Help with SASS rules on ammo belt

[COREY]

Howdy,

I was hoping some cowboy action shooters could give me some advice if they had some time.

I am contemplating trying out cowboy action shooting; I have all the firearms lying around, so I thought I would go out and look.

I have a holster belt with cartridge loops, 2 holsters (strong side, weak side), a unlooped holster belt, a shotgun shell slide (3 double loops), and a handgun cartridge slide). My thought was to wear the cartridge belt as my holster belt and just fill loops with dummy rounds (for the looks). My next thought was to wear the second, unlooped, belt as my ammo belt (just about my belt) and put my cartridge and shell slides on that for ammo access. I was reading the SASS handbook and am a bit confused about what is legal an what is not, so here are some questions:

1) Am I allowed to put the sliders on the unlooped belt and use that as my ammo belt? I did it this way as I have a 20 gauge now and may get a 12 later; also it is nice to be able to swap sliders if I shoot 45 or 38 without having a whole new belt.

2) Am I allowed to tie down the ammo belt to my normal pants belt, or my holster belt? My buddy says I am the wrong shape; I am 6ft and 170lbs. I tried not having it tied down, went for a 20 gauge reload, and almost punched myself in the jaw when the belt slid up and stopped in my armpits .

I would like to keep things modular, but I can call Joe Laroche and see what he can cook up for me if I need something else.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

 

[fingers284]

although I have never seen a top shell belt tied down, I don't recall reading or seeing anything in the rule book that outlaws anything you describe. The only thing I remember is that a top belt must be worn at belly button height, not up towards the rib cage.

Lots of options with the gear you already have to make something work. It sounds like your shell loops for your 20 are way too tight, your belt shouldn't move a bit when removing shells. Lots of shooters will pull shotshells up out of the holders a certain amount when they get to the firing line for ease of removal on the clock.

What you have now will work for your pistol rounds but if you do consider having another loop belt made consider this. I shot both 38 and 45 in different configurations of rifle or pistol quit commonly so I had my belt made with half 45 and half 38 loops...didn't matter what I was shooting some shell were always handy.

Another trick you can do with the kit you have is to wear the looped belt (with holsters) backwards with the buckle in the back. This puts your reloads to the front where they are quickly available. You can even use your shotgun slide over this one belt (some of the pistol cal will still be obtainable ) . You will have to change your holsters from side to side but all your reloads are within easy reach and on one belt.

 

[reg394]

The only belt that must float freely is a bandolier style. Regarding your belt climbing when you pull out cartridge's. The loops are too tight. Some of our faster competitors look like a shell storm as they run between shooting positions, cartridges falling out of the really loose loops...

 

[trenchgun]

Howdy Corey,

A definite yes to your first question. I have seen guys who don't even bother with a shotgun belt and just use sliders in their gun belt or who use both to hold extra shells; some days 6 shells aren't even close to enough haha.

As for your second question, and as noted above, the rule about your shotgun belt not being worn above your navel would certainly seem to allow your idea of hitching one belt to the other, I couldn't find anything in the SASS shooters handbook that said otherwise. Just make sure the tie down is safe and that it won't get in your way and you should be fine.

Your other option, and one I use on my belts, is line the inside with suede. It sticks like glue!

 

[trenchgun]

Also the novelty of lugging those dummy rounds around the range will wear thin in a hurry. If you start looking for another rig don't bother with them.

 

[COREY]

Do people wear handgun cartridges on the upper belt or primarily shotgun shells? Most photos I have seen show shotgun shells, but some show cartridges also. I have an exterior matching set of Ruger Bisley's, but one is 357 and one is 45 Colt (not enough cash for two sets), so I am trying to figure out how to set up something to work for everything. I can turn the lower belt around and use it for the 38 rounds, but I am still lacking on the 45 slider.

Something that I tired that has worked is I have cut the buckles off of a set of nickel suspenders and laced them onto the ammo belt. A good hard yank and they no wedgy or armpit ammo .

 

[fingers284]

No law against pistol shells on the top belt, can be permanent loops or slider. Another cheap option for your .45's is just purchase a "shell caddy" (caliber specific) that we use to carry shells from gun cart to loading table and carry a few shells in it to the firing line(hanging from your belt or anything handy for that matter). I hung mine from a long rifle shell (38-55 or 45-70), whatever fit in one of the pistol belt loops.

 

[trenchgun]

The belt on which you decide to locate your spare rifle/pistol ammo is entirely up to you. I prefer 5 loops on the right-side of my shotshell belt as they're usually out of the way there and easy to access for reloads if need be or in the event of jacking a live round out (that happens more often than reloading on the clock).

Best course of action is play around with your modular stuff for a while to figure out what works so that if you decide to invest in a serious rig you'll know what you want and where you want it.

Although it's a bit of a hassle for the time being I wouldn't worry about matching up your caliber until you've had a chance to do some shooting, see what kinds of iron folks are running, and also decide on what category you want to shoot. That'll have an impact on the specs for any leather you may look into buying as well. Most guys are pretty willing to let you try their guns and gear so definitely take advantage and see what works best for you.

 

[Toller]

Only belt that you cannot use a slide on is a shotgun belt. It is illegal to to have a slide positioned over the shotgun loops, as it pushes the slide away from your body creating a competitive advantage. Slide over pistol loops is legal. I personally like the Tupelo Bando bandoleer from Tombstone Leather as it is easy to use for a stage and then remove until the next stage. Less to carry around all day.