Holster and gun belt storage

[Indiana MarkVII]

I have a question about how to store gun belts with attached holsters. Of primary concern to me is a gun belt rig with about 26 or 28 cartridge loops which are filled with dummies. The holster is steel lined, so that it sticks down from the belt. I can coil the belt, but what is the best way to stash this rig in storage without twisting the leather or bending the holster?

[hocfutue]

Note: eventually you will get verdegris (that green gunk you find on older leather/metal) between the leather and brass if you leave brass in the ammo loops.

As to storing your rig, just loosely wrap the belt ends around the holster, and you should be good to go.

[Indiana MarkVII]

Thanks for the suggestion on storing the rig. Now I need a box big enough to store the coiled rig, saddle bags, and poncho. The 1851 Navy and the hat are back in their boxes, and my goal is to keep it all together, so parts don't get misplaced or lost. The dummy bullets are plated silver, and although they tarnish over time, they can still be polished with a silver cloths. Will the silver cause the same issue as brass would?

Indiana MarkVII

[hocfutue]

Silver shouldn't be an issue since verdegris is copper chloride and you need copper to make it (such as from copper, brass, bronze.) So, unless the silver plating rubs off, and there's brass underneath, silver shouldn't be a problem.

Is the 1851 Navy a cartridge conversion, since it is a cap-and-ball revolver?

For my Western gear (I do SASS from time to time) I've kept my rig and other gear in the saddle bags. Works pretty well.

[Indiana MarkVII]

My 1851 Navy is a replica, and is a blank shooter, I believe it's 9mm. The barrel end is plugged, but you can stick a pinky finger in the end, and it is painted red inside, but no bright orange tip on the outside. I have some small "blanks"(?), but I'm hesitant to try one out in the pistol, as I don't want to fire it inside my house or my yard, which is in the middle of the city. The "silver bullets" are just for show and to fill the cartridge loops. This ensemble is for my Man with No Name outfit, and I don't really know what type of cartridges Clint Eastwood wore in those movies. The CASS sound like it could be fun, but I can't afford any new activities since I've been out of work for over a year. The Man with No Name outfit was all put together two years ago, but never worn until this Halloween. Are you shooting real bullets in CASS?

[Brett]

I have several cowboy rigs, I also just roll the belts around the holsters with guns left in and lay them on shelves in the safe. But dont leave the ammo in because the 'green gunk' will cause the shells to stick in the cylinder after you shoot them and makes for extra cleaning. Shooting= cleaning=

[hocfutue]

Yup, Cowboy Action Shooting uses real bullets, with revolvers, shotgun, and lever-action rifles of pre-1890s design, dropping steelplate targets from various positions. You're scored on accuracy as well as time. You have to draw from the holsters, move between firing positions, sometimes even recite dialogue, depending on the stage scenarios. It's a ridiculous amount of fun.

Each category (traditional, gunfighter, modern, b-movie, blackpowder, etc.) have specific costume and handling requirements.

An Indy-based version of it would be a real hoot. The Nepal barfight stage would require whip-work, punching henchmen cutouts, shooting targets, switching between a revolver and a magically appearing Browning...

[Indiana MarkVII]

That sounds like a lot of fun, but could get costly with real guns and bullets, outfitted in period clothing and weaponry. I have seen the websites for at least two groups in the Phoenix metro area, so maybe I'll make a visit to one someday soon.

If the weaponry needs to be pre 1890, how could they concoct an Indy Raven Bar scene? Where Indy's guns that old?

[hoose55]

Verdigris, that's what that is! I recently happened upon some old batteries in a drawer. Verdigris is also known as aerugo. I didn't know how to pronounce verdigris so I looked it up and found aerugo. I love dictionary.com!
Thanks!
J-