I'm a 60 year old longtime collector and mostly gun range shooter. Many years ago I lived out west and would openly carry while on the range or in the forest. Now I want to make sure I have a good quality 1.5" leather gun belt should I wish/need to carry in OWB holsters. Could be anything from a kit gun up to a N-Frame or classic style SAA.

I've done some initial online research and keep coming back to these three candidates in a leather gun belt: Bianchi, Galco, and Hanks Belts. I would love to hear any opinions on brand selection and if anyone favors one of these three.

EDIT:...and now I'm also looking at Beltman belts as well..

Thanks!
Eric

You should look at Armour Belts. Very high quality. Not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for.

I've been using Beltman belts for several years. I've used their 1.5" bullhide belt to carry a 3" S&W 65 for 12+ hours/day in an IWB holster with no issues. If you want a little more support for a heavier gun, you can get it with reinforcement, get the horsehide version, or, for a lot of support, horsehide with reinforcement.

I currently use their 1.25" horsehide belt to carry my Beretta PX4 Compact and spare mag, and it works great. I can't tell a difference in support between this one and my 1.5" bullhide belt.

Lots of good belt makers out there, but Beltman is my go-to source.

Dear Eric, You should take a look at Milt Sparks’ belts. They are cut on a contour and are better fitting and more comfortable than belts that are straight cut. My first gun belt that was contoured was a Bruce Nelson. When it finally wore out I got a Sparks belt. I have been very pleased with it. I do not know if any of the belts you mentioned are contoured.

1chessiefan

I bought a BigFoot gun belt and could not be more satisfied . another brand to help make your choice more difficult . your welcome . Kenny , texas

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Too good

Eric: Strongly advise you consider the 5-stitch Instructors Belt made by Wilderness Products. The buckle is rated around 2,000 #s, so you could be airlifted wearing that belt. I like the belt's not having any holes, it's held on by a long Velcro strip. Cinch it as tight as you want to hold your holstered pistol in place, then easily loosen it up when you get in your car for more breathing room.

The best I have ever owned is by Barranti Leather Co. I would like to try a Milt Sparks as well.

As you might imagine, there are a whole passel of good belt makers out there. For my money, Dick Murray ranks right up there with the very best.

Welcome to Murray Custom Leather

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Come and take it!!

It's a belt. How hard can it be? Choose a holster that carries your pistol with a low center of gravity and you can use any belt of that width you like; brand is relevant only to details like leather selection or fine vs coarse stitching, etc. Choosing by brand is tantamout to this comment by a gun writer a few decades ago (and boy, did he cop letters to the editor from the very people he was speaking of):

1996 libourel (1).jpg

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The Holstorian

I happen to be a collector and user of leather gun belts. I don't really collect them but I sure have quite a few. Some are no named belts and a few are very high quality belts, one being in shark skin. A good leather gun belt provides a great feeling when you wear it. My favorite belt was a "Sparks" belt which my son currently wears. It was not the least expensive but it is wonderful to wear, is very comfortable and well suited for any firearm carrying individual. Hands down my favorite!

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LE instructor/Detective

Another not so expensive belt comes from Carhartt in their work belts...great stuff for the money involved.

Randy

I purchased a belt from 30 dollar gun belt.Durable and well made.Google the name and see what they offer.Prices are now 34.99 for most belts but I think they are a good value.

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SWCA#2288
SWHF#407

Now, this is a timely weekly special offer... MidwayUSA Concealed Carry Leather 1-1/2 Gun Belt Dark Brown 44 Brass

I like my Hank's Double Leather English Bridle Belt. Been through a bunch of brands, this one works for me. Been using it for ~ 3 years now.

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SWCA #2817

What an overwhelming response. Thank you all so much. Maybe I was overthinking it a bit, but I still respect ya'lls opinions. Will admit that I'm very impressed with the sizing instructions that some of the makers provide. Very specific and gives one a higher degree of confidence to get it right the first time.

My vote goes to Hanks.

@ the OP, I will not single any one holster leather belt maker out on this forum...there are a lot of talented guys on here that do them also. Just food for thought. I am sure you can do a search or Google search with the forum and find some. I have some excellent belts and holsters made by our own members. It's fun for them, and fun for us as a buyer to have so much creative influence on exactly what we want. My $0.02.

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Rather be outdoors

Second this.

Even the best leather belts designed for carry will degrade with use. Suggest having a good one for when a nice leather belt is required for appearances, and use an Instructor Belt the rest of the time; it really is that much better -- stiffer "sidewall", adjustable, much more durable.

Been wearing mine every day for years.

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Pickpocket

Pretty happy with the belt I bought from Diamond D leather. I like it enough that I also bought one of their chest rigs/holsters.

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"Tastes just like chicken"

I have three Hank's belts in differing colors and styles and use them all...

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M&PC FS BG Shield+ 642 686+

Bigfoot belts.

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Smith, and Wesson, and Me.

Check out bullhidebelts.com

I’ve used DelFatti and Milt Sparks 1 1/2” belts exclusively since 1980.

Don’t cheap out.

I have never had a complaint for or regretted getting mine from El Paso Saddlery.

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Sceva
OGCA SWCA NRA

I like a good stiff belt for keeping my pants up!! So, it must be a double thickness belt and I like buckles with a roller for easier cinch up!! :-)
Single thick belts just don't do the job!!

The best belt I ever had, and still use, is an Ernie Hill that I got about 40 years ago. It has a piece of steel sewn in on the right side where the holster fits. I don't know if that is even done anymore.
I have a couple of belts from Dillon Precision that I have that have been excellent too.

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

Nowadays we are blessed by the number of skilled belt & holster makers.

I will list those belts that worked out well for me, in no particular order.

HANKS
Been buying from these guys a lot lately. They produce a lot of quality belt for a very reasonable price. I bought two of their 'Extreme" line for my own self: 1.5" and 1.75". Bought another couple for family. My dad had never owned such a quality belt. FAST delivery. Took a few days, but much faster than most any others.

EL PASO SADDLERY
I own a nice 1.5" double thick example from them. Have had it for nigh on 15 years of off & on use. Still great. EPS stuff is just plain good stuff.

BELTMAN
Bought a 1.75" horsehide from him. Good belt. I suggest you DONT call him (use the website), as while he makes a good belt, his opinions on CCW & carry gear were long on bluster and I nearly got tired of listening to it--to the point I was thinking of not buying. Glad I held on, he makes a good belt.

5.11
I own a couple (1.5" and 1.75") of their reinforced synthetic belts. Good stuff, like the Wilderness critter.

GALCO
Own one of their synthetic Wilderness knockoffs. Good, but the end of the belt tends to fray, despite this clampy-do. I also think I own one of their cheaper leather COP series belts. It is OK, no great shakes, maybe a bit too soft.


And here are some belts that did not work so well.

TRIPLE K
Their basic 1.5" belt. Not so great.

5.11
A couple plasticy belts, reinforced. No longer made, and for good reason.

MOST ANY NON-GUN BELT
Just not made for thetask. You wouldn't use your toothbrush to clean your toilet, now? Doesn't mean your toothbush is worthless, it is just not made fo rhte task.

It's been a while since I've been on the forum, but I just happened to come across this post from earlier this year and I had a good laugh when I realized it must have been referring to the previous owner of Beltman (Jim Speidel). I love Jim and enjoy listening to his stories, but he has very strong opinions on MANY subjects (whether related to CCW or not) and can go on for a long time when he gets wound up. I'm a far less talkative person (much to my chatty wife's chagrin), and I'm usually busy in production anyway, so if you call Beltman nowadays you're lucky to get more than a handful of words out of me.

But the other part about a good belt is truer than ever.

David Giles - Beltman

I have gunbelts by Haugen and Sparks. Both 1.5" and work well.
Probably my best gunbelt is by Red Nichols called a Sidewinder.
I think he has retired, so probably not making them any more.
Here, below, is a picture of my $30 gun belt. I put a 3 Piece buckle set
on it to jazz it up a bit. It's carrying my model 10 in a Colorado Saddlery
holster.

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In Omnia Paratus

Hanks for leather, bombproof.
For nylon, Wildnerness. For heavy carry, their Instructors belt. For lighter or IWB carry their Frequent Flyer belt, very comfortable, plenty strong.

I bought an NRA buckle-less belt a few years ago. Uses Velcro instead of a buckle, just like the under-belt used with Sam Browne. 1 1/4 inch wide and very stiff. Love it! Made of 2 layers leather with some sort of plastic in between.

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Support your Police, & NRA

I go with the Milt Sparks too.

I just bought a 1.5" 1/4" thick gun belt at my local emporium. Unfortunately, the manufacturer's name isn't on it. Just thought I'd share a minor screw up: when used with the popular two-slot scabbards, the belt held and forced the holster to comply so tightly that I was unable to draw the gun from the holster. The belt should work better with the older style tunnel-loop holsters.

Please share your recommendations once you have selected a belt. I too am not done finding a belt.

Heh!

It was a few years back, sure enough. Didn't know it changed hands. I might just try out another horsehide from y'all, the first has held up so well. Glad I stayed on the phone those years back.

Question:
One belt I would like to add is a stiff 1.5" wide--but relatively thin--belt. It seems many of the OWB holsters made for smaller/lighter guns have stupid-tight belt loops/channels that my usual double-thick belts can not be routed through.

My first thought was a single-thick horsehide. But what do I know? I own several(1) gun belts, but do not make them.



(1) Like I own "several" handguns. I like to keep it vague, so as not to have to fess up to what might be an embarassing number.

Roo_ster, I think this excerpt from an observation by Red Nichols in a nearby thread is enlightening:

Best Modern Concealment Holster for a 2-1/2 Inch Model 19-4 Square Butt

I think a really good belt maker is gonna do his best to make a belt that will work with any holster, and a custom holster maker, at least a highly experienced, highly skilled one, is gonna make a holster that is gonna work with any belt.

We are fortunate to have so many belt choices, but I think one needs to be especially careful choosing the right holster.

Also take a look at the 5:11 Trainer belt. This is the belt I use for every day use as well as IDPA.

Nylon, velcro overlap closure, can also double as a sling.

I am not Beltman, but I've used their belts made by both the current and former owners so I may be able to help.

My current EDC belt is a 1.25" horsehide double-layer belt made by the current owner. It is noticeably thinner than the two double-layer bullhide belts made by the former owner. I've noticed no difference in support between the recently-made, thinner 1.25" horsehide belt and the older 1.5" bullhide belt. My EDC is a Beretta PX4 Compact carried IWB with an OWB mag pouch. I've even tried carrying my Beretta 92FS, a larger, heavier gun, with the 1.25" horsehide belt and an inexpensive Remora IWB holster for a short period of time, and it seemed to offer sufficient support (a better holster would likely improve that).

If their 1.5" horsehide belt is the same thickness as my 1.25" horsehide belt, that may be thin enough for your needs while still providing sufficient support. I don't carry OWB, so I can't speak specifically about that.

Apologies to Mr. Giles if I'm stepping on his toes here.

On the Hanks Belts, I’m looking at the Old World Harness 16 oz versus the Premier Double Layer 18 oz stitched 1.5” belt which are at a $40 difference. Is the 16 oz good enough for carrying an N frame 4” on the hip owb?

Yessireebob!

Welcome to Murray Custom Leather

Happy to repeat myself.

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Come and take it!!

I’ve, had them all from small makers to Kramer and alike. I am wearing a hanks custom right now and it’s tops for the money! The

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Bob
Sic Semper Tyrannis

You might look at Crossbreed ‘s Classic gun belt. Well made piece of equipment. I recently purchased one and am very pleased. Upside is I only live 4 miles from their facility and a walk-in purchase was easy.

I have three Crossbreed belts and they're tough gun belts. All mine were purchased from their seconds website at a huge savings. Of the three belts, I couldn't find whatever the blemish was that got them declared 'seconds'.

I don't find any significant difference between the Crossbreeds and the Beltman I own.

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