CAS Lookin' for Leather

S

Sneaky Potato

New member
I'm looking to get into CAS, but I'm looking for a inexpensive leather rig to start with. I'm talking like a hundred bucks. I know there's gotta be guys who have been in this boat before. Any suggestions? :confused:

And no, a rope with an old sock stapled to each side does not count as a cheap rig :D
 
Bigbadgun is a member of Thefiringline and Thehighroad. He'll work with folks to make an entire custom rig that fits within their budget. He hasn't visited here lately but it might help to let him know that we sent you.

http://www.bbgcustomleather.com/
 
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mines just a cheaply stamped rather than tooled 2 gun rig... I think it was like $75.00 or so when I bought it from Sportsmans Guide... I started making my own leather stuff, this last year & it's good enough, that I haven't replaced it with one of mine yet...
 
Hey, 'Tater.

I worked my way into SASS one piece at a time, finding loose change in the couch cushions so I am right there with you on the frugality thing but remember the "buy once, cry once' mantra. Some of the best advice I got was to avoid cheap leather. It seldom works out well. On the other hand you don't have to spend $500 on premium leather to get started.

Most of the inexpensive leather is soft. Makes it difficult to re-holster on the clock. If you shop around you can find decent leather that is stiff enough to hold its shape. I bought my belt and holsters from Reddog Leather-search for his store on eBay.

Remember that for a SASS outfit your leather needs include a gunbelt, two holsters and usually a separate shotshell belt.

Here is a link to a company that sells a starter rig that combines the shotshell belt with the gunbelt, for only the price of dinner out above your stated budget: http://knightsleatherproducts.com/StarterRig.html

My other suggestion is to attend a match and see if anyone has a starter rig for sale cheap. Sometimes you get lucky that way.

I just ordered a shotshell belt alone that cost more than your budget. The good stuff costs more than the cheap stuff, for a reason. It works.
 
those look like nice rigs for the money

mine from Sportsmans Guide is stiff enough that it works pretty good ( I made 8 CCW holster for people for Christmas ) so I have no issue doing leather work... & mine has been good enough that I haven't replaced it...

... but it didn't come with a shot shell holder... that I'm ordering elsewhere

CRUNCHY... do you have a rig that buckles in the back like those in the link ??? I don't think I'd like that... suppose you buckle it in front then spin it around... would be nice to have the shot shell loops on the gun belt though...

... thought about adding some to my existing belt, rather than having to put a 2nd belt on...
 
My gunbelt is a conventional affair with the buckle in front and cartridge loops in the back. I've found that the cartridge loops are pretty useless.

I buckle on the shotgun belt and spin the buckle to the rear. It's no big deal.

Some of the gunbelts designed for ladies buckle in the back (or have two buckles on the sides) and have shotshell loops up front.

Everything is a compromise. Having one belt for everything is simpler and less expensive. I find having shotshells on a separate belt, a little higher than the gunbelt, is faster. Not that I'm in danger of "winning the Cadillac", you understand.

There are shotshell "slides" that you can add to your gunbelt. Some will carry the shells higher than the belt.
 
Another option is along the lines of what I did. I found a local leather guy. He worked with me on building rigs for me and my two kiddos out of quality leather -- and he worked with me on the price for each and the payment plan (I paid him out over a few months). He actually built my 8 y/o's for nothing (although I gave him some stuff that I knew he'd like afterwards) "because I'm helpin' out a new, young shooter."

Just might be an option. Check with the shooters at your local club for local guys who do leather.

Just and idea.
 
Thanks everyone for the great advice. Crunchy, I'll probably end up going with that belt. Looks well built and I like the fact I don't have to wear that shotgun belt above my normal gun belt.

Lets say I had a soft, cheap rig that made it difficult to re-holster while on the clock. Is there anything I could do to stiffen the leather to make life easier?

And for those of you that have made your own leather, I was even playing with that idea. Any good articles on making your own gunbelt? Thanks guys! :D
 
SNEAKY... if you are capable of working with leather...

it would be pretty easy to pick up some heavy strapping, & sew in onto the outside of the mouth of the holster... in effect doubling ( or more ) the thickness of the opening... if you use the strap piece a little longer, it will naturally bow outward & you should be set...
 
Cheap Holsters

I sure like the "holster rack" big bad Gun uses for display!!! Purty red rack!
Cabelas holsters are OK for the first few times but they are soft leather and wwon't take a lot of quick draw and jamming the gun back in the holster.
For just general use the BP holsters are pretty nice. Made by Triple-K they are very low priced andwell made. I looked around for quite a while for a custom holster to fit my Piettia '62 Police model but prices got quickly out of hand. I just wanted a field holster so I bought one of the Cabela's holsters and trimmed 1 1/2" off the end.
I like two types of holsters. Plain and unembellished or heavilly tooled. One to dissapear one to draw attention to the gun. A thin California-type draws little attention to the gun
Frankilly the gun looks GREAT in it andit's a perfect lightweight belt holster that dosen't draw a lot of attention to it on the trail! So many people get goosebumps when they see a gun anymore... if asked I just say it's for varmits and snakes.
The truth is you are NOT going to get a custom holster cheaply. Skill and good handmade workmanship dosen't come cheap! for heavy use, spend the money and get a good rig.
I found a beautifull handmade sholder rig on clearance at one of the CAS outfitters for my 4 5/8" Vaquero for only $59! Since Sholder rigs aren't competition certified for safety reasons and once in a while you can find real deals on them! Since your gun only spends a short time in the competition rig and all it's other time outside the safe somewhere on your person, a period correct sholder rig is kinda cool to have!
JMHO,
ZVP
 
Those sites have some great products. Thanks again. I liked the idea of making my own, and the TheTandyLeatherFactory.com has pretty simple kits to make your own rigs (pre cut leather that includes leather ties to bind the pieces together, and requires staining and finishing) ...but I have no experience with this company and I'm unsure if the leather would be thick and sturdy enough to actually be more than just a novelty :(

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/Kits/44451-436.aspx

(the above link is only for the holster...the cartridge belt is separate)

I like the idea of making my own because I could probably even run a thin oval wire through the mouth of the leather in order to keep the holster open, but again I'm no craftsman. :D
 
I will add here that an old friend of mine who recently started shooting cowboy has been making leathergoods as a hobby for some time. He made his own rig and likes it. I'm sure there are lots of folks who have the ability to do this.

Another suggestion for new SASS shooters is to avoid holsters with covered trigger guards. They slow down the draw and the re-holstering. Yes, I understand many of the "period" holsters had covered trigger guards but those users weren't trying to shoot a stage in less than 20 seconds.

If you are a new cowboy shooter, here's a basic suggestion to get started: Don't buy anything before attending a match or two and seeing what people are using. Ask them what works. They will be tickled to tell you.
 
I make my own holsters from Tandy Leather. I only took about 3-4 trys before I got it right and now am getting ready to do another set that are lined. If you have any leather skills at all it's not too hard. Mine are not near as pretty as the commercial rigs but ar definitely usable.

If you have your shot shells on your pistol belt and are wearing them in front successfully then you have not spent the time developing the front porch that a lot of us have.

I wear mine (8 shell slide) on a separate belt above my gun belt.
 
The Tandy route is a good one IMO - I wanted a holster for my Ruger Old Army last winter. Somebody,,here I think - told me to make one.

I did and in the process I got myself into a very fun and rewarding new hobby to keep me out of trouble in winter time.

With the help of a $12 book "How to make holsters" I traced out the guns and designed the patterns for these and made them from scratch.

this was my first effort

DSCF4359.jpg


and a couple others

DSCF4408.jpg

DSCF4412.jpg


DSCF4379.jpg

DSCF4384.jpg

DSCF4386.jpg
 
Great pics! My only concern is that the pics of the holster and belt from Tandy look a little thin. Can anyone confirm this? I'd probably really enjoy making my own rig, but I'm just afraid I'm gonna spend $100 and the leather is going to be complete junk, and I would have been better off spending the money elsewhere
 
egor20, that site has some great leather. I'm thinking about getting the Rooster Cogburn...the leather seems pretty good and the price is just right. Just wish Triple K would quit using that darned red dye on their holsters and belts :eek:

Is it possible to redye a holster and belt without ruining it?
 
Nice work!
I especally like the California Holster and the Western Holster above it.
I like the look of the old style holsters they don't have external snaps and look "period". I especally like the thumb hole for hammer retention of the Revolver!
ZVP
 
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