I wonder if you folks would help me with the design of a cartridge belt. My tanned skins will be arriving at my taxidermist this week. The plan is to have a cartridge belt made out of some of it. I have been asked to send pictures of what I like.
I am wondering if there are some features that you folks particularly like or dislike? For example, this will be for my 375 specifically so not for a double. I have seen some with closed loops and others with just bands holding the cartridge. I have seen belts that are the same width all the way around and others that expand to accommodate the cartridge. Some have a utility belt look or knife sheath.
Any thoughts, pictures or design inspiration would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance
Hi Pheroze,
I prefer closed bottom leather "loops", (each "loop" is more accurately described as an individual "pouch" preferably made specifically for your caliber, thereby snugly fitting each separate live round).
These individual "loops" are also made to about 3/4 of the actual length of each live cartridge, so that when I sit, bullet noses are not as likely to get bumped hard enough to push my ammunition far enough upwards that, one or more live rounds might drop off my belt when I'm otherwise busy hunting.
Likewise, even though I prefer leather, due to it's resistance to wear (but also partly due to it's "photo appeal"), I do have an all canvas version of the above, made by the "Boyt Harness Company" and it is also quite satisfactory, plus was much cheaper to buy as well.
Not sure if "Mulholland Brothers Leather" company is still in business or not.
But I also have an excellent 10 round leather cartridge belt from them that is for the .375 H&H, in the above described individual, close bottom "loop" or "pouch" for each individual live round.
However, this belt has two thick leather flaps, one flap over each 5 rounds.
These flaps are held down by one each per flap individual brass stud, (same idea as the flap and stud cover on leather US WW-I, issue holsters, for the American 1911 pistol).
There is no way a cartridge can work its way upward to then fall out at the worst possible place and time of a wilderness trek, unless of course you forget to button down your flaps.
Personally, I do not prefer "culling belt" style carriers, with so many loops that the cartridges go clear around me, as these are unnecessarily heavy when fully charged, especially in the large bore rounds.
Generally I prefer about 8 loops minimum, to 12 loops maximum but admittedly, my above described Boyt canvas one holds 15 rounds.
So, frequently I leave some of these 15 "loops" empty (again to avoid carrying excess weight while marching through the bush).
I like to wear my cartridge carrier over my right hip, since most of the time I shoot right handed, my right handed preference is especially so with my bolt action rifles.
And, so reaching for a reload is natural for me.
It always amounts to holding my rifle in my left hand, while plucking new cartridges from the belt with my right hand and stuffing them into the rifle with same, (magazine or double rifle or single shot, makes no difference, it's always the same old familiar drill).
It is always the same, even when only practicing on the rifle range at home, for an up coming hunt.
This results in being very comfortable reloading my rifle without having to take my eyes off the target (or the exact spot where the target had disappeared).
On the cartridge-free left side of my ammunition belt, I wear my knife sheath, (either fixed blade or folding knife, make no real difference).
Parting shot, as it were:
Murray Leather makes the very best cartridge belts I have seen.
If I did not already own more cartridge carriers than any man actually needs, I surely would save up my lunch money for long enough to order one from Murray, to fit the .375 H&H (my favorite hunting caliber).
Provided that Murray Leather does not hold any sort of copyright or patent on their belts, and if you more or less pattern your cartridge belts to something similar to theirs, I predict you will be happy.
Regards,
Velo dog.