Cartridge Slides

[Marshall John Joseph]

I don't have the Book "Packing Iron"; need to get a copy.  What was the "historically correct" method of carrying extra cartridges with transitional revolvers?  Were cartridge slides used on a plain holster belt, or did cowboys have loops sewn on their belts?  Or did they use cartridge boxes?  Or all the above?  I figure all were used, but want "photo evidence" of historic rigs for proof.  Figured this was the best place to ask.  Does "Packing Iron" offer the photo evidence I'm looking for? Thanks in advance.

Marshall John Joseph

[Trailrider]

I found one instance of a conversion Colt's being used with a belt and holster where loops were sewn to the belt. Several similar instances are shown in Dennis Adler's book "Metallic Cartridge Conversions", on p. 110 and p. 154.  These are original rigs, shown with original guns. Keep in mind that usually form follows function, so the idea of adding leather loops to the belts was a logical one.

In addition, "Packing Iron" shows a prairie belt made from a military waist belt with cartridge loops sewn on by a company saddler. The alternative was using a pistol cap pouch with the wool liner removed, which was the Army's answer to the problem until the "prairie belts" were either fabricated at the local posts or, later, issued by the Ordnance Dept.

Hope this helps.

[Cliff Fendley]

I haven't seen any original photos with a slide or for that matter any slide that appears to be that old but have seen belts that look like the loops were added later, sometimes sewn and sometimes woven.

If you think about it why would they make a slide when they could just sew or weave the loops directly on the belt in less time it would take to make the whole slide.

They could have made a whole belt rather than make a slide long enough, keep in mind these belts you see today with just six or so cartridges in a row are more of a hollywood invention. Historically the belts had cartridges most of not all the way around them.

Think about it, a man buys a box of fifty cartridges, put's 5 or 6 in his revolver, if he had a slide like western action shooters use today he would still have to stow away most of that box of ammo in the rest of his belongings. It just wouldn't make any sense.

[Blackey Cole]

It depended on the time period.  Just before and after the SAA everyone was using conversions in their old Cap gun.  During this period they were using the ammo boxes from the civil war.  Then as everyone moved west they adapted the stuff from the mexicans and as they did that is when loops started to show up on gun belts.  The Military started showing cartridge loops on their belts in the 1880's IIRC.

[Trailrider]

The Dyer Board of 1874 approved design for a double-row, 20 round cartridge belt slide that held a total of 20 rounds of .45-70.  Probably didn't get into the hands of the troops until '75 or'76, but the troops preferred the field expedient prairie belts made up by the company saddlers.  When verdigris from contact of the the copper cartrdige cases proved to be a problem with these "homemade" cartridge belts, Army Ordnance switched to the canvas cartridge belts, with canvas loops sewn to canvas belt bodies. Then Capt. Anson Mills came up with the integrally-woven loops on his belts, which he sold to the MILITARY in the 1880's. His brother-in-law ran the business while Anson pursued his military career. Although the pistol rounds would fit loosely in the .45-70 loops, most troops packed their pistol (revolver) ammo in the leftover pistol or cap pouches.  An alternative was the M1874 Dyer pouch, which holds about 23 .45-70 rounds or maybe 35 - 50 rounds of metallic pistol cartridges. One reason the troops did NOT like the Dyer pouch was that it concentrater the weight on the belt. The Dyer pouch makes a dandy place to pack 12 ga. shotshells (about 7-8 ea.). The lamb's wool linings hold the shells upright with no problem. Yet the pouch if correctly made, is flexible enough to allow the fingers to get a firm grip on one or two shells at a time.