Cowboy action - gun belt width

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junkdude

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Howdy all,

I'm building a gun belt and currently stewing about the width. I can't seem to find any information regarding the Pros/Cons of 3" vs 2.5" (i.e sags less, to much weight, ?). Is it entirely personal preference? Right now I have the leather cut at 3", but need to decide if it needs a trim job before I complete the tooling and assembly.

Any users on here that can share any personal experience regarding belt width would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
is it a straight cartridge belt or a buscadero style?

seems like the buscadero rigs are usually a tad wider.

cartridge belts are usually in the 2 1/4-2 1/2" range and I would think that where you wear it and personal preference would be the deciding factors...along with cartridge length.
ie: -if you wear it over your coat or just over your pants
-if it's above or below(hips) your belt line
-if it's a crossover that holds rifle/shotgun ammo as well as revolver rounds

if the weight of leather is good sag isn't an issue.
is it gonna be lined or unlined?
 
I made one western rig. It has a three inch belt with a two inch drop at the holster. I think the belt width is a personal thing and without trying different widths you'll never know which you prefer. Cowboy Action Shooters may be able to say different.

I find the 3 inch I made is extremely comfortable but is a little wide. If I were to try another one I'd make it 2 1/2 " . I don't know if a half inch makes that much difference, but I can tell you the three inch makes it hard to bend down, sit etc. but maybe that says more about body shape than anything :)

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=576252

My western holster is at post 50.

Please post pics of your finished set-up. I'd love to see it.
 
Cagunman said:
I chose to have mine made to be 3" wide and I'm very happy with it. It's quite rigid and holds in place very well. As far as bending, the cross draw is more of an issue so I just push it back towards the left hip, then I'm fine.
Take a look.


http://www.gandjleather.com/rig140.jpg
Click to expand...

That's a nice set up. I'm curious.... when you bought that, did they require a belt size for you personally, or did they have models available that fit from X size to X size? I'm considering making a few for sale but I can't make 50 different sizes. I'd like to make some in advance rather than getting someone's size and making it for them.

Also, in CASS, is a cross draw mandatory? I watched a match this past weekend out of curiosity and I'm sure I saw both cross draw and without. Is there a CASS rule?
Anyone?
 
Yogi05 said:
That's a nice set up. I'm curious.... when you bought that, did they require a belt size for you personally, or did they have models available that fit from X size to X size? I'm considering making a few for sale but I can't make 50 different sizes. I'd like to make some in advance rather than getting someone's size and making it for them.

Also, in CASS, is a cross draw mandatory? I watched a match this past weekend out of curiosity and I'm sure I saw both cross draw and without. Is there a CASS rule?
Anyone?
Click to expand...

Depends how you make it. You can make it so both the buckle end and the belt hole end attach to the main belt body with chicago screws (or conchos), that way it can accommodate many sizes. In CAS (Cowboy action shooting) there is no mandatory rule about a cross draw. In fact a lot of silly clubs in Ontario and Canada won't allow it anyway,and THUS they cannot and should not be allowed to affiliate with SASS (Single Action Shooting Society) which is the governing body of Cowboy Shooting. You are required to use two revolvers, and both cannot be on the same side of the body. So either left and right, or strong hand and a cross draw.

As to the belt width, you will find that 2.5" is more common as mixing holsters and belts this will allow more combinations. If you are making the whole thing, then it is really up to you, but like others have said if the belt is too wide it makes moving a bit trickier. You should also think about thickness. A thicker belt you will find will support the weight a bit better, not deform and will give a feeling of sturdiness.
 
Yogi05 said:
That's a nice set up. I'm curious.... when you bought that, did they require a belt size for you personally, or did they have models available that fit from X size to X size? I'm considering making a few for sale but I can't make 50 different sizes. I'd like to make some in advance rather than getting someone's size and making it for them.

Also, in CASS, is a cross draw mandatory? I watched a match this past weekend out of curiosity and I'm sure I saw both cross draw and without. Is there a CASS rule?
Anyone?
Click to expand...

I gave him my measurements and it was made specifically for me. As for making stuff in advance I would think that you could make holsters and have the belt ready for cutting as the last step. When I placed my order my rig was ready to ship within 2 weeks.
As Tuco says In SASS you're allowed double strong side or strong side and cross draw. Whatever floats your boat.
Send me some pics of your stuff when you get some done.
 
Cagunman said:
I gave him my measurements and it was made specifically for me. As for making stuff in advance I would think that you could make holsters and have the belt ready for cutting as the last step. When I placed my order my rig was ready to ship within 2 weeks.
As Tuco says In SASS you're allowed double strong side or strong side and cross draw. Whatever floats your boat.
Send me some pics of your stuff when you get some done.
Click to expand...

I was looking around a bit after posting and I see it's normally size specific, but they do fit from so and so to so and so. If I get to it I'll do it the same way. 3 different rigs could fit 15 inches of difference in size.

There is a post link in my post above (post # 3). It just didn't show as an active link. You'd have to paste it in. I've only done a couple holsters, but it's there in that link. With pics.

Thanks for the info.
 
Thanks for the comments on belt width. The belt is just a simple straight cartridge belt. I got a couple of books/plans and supplies from Tandy leather, and then ended up making my own pattern for the holster.

I was thinking that 3" might be an issue with bending over and such, as mentioned above, so I think I'll just trim a 1/2" off to get it to 2.5". It's 9/10oz and I think I may line it also, which will make it a bit stiffer yet.

After almost completing one holster, I now completely understand why a custom made rig is expensive... actually not that expensive when you consider the labour and time involved. I'll try to post a few pics when it's done.
 
junkdude said:
Thanks for the comments on belt width. The belt is just a simple straight cartridge belt. I got a couple of books/plans and supplies from Tandy leather, and then ended up making my own pattern for the holster.

I was thinking that 3" might be an issue with bending over and such, as mentioned above, so I think I'll just trim a 1/2" off to get it to 2.5". It's 9/10oz and I think I may line it also, which will make it a bit stiffer yet.

After almost completing one holster, I now completely understand why a custom made rig is expensive... actually not that expensive when you consider the labour and time involved. I'll try to post a few pics when it's done.
Click to expand...

Lining the belt itself, in my opinion, just gives it a nice finishing touch but doesn't show when you're wearing it so isn't very necessary. But lining the holster is a good idea. With something soft obviously. Saves some wear on your guns finish. My opinion.

9/10 oz leather will be plenty stiff without adding anything else.

Faults with the one western rig I made are.... the holster tries to lift with the gun when drawing because the holster is made seperate from the belt. There's a way to put a "block" in the fold of the holster so it prevents it from rising when you draw. I can give more details if you're interested. And a lace for the leg is a good idea to prevent this as well. Again, my opinion. I'm not an expert by any means.

I chuckled when you mentioned the time and labour involved. It's a big production to make one of these.
 
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