Leather

I’m a holster junkie, I admit it. I have dozens of holsters. I have holsters in nylon, leather, plastic and metal. I have shoulder holsters, ankle holsters, IWB holsters, clip holsters, and duty holsters. You name it and I have it, or had it. Most of my holster purchases have been to cover a perceived need, but recently (the last couple of years) I have been leaning toward custom holsters.

You see the problem isn’t the style of holster, but the quality. Most people are willing to spend 1000 dollars on a gun, but wont pony up more then 50 bucks on a holster and then are never satisfied. If you are willing to spend 100 to 200 dollars on a holster then you will probably be happy with what you get. The same holster for 50 bucks just isn’t the same holster.

When I started cowboy shooting I wasn’t really sure what I was wanting. I ended up buying a double buscadero rig from Nevada Leather for about 200 bucks. The rig was made in South Africa and wasn’t a bad rig, but it never really fit well, and I wasn’t particularly happy with it. I decided to try my hand at a crossdraw rig so I picked another rig up from Wildlife and Western Wonders for about 160 bucks. This one had a strong side straight drop and a crossdraw that pushed the 30 degree rule to the limit. It worked well, but wasn’t made of very good quality material and was already wearing out after one season. So I decided on my third gun rig in as many years, but this time I was going high quality custom.

I found what I was looking for at the 2004 SASS Convention. Ted Blocker made a gun rig called the Judgment Day rig, and since it was my namesake I had to buy it. I got to custom pick the color, border stamp, buckle, conchos, and all the other bells and whistles. This rig was a double straight drop with a metal strip inside the holster tang that connects it to the belt. That allowed me to adjust the holsters anyway I liked for cant and drop. When I tried it on it was the most comfortable belt I had ever worn (and I’ve worn gun belts for over17 years) I loved the rig so much I ordered a custom shotgun belt to go with it.

All of the pictures are from my signiture rig the "Judgment Day" or as I like to call it "The Judge Mint Day"

In the end take your time, shop around, and spend the dough. You will be much happier with a quality rig from a custom house then an off the rack special that meets your budget. Trust me on this you will be happier spending the money.