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Over the years, I have accumulated a large
quantity of holsters. Some I use, but most I do not. How they
made their way into my holster pile I do not know, but some are
poorly designed, poorly executed, or both. However, I also have
a few good holsters and belts which see quite a bit of use.
Several are concealment holsters built for social work, but a
few are for field use. Some of my favorites are Western style
belt / holster rigs. Western rigs are very popular these days
with shooters, whether they compete in fast draw, Cowboy
Action Shooting, or just like to wear their guns in a
good old west rig.
Most Western style rigs are not to my liking.
Usually, the belts are too stiff, and the holsters too soft,
which is just the opposite of what they should be. I like a
soft, supple, flexible belt that is just stiff enough for good
support, but will bend and flex with the wearer. I like the
holster to be on the stiff side. It needs to hold its shape well
for easy re-holstering of the sixgun. Also, a too-soft holster
will tend to slow the draw a bit. Stiff belts and soft holsters
seem to dominate the supply of Western rigs available, resulting
in uncomfortable carry of a good sixgun.
My favorite style of Western rig is the one made
famous by John
Wayne. He understood what a good rig should be, and the
one that he wore in numerous movies has become known as the
"John Wayne, "Duke", or other similar term. His
rig was simple, yet almost perfect for the carry of a good
sixgun. The belt was soft and flexible, finished in its natural
color, with a simple single loop holster. The cartridge loops
and billet were dyed to match the tan holster.
Several holster makers attempt to make a good
John Wayne style rig, but most miss the mark slightly. The best
Wayne style rig that I have seen is made by a relatively new
holster company called Sixgunner.com Leather. Joel
Cosby is the owner of Sixgunner.com, and the holster
business grew out of that website. Joel saw that the demand was
there for top quality leather for shooters, even with all of the
holster rigs currently available on the market.
Speaking by telephone with Joel one day about
proper holster rigs, I told him that what I really liked was a
good, comfortable, Duke style rig, but that nobody really did it
just right. Joel stated that he could fix me up, and that I
would not be disappointed. Turns out that he was right. His rigs
are made to order, but after a while, the package arrived, and
the contents exceeded my expectations.
As can be seen in the pictures better than words
can describe, Sixgunner.com Leather’s J.W. rig is a beautiful
piece of workmanship. The contrast of the natural belt with the
tanned holster and trimmings is striking. The two and
one-half inch belt is suede lined, and offers good support, but
is still flexible enough for comfort. The stitching is
well-executed, and the belt wears twenty cartridge loops and a
nickel-plated buckle.
The holster is where Joel really got it right.
It is plenty stiff for a clean, quick draw and easy
re-holstering. Looking at the top of the holster, it is readily
apparent that Joel understands sixguns and holsters. The top
edge is rolled away from the vertical line of the holster body,
to ease sliding the sixgun back into the holster without the
cylinder hanging up on the leather. This should seem obvious to
anyone, but many holster makers ignore this simple little
detail. I usually have to do this on my holsters after I buy
them, but this holster is done properly from the factory. Nice
touch. Little details like this separate good holsters from
great holsters. The J.W. holster is made from high quality
leather, and properly styled with a single loop. My sample is
lined, but it is also available unlined, if the customer so
desires. I prefer the lined. The leg tie-down is done
correctly on this holster, and the hammer thong wears a leather
tab that greatly enhances its ease of use. This holster is
designed just right, and expertly crafted, with no frills or
floral stampings, just as John Wayne, and myself, prefer. It is
classically beautiful, and an excellent working holster rig. I
expect that the appearance of the natural leather will just get
better with age and wear. It goes perfectly with my Shootists
U.S. Firearms Limited edition Single Action Army .44
Special sixgun. These were built last year to commemorate the
twentieth anniversary of the organization that was founded by John
Taffin. Mine is number 37, of a total of 55 built for
the Shootists.
Sixgunner.com Leather makes these holsters to
order, to fit just about any sixgun make and caliber. The list
of options is varied enough to suit any need, and ordering
online is easy. The customer just chooses from the options
offered, with drop-down boxes for each selection. Also, the
prices on Sixgunner.com Leather’s holsters and belts are very
reasonable, priced well below comparable rigs from most other
makers.
As stated at the beginning of this piece, I have
a lot of western rigs. I now have a new favorite. The J.W. rig
from Sixgunner.com leather is a beautiful, practical, and
comfortable rig, and I highly recommend it.
View the entire line of quality Sixgunner.com
Leather products online at: http://shop.sixgunner.com/.
Jeff Quinn
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Click pictures for a larger version.
J.W. Holster and Belt Rig from Sixgunner.com Leather.
Jeff wore the Sixgunner.com J.W. rig at the 2006
Shootist Holiday, recently held at the NRA Whittington Center
near Raton, New Mexico.
The author is proud to be a member of the Shootists.
Jeff's U.S. Firearms Single-Action Army .44 Special (number 37
of 55 made), produced last year to commemorate the twentieth
anniversary of the Shootist Holiday, is right at home in the
Sixgunner.com J.W. rig.
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