Buffalo cartridge belt... 45-90... double layer?

[Dakota Widowmaker]

I am making a cartridge belt to go along with my new 1886 in 45-90.

The idea is to make it in the style that was done in "Quigley: Down Under", but, have it made out of 8oz and 4oz.

The outer is the 8oz, with 8oz loops using the weave method of holding in cartridges.

The back (or inside, if you will) is going to be made out of 4oz, to hide the cartridge loop materia as well as add stiffness.

45-90 cartridges are 2.85" OAL, so, I am making the belt 3.5" wide. It will neck down to 1.5" and I found a nice antique looking buckle.

I am going for a bit of a milder/medium brown.

Does using an inner as well as an outter material make sense?

[Klondike]

Sure does. I do it on a lot of gun belts, some people want a real stiff belt, so I use two layers of 8 oz. I also use a lining on some belts for a finish look and also helps with slippage.

[Dakota Widowmaker]

Thanks for the feedback.

On a side note, I got a cheap belt from RRJ that is pretty useless. Its got a nice design on the outside, but, I need to stitch on an extra backing as well. $30 was all i paid and all I got.

Lastly, does anyone know how many loops Quigley actually had on his belt? I know he had 3 on each side up front, but, from photos, it looks like he only has 14 or so around back.

3+3+14=20 rounds. Which was the ammount of cartridges commonly sold in packs of 10 or 20 way back when.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Combining 8 & 4 oz thicknesses will make a great belt. Are you intending to glue the two together or just sew them?

[Klondike]

Will, I always glue then sew, stops all the flopping around  . Actually much easier to keep the edges lined up too. After the sewing is complete, I refinish the edges (sand and even out) then burnish and edge kote (all dyeing completed before gluing or sewing).

[Marshal Will Wingam]

That's how I've always done them, but it's not the only way. I was curious to see how DW was going to do it.

[Silver_Rings]

DW, now that I'm using a money belt stle shotgun belt, I'll never go back to a stiff belt.  I've found the flexibility of the money belt is a lot mor comfortable for me.  By then end of a day shooting I was always tied of the belt digging in to my hips and the thick belt is just more weight to carry.

SR

[Dakota Widowmaker]

I will likely cut cartridge loops -> stencil -> dye/stain -> glue -> sew/stich the project.

Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Be sure to post pics when you have it completed, pard.