[Jim March]

...I may have gone too far this time :).

It works great. It carries my 4.68" tube Ruger New Vaquero (Colt SAA size) 357 high on the strong side, close to the body. Looks decent enough, and wouldn't be too surprising to most folks, but...somebody "in the know" would look twice I think.

Looks pretty standard from side view:

http://www.equalccw.com/need4speed1small.jpg

From the front though:

http://www.equalccw.com/need4speed2small.jpg

Yeah, that red is the front sight:

http://www.equalccw.com/need4speed3small.jpg

Everything that touches the gun is .060" kydex, smooth side. So are the front "lips" each side of the forward opening. The leather plate has two jobs: hide all the ugly kydex underneath, and hold the rig at the appropriate angle. The two forward (oval) conchos are screwed through the leather and outermost layer of kydex "taco fold" forming each lip. The trailing concho is hiding an attachment point between kydex and leather.

The kydex across the body of the gun is actually in two pieces: one fold just covers the barrel and the other starts at the forward part of the triggerguard (lightly grabbing it). The two sections overlap by about 1", and that in turn is what allows all this in the first place. At that 1" section, a total of .125" of kydex is forming a "C" around the gun, gently holding it from behind. And then the two lips (each folded back about an inch) stiffen each front lip to the point where this whole insane concept is practical. The top lip is held together with heavy stitching plus the conchos; the lower lip is held by paracord lacing which also forms the forward belt loop...which can be re-laced and adjusted to any vertical height.

Now to score a couple hundred blanks and head out into the desert, figure out just how fast this bad boy really is...

What else...you might note that the grip frame finish is starting to wear a bit. It's "honest wear" and it doesn't bother me a bit...gives it character :).

[Old Fuff]

Well it is... ah... da... different ........ :cool:

I think maybe you were born 150 years too late. :neener:

[gomer]

I think I saw one like that on the "Three Amigos"..
Very south of the border :eek:

[ARTiger]

Not to dog Jim's holster (looks fast anyhow), I know a former Hell's Angel who's now a Baptist preacher. That holster looks just like his Bible cover.:D

[44and45]

As to holster making, don't quit your day job...:D

Jim :)

[Jim March]

Heh. I'm just messing around with concepts for personal use.

[Candiru]

That's a really fascinating idea for holster construction. Is the tension high enough to prevent pulling through the front of the fold, or can you shave some time off by swinging the barrel up before it clears the holster proper? I imagine the concept would still work even if you shrank the holster down to around the size of a belt slide and just concentrated on gripping the cylinder and trigger guard--that way you would only need a few inches of vertical pull before being able to swing the barrel forward through the lips of the holster. It would make for one quick draw, although retention might not be that great.

Also, I like guns that show wear; means they're being used as intended. Care to share some more pictures of your Vaquero?

[Jim March]

http://www.equalccw.com/vaqhawk.jpg

Only mods since is some sight paint plus I've rounded out the butt on the original panels. That's what that "triangular" polished area is - basically the grips are tuned to a pinkie-under hold.

[Candiru]

Thanks for sharing those. I was wondering what was going on with that front sight...

[Ben Shepherd]

Jim(alias now seems to be Quickdraw Mcgraw)-

OBVIOUSLY you have had too much free time on your hands lately. Get back to work.:D

[P95Carry]

''Different'' Jim - for sure ;)

Like the wear on gun's back strap - shows a well used and loved piece!:)

[Dirty Bob]

Hey, Jim,

Great post. You're one of the very few THR members that I actually look for in the Search feature. I always enjoy your posts, especially on single actions. As a former resident of the Bay Area, I feel your pain on some other issues.

Why bother with blanks? Wax bullets, powered by primers, seem even safer than blanks and are easy to put together at home. Just pour some paraffin about 1/2-inch deep into a pan, then press the empty cases into the wax before it completely hardens, then prime just before you go to your shooting session. You may have to enlarge the primer flash hole a bit.

I find wax to be accurate at short range, and it will punch paper targets just fine. Try it, you might like it!

BTW: it's all your fault that I'm looking for a lightly-used Ruger New Vaquero in .45 Colt!

Regards,
Dirty Bob

[Jim March]

I carry this holster a LOT:

http://www.equalccw.com/doubletroublesmall.jpg

In it's own way it's even weirder :).

The small gun is a Freedom Arms 4-shot 22Magnum mini. I carry it three-up, hammer down on an empty. It's retained by a leather hammer-thong that has a hole for the hammer tip, which in turn is connected to a piece of bungie cord completely hidden and running down the top of the frame and barrel. I originally had the same thing going on the hammer of the Charter Arms Undercover but, it wasn't necessary. This isn't wet-molded leather, it's just two pieces "taco folded" from the front and leather-laced around two edges. The conchos are hiding cross-stitching tightening the layers.

On the Ruger holster, I considered adding a mini-holster for this SA somewhere towards the rear...but it looks funky enough as is :).

I can't be the only one experimenting with weird rigs...

[Iggy]

I can't remember the Maker's name, but I seems to me that your holster is similar in concept to one the CHP motor officers carried their revolvers in years ago.

There was a similar one that was a clam shell on a swivel.


I will say this, You are like the guys on Star Trek.. You are going where no one else has dared to go!!:D :D

[Dirty Bob]

Jim,

I like the second rig quite a bit. One of the first things that occurred to me is that it doesn't look like a holster at all. Without the two arms, it could be a PDA and flashlight pouch on your belt. Keep experimenting, and we'll keep looking on with interest. I think this double rig has a lot of promise.

Regards,
Dirty Bob