How to Choose Your Perfect Cowboy Holster
And Which Mernickle Rig Is Right for You
By Howlin Wolf – Mernickle Custom Holsters
Featuring our exclusive Mernickle Reinforced Core™ construction for unmatched durability and performance.
There’s a difference between wearing a holster… and wearing the right holster.
In Cowboy Action Shooting, your gear isn’t just part of your outfit—it’s part of your performance. The right rig makes everything smoother—your draw, your transitions, and your confidence on the line.
So how do you choose the perfect holster?
Simple—you match your SASS shooting category and body mechanics to the right Mernickle rig.
1. Start With Your Shooting Style
Before you ever pick leather, you need to decide what style you want to shoot in SASS.
Are you:
- Duelist / Classic Cowboy – one gun at a time with a focus on control and tradition (crossdraw option available)
- Gunfighter / Double Duelist – running two revolvers, either alternating or at the same time (no crossdraw option)
- Traditional – balancing authenticity with performance (crossdraw option available)
- B-Western – fast, flashy, and built for speed and style (crossdraw option available)
Each category is a choice—and that choice should drive your gear.
Different styles demand different holster setups, and this is where choosing the right model matters.
👉 We’ll cover how to choose the right crossdraw setup in an upcoming blog.
🔹 Duelist / Traditional Shooters
If you’re running one gun at a time, consistency and control are everything.
What you need is a clean, repeatable draw stroke, proper ride height for strong-side access, and stability throughout a long match day.
Best Mernickle Fit:
👉 High Performance Rigs – Strong-side and traditional drop holsters
Built for smooth, controlled draws, all-day comfort, and a classic western look that still performs on the clock.
🔹 Gunfighter / Double Duelist
When you’re working with two revolvers, your setup becomes critical.
You need balanced holster placement on both sides, consistent angles and ride height, and clearance for both hands to move freely—whether drawing one at a time or both.
Best Mernickle Fit:
👉 High Performance Rigs and Gunfighter Style – Matched dual holster setups
Designed for symmetry, natural hand positioning, and fast, efficient transitions.
👉 If your rig isn’t balanced, your shooting won’t be either.
🔹 B-Western Shooters
This is where speed meets style.
What you need is a lower-slung holster for a longer draw stroke, freedom of movement, and proper positioning to meet category expectations.
- Butt of the gun must be below the top of the belt
Best Mernickle Fit:
👉 High Performance B-Western Style Rigs only
Built for speed, flair, and fast access under pressure—while delivering that classic B-Western Dale Evans style without sacrificing performance.
👉 The key takeaway:
Choose your category first—then choose the holster built to support it.
2. Ride Height, Cant & Arm Length – Where Performance Is Won or Lost
This is where design separates good rigs from great ones.
At Mernickle, we don’t just build holsters—we engineer draw performance.
Ride height determines how quickly you acquire your grip. Cant aligns the firearm with your natural motion. Positioning ensures consistency.
But one of the most overlooked factors is:
👉 Arm Length — and it is a HUGE factor in determining what holster is right for you.
Arm length directly affects where your hand naturally falls, how much you have to reach or compress during your draw, and how consistent you are under pressure.
A properly fitted holster should match your natural reach—not force you to adapt.
- If your hands fall naturally at your waist → a higher ride is ideal
- If your hands fall below your waist → a drop holster may fit best
- If your hands fall toward mid-thigh or lower → a B-Western-style drop may be the right choice
That’s why our rigs are designed to work with your body—not against it.
👉 If your draw feels off, it’s usually not you—it’s your setup.
3. Retention You Can Trust
A proper holster should do two things:
- Hold your firearm securely
- Let it go instantly when you need it
At Mernickle, we build that reliability into every rig with our:
Mernickle Reinforced Core™
Our holsters are built with precision wet-molded leather and an internal metal-reinforced core layered into the leather so the holster never loses its shape, along with a smooth, consistent release that won’t cost you time.
This isn’t just a feature—it’s the difference between a holster that lasts and one that lets you down.
Over time, standard holsters soften, collapse, and start grabbing your revolver right when you need a clean draw. With the Mernickle Reinforced Core™, your holster maintains its structure, retention, and performance—match after match, season after season.
🤠 What Proper Retention Should Feel Like
The ideal retention can be summed up in one phrase:
👉 “A Stick and a Pop.”
You want the gun to stick securely in the holster—but when you draw, you feel a slight pop as it releases.
That tells you the firearm is seated correctly, the holster is holding its shape, and your retention is consistent.
And just as important…
👉 When you reholster, you’re not worried about the gun dropping out.
👉 No sticking. No fighting your gear. Just a clean, consistent draw—every time.
4. Built for the Long Haul
Matches aren’t short—and your gear shouldn’t wear you out.
A proper rig should distribute weight evenly, stay in place through movement, and remain comfortable all day.
Mernickle rigs are built as a complete system—not just a holster.
👉 When everything works together, you stop thinking about your gear and start focusing on your shooting.
5. Style Matters… But Performance Comes First
We all love a sharp rig—and part of this sport is looking the part.
But the fastest shooters choose gear based on performance first.
With Mernickle, you don’t have to choose.
- Hand-tooled craftsmanship
- Authentic western styling
- Proven competition performance
Why Mernickle Cowboy Holsters?
Because we build holsters for shooters—not mannequins.
Every design in our cowboy line is built around real match performance, proper draw mechanics, long-term durability, and exclusive Mernickle Reinforced Core™ construction.
Whether you’re stepping into your first match or chasing your next clean one…
👉 The right rig gives you an edge.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the perfect holster isn’t complicated—once you understand what matters.
Choose your category.
Match your rig to your body.
Invest in performance.
Because in the end…
The right holster doesn’t just carry your gun—
it carries your performance.
Quick Guide: Which Mernickle Holster Is Right for You?
- Duelist / Classic Cowboy / Traditional → High Performance Rigs (strong-side or drop) Click Here
- Gunfighter / Double Duelist → High Performance Rigs and Gunfighter Style (matched dual setups) Click Here
- B-Western → High Performance B-Western Style Rigs Click Here
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