Looking for a place where I can read on Holsters & belt

[Ace Lungger]

I need to learn the proper name for different Holsters and belts designs! I know what a skirt holster is, I dont know what you call a holster that slides on the belt, and I don't know what you call a belt that you have a slot cut in (most of these type belts have skirt holsters.
I just don't want to look like a real dumbby when explaining a rig.

Again, I will be most great full for any and all help!
ACE

[Deadeye Don]

Best source is "Packing Iron".  Get it.  Read it.  Love it.   

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Don is right, Packing Iron is an outstanding reference. It'll answer a lot of your questions as well as cause you to drool a lot.

Basically, there are two holster styles. The California, or Slimjim, is an earlier style that doesn't have any skirt.

The ones where the pouch is extended and folded down behind the holster is a skirted holster. Lots of variations of these. When the skirt is cut to make a strap and the holster is folded back through it is a Mexican Loop.

When a slot is cut in the belt and the skirt slipped through that slot before assembling the holster is called a drop-loop or buscadero rig.

Cheyenne, Dodge City, West Texas and others are merely variations of the Mexican loop holster and called what they are by the area where they were made and/or became popular. Start cruising through the sites of the pards who make leather to sell and you can get a good feel for what things are.

Maybe some of the more historically knowledgable pards can shed more light on this for us.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

                                                                         Packing Iron

[Ace Lungger]

Thanks Pards!
M.W. Thank you for the way you explianed it!
I do have the Packing Iron book, but can't read it because of the drolling over the pic's
And I knew I needed to read it, and i am going to!!

Thanks so much Pards!
I thought I was going to make a Super Fancy rig for a young lady just starting off in CAS, her husband also just started he bought Triple K., and I think when I told here it might take me 2 weeks (because of the back) I don't think he wanted to wait
I was so excited to make a custom rig for someone other than me Maybe some day

Thanks again
ACE

[Deadeye Don]

Ace,  I know what you mean about the Packing Iron book.  It is real hard to get past the pictures.

[Slowhand Bob]

There are certain parts that you will find do not have a set nomenclature.  I have made more than a few Ranger style belts through the years but had never herd anyone use the term chape until I purchased the Will Ghormley belt patterns, I had always referred to this as the buckle strap or buckle billet. 

[outrider]

Slowhand

do a search for the word chape....there are several definitions for it in Webster's

[Slowhand Bob]

Outrider, the dictionary, what a unique idea.  Never have been a great fan of Websters, I have always tended to get bored with his book before gitting past the first page!  At any rate I followed yore advice and only had one definition in my edition (I'm a poet and didn't know it),  "the metal mounting or trimming of a scabbard or sheath".  HMMM, this would not even necessarily indicate a buckle billet.  This gits almost as teknickel as trying to figure all them double, triple and quadruple recurves they keep talkin about in 'PACKING IRON'.

[outrider]

Slowhand,

According to the Webster's revised dictionary...one meaning is:  Chape:  "The piece by which an object is attached to something, as the frog of a scabbard or the metal loop at the back of a buckle by which it is fastened to a strap"...whewwwwww  was a sentence that one was

[Slowhand Bob]

Thanks Outrider but it does leave me further from considering the definition as describeing the actual leather bucle billet being described by ole Webster.  This sounds like a definition for what I refer to as the buckles strap 'bar', as in center bar or heel bar etc.  Oh well, I flunked out on English anyhows!

[Tommy tornado]

http://eightbits.home.att.net/

Here is another gem of info.

[Dalton Masterson]

Thats a great site TT! I forgot about EightBits' patterns. They were some of the first patterns I used/learned on.
Eightbits, if your out there, thanks! DM

[Ace Lungger]

T.T.,
I had forgot about that place to, I had run acrossed it a while back and never gave it to thoughts, but M.W. I think explain to me good enought.
But thanks for posting!!
ACE

[Slowhand Bob]

Do not forget that Wild Rose has several sites that are specific to leatherwork.  There is another site, that I'll have to look up, which has some good material, mainly on carving.  Ill try to update this tonight.