HOW MANY BULLET LOOPS

[Marshal Will Wingam]

You know, you could trump all, and satisfy your reluctance to cover that carving by just putting ONE loop on the belt.

It would be the stuff of legends spoken in hushed tones around the campfire.

[Flinch Morningwood]

I just finished a money belt and put 53 loops on it...'cause (a) I am a 44 waist and they (38 long colt) fit and (b) I wanted to load up at the begiining of a day (we shoot 5 stages) and fill my loading block from the belt all day...

Revelation - IT DOES GET LIGHTER!

The extra three are for .45 LC just to the right of the tongue piece on the belt...I load my own and every once in awhile my lever gun will either spit one out or I'll have a misfire and I can reload the rifle from one of those three...

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

I just finished a money belt and put 53 loops on it...'cause (a) I am a 44 waist and they (38 long colt) fit and (b) I wanted to load up at the begiining of a day (we shoot 5 stages) and fill my loading block from the belt all day...

Revelation - IT DOES GET LIGHTER!

The extra three are for .45 LC just to the right of the tongue piece on the belt...I load my own and every once in awhile my lever gun will either spit one out or I'll have a misfire and I can reload the rifle from one of those three...

Sounds good Little Al, could you post a picture , we would really like to see it Pard, and by the way nice job on the knife as well.

         
                                                      tEN wOLVES 

[Daniel Nighteyes]

I agree that there is no set "standard".  I have belts that range in the number of loops from 0 to 51 (two sets of 25 plus a "divider" loop holding a 45-70 rifle round).  For CAS, I'd suggest multiples of 5, the number of rounds put in most pistols.  Rifles, most often, are loaded with up to 10 roounds, so it works there too.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

I agree that there is no set "standard".  I have belts that range in the number of loops from 0 to 51 (two sets of 25 plus a "divider" loop holding a 45-70 rifle round).  For CAS, I'd suggest multiples of 5, the number of rounds put in most pistols.  Rifles, most often, are loaded with up to 10 roounds, so it works there too.

    Daniel your right about thinking in fives, a lot of the older gun belts are with this thinking, although I'm not sure they planned it that way, I like thinking outside the box a little, if I make a gun belt and want full loops all around, then the number will fall where it does, I like having a couple extra loops for my screw driver and push stick, and if the belt is to be loaded with two different calibers, I like the 45/70 as a split, but if you are making the loops for 38 cal., you need to make the center one for the 45/70, and then what ever other cal. you are going to use, 45 and 44 get along OK, if you make your 45's tight enough. making allowances for the 45/70 is something you have to remember to do, I've seen where some pards have forced 45/70's through a 38 cal loop and ended up tearing out the loop so that it had to be resewed,  IMHO


                                                         tEN wOLVES 

[Daniel Nighteyes]

... if you are making the loops for 38 cal., you need to make the center one for the 45/70, and then what ever other cal. you are going to use...

In that instance I use a 38/55 dummy round as the "divider".  They'll fit 38 cal. loops just fine...

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

In that instance I use a 38/55 dummy round as the "divider".  They'll fit 38 cal. loops just fine...

    That's a good thought Daniel, the pard that messed up his bullet loops also shot the 45/70, I think he thought he could just keep pushing the 45/70 until it went in, LOL  and it did and tore the stitches right out, a 38/55 would have been a much better choice for sure, the idea of using a large rifle cartridge in the middle of the belt or where ever you want it to separate two different calibers is a good one.

                                         tEN wOLVES 

[Flinch Morningwood]

Here is the recent "53" loop money belt...I tried to show overall look and closeup where I added the 3 loop sfor the rifle cartridges...

I also tried something new on this belt in only sewing the loops ON the loop leather...usually I add a stitch above and below the loop strap to "anchor" the loop but didn't like seeing all the stitches...this is working okay so far.  If I did it again I might stitch the same but make the loop spacing on the strap about 1/16" smaller.

The buckle and all the spots are brass that I de-laquered and used Brass Black to "age."

I made the holsters special for this belt as I wanted a right side Mexican loop and a cross draw Slim Jim style...

[Skeeter Lewis]

Beautiful rig, Al. The fact that the leather rides high round the trigger guard on the Mexican loop gives it a highly authentic look.The positioning of the loops works well. Congrats.

[Hank Rugerman]

Al...that's top notch work....you got it goin on....

we (all of us here) are so blessed to be able to do what we do...

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

            Little Al, Dang Nice Pard, this is the style I like too, using the Slim Jim for your cross draw will make it real user friendly , nice placement of your spots also, and the color looks good too, Thanks for sharing 


                                                tEN wOLVES 

[cowboywc]

Howdy Little Al
That is a fine lookin rig.
WC

[Marshal Will Wingam]

That rig looks great, Al. I like the intentionally dissimilar designs to go with the two somewhat different-looking pistols. It looks very authentic and much like what someone would have had in the 1800's. Pistols with consecutive serial numbers and mirror-image holsters certainly weren't the norm. Very nice work.