USING A BELT POUCH RATHER THAN LOOPS FOR CARTRIDGE GUN BELTS

[Wolf Killer]

Greetings Lads,
I am putting together my first leather rig. I have s number of revolvers and of course my 1911's, I have decided for the sake of economy using just one or maybe two gun belts, and having the holster maker run the same theme and or color  to all the holsters to match the belt, or belts.

I am shooting Schofield 45 colts, A pair of Remington 1875's in 45 colt, also an open top in 44 and a couple of Rugers and Cimarron Colt's.
IT is my feeling that feeding these guns from a bullet pouch would be as fast or faster than loops, and there is no need to switch belts for calibers.

So my question is, are any of you competitors and shooters using a pouch to reload, is it faster, more accessible than using fixed loops on you belt?
Another plus I feel is to use slides in pistol, rifle and shotgun ammo as needed.
Thanks in advance.
Wolf Killer
Donald Bowman

[bedbugbilly]

I can't speak as far as competitive shooting or to whether it would be faster or slower . . but . . . personally, I much prefer to carry my rounds in a belt pouch rather than cartridge loops.  During the Indian Wars, surplus Civil War "cap pouches" were utilized to carry pistol cartridges so it is not unheard of.  Again, I don't shoot competition so I don't know what the rules say about it but some one else on here can probably speak to that.

I shoot mainly 38 spl. and rimfire (besides C & B) - when shooting 22 rimfire, I often carry my cartridges loose in a Civil War cap pouch (left over from my NSSA days).  I usually carry the pouch on my right front which makes it easy to reload my SA 22 revolver and I also utilize the same pouch for carrying 38 spl. when i'm shooting my SA New Vaquero.  For me it works as I find it's easier to just reach down and retrieve a couple of cartridges than it is to reach around back and get them out of cartridge loops on the leather set I made for my NV.

[Doc Arroyo]

I shot competitions consistently for a bunch of years.  I remember exactly one revolver and 2 rifle reload scenarios.  I had already quit wearing a cartridge belt...already carrying around too much extra weight. .  I put the reload cartridges in a vest pocket, and it worked fine.

Ammo boxes are in the gun cart (or saddle bags) and the right number carried to the loading table.  I don't think you will have to worry about speed from a cartridge pouch.

Here's luck!

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

SHOOTERS HANDBOOK  (SASS)  page 10  (Holsters, Cartridge Belts, and Bandoleers. 5th bullet.)

".... Pouches shall have a flap and must carry their contents loose, with no special provisions to organize the contents for rapid retreival."

[Cliff Fendley]

I don't consider myself real competitive but I do shoot NCOWS and I personally like reloading out of my cartridge belt. Sometimes they require reloads where the extra cartridges are in a box or something even on the loading table by the time you dump them and fumble around I find it faster coming off my belt one at a time. When the option is given I always reload off my belt.

Even when they allow you to place rounds in a tray on a table I find it faster off of my belt because even if I have my rounds neatly placed on the table I still have to look or you take the chance of knocking the hell west and crooked grabbing at them blindly.

Even out of a pouch they don't just come to your finger tips like off of a cartridge belt. If you had a pouch with a block holding them upright and could hold the flap out of the way it may work good but off of a fully loaded cartridge belt you can just reach and grab.

I can grab a cartridges out of my belt without taking my eyes off of the gun. This way I can be turning the revolver with one hand while grabbing another round with the other.

If I know there is a reload I spin my money belt around with the cartridges in the front and my belt has 35 rounds on it. I can just reach down and grab without looking.

This method of wearing a belt is also period correct, if you look at old pictures cartridge belts were not always worn with the buckle in the front.

[Cliff Fendley]

Just too add, I have found fully woven loops to be best for this because they sit out away from the belt a little and very easy to grab. Sewn loops are pulled in against the belt and harder to grab.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I prefer a pouch. Mine is a civil war type bullet pouch. It's just as quick for the very few times I need another round or a full reload. I can grab any number or rounds without looking.

For another idea, my rig is made to look as authentic as possible so no two pieces match completely. There are very few rigs that were made as such. Most people bought a holster and a belt that matched closely or used a plain belt they had lying around. Here's what a mismatched rig can look like. I wear crossed belts. To avoid a shotgun slide, I use a canvas prairie-style belt for one of my two belts. How do I do? Usually in the top 10% so a rig like this is not a drawback.

[Eloy Santa Cruz]

Wolf Killer,
    I think a pouch could work quite well. Back in the day when police carried revolvers and before speedloaders, officers carried rounds in "dump pouches" which did just that. I have found over the years my fingers have gotten fatter, stiffer, less dexterity that no matter what I do I'm always fumbling and dropping rounds and other small objects. If I recall correctly, Robert Duvall as Gus McCrae in the film "Lonesome Dove" carried rounds for his Colt Patterson conversion in a civil war era cap pouch.

[Trailrider]

I wear a M1874 Dyer Pouch to hold my shot shells. I generally keep a couple of extra shells over the number required for a particular stage. I'm not fast (they time me with an hour glass  ), but it is definitely easier to grab a couple of rounds for a reload of the shotgun. I also with throw any extra pistol/rifle rounds required in there, if required.  The pouch is also handy after a stage as I throw my empty brass in there at the unloading table. (I don't reload shot shells, so those are discarded.)

[CQMD]

  The thing to remember is that during the Civil War separate powder and ball was not carried for the pistol or rifle. The troops carried pre made paper rounds in the pouches. The cap pouches that we normally see were for the rifle caps. The rounds for the pistol were carried in pistol ammo pouches. They were paper rounds made from nitrate soaked paper and packaged in bundles of six rounds and six caps (paper wrapped). Numerous bundles (don't have the ordnance report handy for exact number) were placed in the ammo pouch for use when needed. This made for a quick and efficient reload when horse back. It can be tricky with the small pistol caps when your horse moves.

I have seen numerous pictures of these pistol pouches being used for metallic rounds during the time of conversion from ball to metallic. I use them at shoots, as I place my needed rounds for the reloading table plus couple extra in them. After shooting it gives me a place to put my empties in until I get back to my cart. Noting extra to have to carry and keep track of.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I googled "1875 Dyer pouch" and found this;

http://books.google.ca/books?id=n_MimfWYwtwC&pg=PA203&lpg=PA203&dq=M1874+Dyer+Pouch&source=bl&ots=Omdq17QnAX&sig=KXIzatVc4eg2sD7WSVmWlyRSjVg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KoB0T7OkIoWxiQK6x5yfDw&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=M1874%20Dyer%20Pouch&f=false