Continuing on last week’s clothing theme, today I’m going to discuss holsters in the hopes of helping new shooters avoid confusion with this all-important part of SASS equipment.
Revolver holsters seem a simple idea–their primary purpose being to safely carry a revolver throughout a normal range of motion–but there are a few things to watch out for when selecting your holsters:
- Main match holsters must be located one each on either side of the belly button and separated by at least two fists.
- Holsters may not depart from the vertical by more than 30° when worn. (See illustration below directly from the RO1 Handbook)
- Particularly when using a crossdraw or shoulder holster, attention is required by the shooter to avoid the revolver leaving the holster and subsequently breaking the 170° rule. (Further clarification below).
- If you’re shooting in one of the costume categories, there are some additional stipulations on design:
- Classic Cowboy/Cowgirl: Part of the grip of the revolver, when holstered, must be above the belt on which the holster hangs.
- B-Western/Lady B-Western: Buscadero or drop holster rigs are required. All revolvers must be carried below the top of the gun belt. Additionally, in keeping with the B-Western theme, all holsters must be embellished.
Holsters and the 170° Rule
As with all firearms, the 170° rule applies to revolvers. However, there is a specific exception for revolvers during the holstering/unholstering process. I will quote directly from the Shooter’s Handbook v25.1, page 3:
When drawing a revolver, the muzzle may be oriented into the straight down (180°) as it clears leather; but must then go immediately into the downrange 170° (and vice versa on the return). These restrictions against breaking the downrange 180° angle apply to all holsters and methods of draw/re-holster. This allowance applies to all types/styles of holsters, from canted double strong side to cross draw, to shoulder/Huckleberry rigs.
Shooter’s Handbook, version 25.1
That’s it for this week! Thanks for reading and don’t forget to sign up for our match announcement list if you haven’t already, and take a look at the rest of our Bulletin Board for all our other posts.