting in NCOWS, SASS or Western 3 gun?  It may well make a difference in the reponses you get.

[Strawberry Bill]

I'll be shooting SASS

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[Deadeye Don]

Ok Bill,  I will let active SASS members answer your question then.

[Modoc]

Hello again Bill

You caught me on a talkative night, usually I just skulk through and don't say much.  With the pistols that you chose, you can shoot in all but the Plainsman and Modern Categories, there SASS says that the pistols need to be cap and ball or adjustable sights respectively.

As for holsters for SASS, I look for:
a.  Retention - will it hold the pistol through reasonable movement, remember we are not climbing the wall or jumping onto the horse here
b.  Ease of draw - can I get the pistol out easily?  Also, can I easily reholster the pistol?
c.  What kind of outfit am I building?  A classic Purdy Gear Slim-jim looks out of place on a "B" Western glitter and fringe outfit, while a buscadero rig looks out of place with military britches and a buckskin shirt.  They both work, but may not quite fit the picture

A couple of good manufacturers are Purdy Gearhttp://www.purdygear.com/index.html and Nolan Sacket for traditional leather, while Kirkpatrick Leather Co. http://kirkpatrickleather.com/ has some very nice rigs also.

I have a tendency to use which ever type of rig (traditional/movie) as the spirit moves me that morning.  Note, I have been playing a while and collected these as I went.

I started out with some inexpensive holsters and over time have progressed into some very good custom leather from a local maker.  A big key is to look around at what is available and try them if you can. 

BTW, where are you located?  We have pards scattered to the four winds, so one of us may be local.

[Ransom Gaer]

Strawberry Bill,

To add to what Modoc said you will not be able to shoot in Frontiersman or Classic Cowboy.  Plainsman is actually a side match using percussion revolvers and single shot rifles, among other things.  Frontiersman is the cap and ball main match category.  Classic Cowboy has a minimum caliber of .40 caliber.  So you can use .38-40(.401 bore size) or larger and .36 or larger cap and ball.

I can't add much regarding holsters.  I use a pair of slim jims from Olde West Reproductions for my 1860 Armies.  They are great.  They are a little slow to draw from, but then I am using revolvers with eight inch barrels.  That's what I get for shooting in Frontiersman.

Ransom Gaer

[ghostsix]

I have known John Bianchi for a long time. I usualy have him make my leather.
It was good enough for John Wayne.

[panhead pete]

Howdy Bill,

Although you are shooting SASS, you may also consider your clothing and what type of "impression" you wish to portray.  If you lean toward the B-Western & Hollywood style, then a fancy rig perhaps with spots and conchos would be appropriate.  If you want to be more historic, then a simpler or a tooled rig would be more in line. 

Hope this helps, Amigo.

Panhead Pete