Once in a while, a gun-savvy young man comes along with a better idea (or ideas) and Nat Stevens is just that guy. For a couple of years now, I have watched his product line, website and general success grow steadily. Nat makes simple and clever accessories for handguns through his company Tuff Products. I haven’t seen a thing in his line that doesn’t make sense, and some of it is pretty original.

An example is the QuickStar, a flexible polymer loading device for single-action revolvers. Since these guns load through a loading gate on the right side of the frame that stays fixed to the gun, you can’t maneuver a typical in-line loading strip into position to use it. The QuickStar has five arms or points, each of which has a molded recess for a cartridge, which are positioned far enough away from each other that it’s a simple matter to refresh your sixgun. There are five rounds in a typical QuickStar, because that is the customary carrying load in the Peacemaker. A vest pocket full of pre-loaded QuickStars should keep the sixgunner in the fight for a while. Nat makes them for 44/45 rounds as well as 38/357s. It is a clever little gadget that makes a sixgunner’s life about 2 percent easier. 

It is my custom to carry a S&W Centennial revolver when I am out of the house and almost always carry it in a pocket holster. Over the years, I have tried many kinds of pocket holsters, made from both leather and fabric. Most commonly these days, I am using a fabric one from Tuff Products. At 25 bucks this is one of the best buys in gundom. Made from a stout nylon cloth and padded, the Pocket-Roo has a tacky outer surface that tends to anchor the rig in place. The inner surface is slick, so the gun comes out quickly when the handgunner grabs and yanks. This puts the gun in the hand and an empty holster in the pocket. The Tuff Products is the best of the fabric breed and even includes a pocket for a five-round Quick Strip.