Post by brass on Jan 2, 2011 17:21:25 GMT -5
BB – I’m posting this thread here regarding the cartridge belt you inquired on in a different thread.
I made the single billet looped belt pictured below based on one pictured in ‘The American Frontier’ by William C. Davis on page 57. Date and maker of the .50 cal looped original belt are not listed. It is pictured in a section of the book showing miscellaneous buffalo hunting paraphernalia though this doesn’t guarantee provenance to it being used by a buffalo hunter back in the day.
I put a .50-70 cartridge case to the left of my belt so you can see how much brass is covered by the leather loops. Since I made this belt from a photograph I can’t reference any chapter & verse measurements from the original. I made my belt to suit my particular needs, put as many loops on it as would fit, used a similar roller buckle, and followed the lines of the original for reference. The body of my belt is three inches wide, the reproduction iron roller belt buckle width is two inches.
If you don’t already have ‘Packing Iron: Gunleathers of the Old West’ by R. Rattenbury please snag a copy for your library and use it to reference a number of original belts of the era for ideas. I’d also recommend 'Age of the Gunfighter’ by J. Rosa and ‘The American Frontier’ by William C. Davis. 'The Peacemakers' by R. L. Wilson and ‘Hunting the American West’ by R. Rattenbury also have a number of photographs that can provide some excellent inspiration for a belt-making project. And of course the Buffalo Hunters & Skinners encyclopedias have some great belt references too.
Good luck with your project – I’m keen to see what you make.
Brass
I made the single billet looped belt pictured below based on one pictured in ‘The American Frontier’ by William C. Davis on page 57. Date and maker of the .50 cal looped original belt are not listed. It is pictured in a section of the book showing miscellaneous buffalo hunting paraphernalia though this doesn’t guarantee provenance to it being used by a buffalo hunter back in the day.
I put a .50-70 cartridge case to the left of my belt so you can see how much brass is covered by the leather loops. Since I made this belt from a photograph I can’t reference any chapter & verse measurements from the original. I made my belt to suit my particular needs, put as many loops on it as would fit, used a similar roller buckle, and followed the lines of the original for reference. The body of my belt is three inches wide, the reproduction iron roller belt buckle width is two inches.
If you don’t already have ‘Packing Iron: Gunleathers of the Old West’ by R. Rattenbury please snag a copy for your library and use it to reference a number of original belts of the era for ideas. I’d also recommend 'Age of the Gunfighter’ by J. Rosa and ‘The American Frontier’ by William C. Davis. 'The Peacemakers' by R. L. Wilson and ‘Hunting the American West’ by R. Rattenbury also have a number of photographs that can provide some excellent inspiration for a belt-making project. And of course the Buffalo Hunters & Skinners encyclopedias have some great belt references too.
Good luck with your project – I’m keen to see what you make.
Brass
