Gunblast.com did a review of a great concealment
holster from Mernickle Custom Leather
back in August of 2003. Since that time, I have received many
positive email messages from satisfied customers of Bob
Mernickle, and have continued to use the PS6-SA to carry a
Blackhawk .45 concealed. The more that I use that holster,
the better I like it.
A couple of months ago, Bob and I were talking
about holsters in general, and Fast Draw and Cowboy Action
holsters in particular; discussing their characteristics and
similarities, along with the needs of the participants in each
sport. After a little discussion, I learned that Bob makes a
Fast Draw rig that is legal for Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS).
With CAS being one of the fastest growing shooting sports, and
Bob being an expert Fast Draw artist, I managed to persuade him
to send me one of his rigs for test and evaluation. Within about
4 weeks, the big brown truck of happiness delivered the
anxiously anticipated package containing the FD-9 Fast Draw
rig.
The example sent to me is cut to fit the Ruger
Vaquero revolver, and has twenty-four .44 to .45 caliber
cartridge loops sewn onto the beautiful hand-carved belt. The
carving was done by Bob’s Master Carver, Bonnie Lynn,
and runs the entire length of the belt, including the billets,
and the steel-lined holster is carved to match. The rig is
finished in black, and wears a beautiful engraved silver buckle.
The belt is almost one-quarter of an inch thick, and measures a
little over two and one-half inches wide. The leather holster is
fully lined and secured to the belt to insure against movement,
and has a leg belt to keep the gun in position during the draw.
The holster also has Mernickle’s SAFELEG
bullet deflector to protect the shooter’s leg in the event of
a premature discharge. As stated earlier, the holster is fully
steel lined, and provides a rigid pocket for the gun that
doesn’t hinder the draw. For retention, the FD-9 has a hammer
thong retention strap to securely hold the sixgun until needed.
The holster angle on the CAS version of the FD-9 is not as
radical as the angle on a holster built only for pure Fast Draw
competition, but still allows for an extremely fast gun
presentation. I am no World Class Fast Draw competitor, but I
was able to draw my Vaquero from the FD-9 faster than with any
rig that I have ever tried. The build of the holster positions
the grip well away from the body to place the gun in an
excellent position for the draw, and with the built-in rigidity
of the rig, the grip is right where it should be, every time.
The quality of the FD-9 is the best that I have
ever seen in a Fast Draw or Cowboy Action rig of any type, and
is built for professionals by professionals. Many of the
World’s top Fast Draw shooters use Bob Mernickle holsters, and
several World’s records were set using these holsters. These
are truly one-at-a-time custom rigs that are built for speed,
safety, durability, and beauty. I have never seen better,
at any price.
Check out the extensive line of Mernickle
holsters and belts for any purpose online at: www.mernickleholsters.com.
Jeff Quinn
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