Ideal Cartridge Loop Placement?

[OrlontheBrave]

Hello friends,

Several years ago I picked up on eBay these Tandy/Bucheimer leather cartridge loops, and I finally this week got around to starting a belt for them. I’m not much of a leatherworker, but figured it’d be easy enough to make a wide gunbelt with some holes in it to mount either the .22 or .38 loops via Chicago screws, to match whatever I happen to be shooting.

So the belt is mostly done now, but now I have a conundrum: where should I mount the loops?

I’m right handed and reload with my right hand so the right side would be ideal, however that would unfortunately interfere with the holster. I’m then left with the left sight and the back, neither of which is ideal. I suppose I could also have holes on all sides to mount wherever, but I don’t really want my belt to look like swiss cheese.

 

[cololab]

That's a clever idea and your question is bound to elicit many responses. I would prefer them to be on the side opposite my holster if you are carrying a handgun. If you're packing a rifle, I would probably have them on the opposite side from where I am slinging the rifle so I'm not scrubbing the stock over a row of cartridges.

 

[OrlontheBrave]

Thanks! I hadn’t considered it before, but opposite side would help with balancing out the weight of the holster.
I have a leather rifle cartridge case as well, but fortunately that just slides on without the need for holes. I wouldn’t mind finding some more of these Bucheimer cartridge loops in additional calibers, however.

 

[rednichols]

Thanks! I hadn’t considered it before, but opposite side would help with balancing out the weight of the holster.
I have a leather rifle cartridge case as well, but fortunately that just slides on without the need for holes. I wouldn’t mind finding some more of these Bucheimer cartridge loops in additional calibers, however.

There is only one answer: the loops on a cartridge belt are always mounted beginning on the left, and continue towards the holster until they reach it as a maximum. Typical is 24 loops in modern times but for vintage they often went all the way 'round esp. on double sets. Also notice the loops are high above the centerline of the gunbelt; we design the belts to place them as high as we can but still stitch the belt's lining:

 

[Sgt. Buzzard]

Single action cowboy rig like Red shows above. Double action old time police rig the loops are above the gun on the holster, which is a swivel drop rig.

Sadly, I'm old enough to have been issued just such a uniform rig. Speed loading was two at a time with your strong hand fingers. Revolver goes to the left hand with thumb and two middle fingers rotating the cylinder. And you better know your guns rotation too. You'd index the rounds to 1 O'clock with the S&W. This was important stuff on the police academy range. You practiced partial reloads under timed fire.

I watch you tube videos of revolver "experts" testing guns and these kids don't have a clue. OK, geezer rant over.

 

[DHernandez]

When I carried a revolver on the border we still had 6 loop reloads. They were carried front left (for a righty). You’d dump your spent brass and hold the revolver and cylinder open with your shooting hand and reload two rounds at a time from the loops. Of course SAAs load from the opposite side…. My SAA rig loops start just past the holster and roll all the way around to the left front. 1/2 45 Colt and 1/2 45-70. These aren’t my photos, but my rig is like this for SAA.

 

[OrlontheBrave]

Thanks folks. Sounds like the smart move is to stick it on the left. I’ll post an update and pictures when it’s further along.

 

[rustythread]

Could you put slide lloops on the bullet strips, so you could put them anywhere on the belt?

 

[OrlontheBrave]

Here’s the completed belt. ‘Scuse the pictures, I’m not good at taking pictures of long things. 14oz leather belt blank + a buckle harvested off a $2 belt from the Texas State Surplus Store.

Unfortunately I discovered the .22 cartridge loop piece is a hair longer than the .38, so my dreams of swapping them out are dead. I’ll take rustythread’s advice and stick the .22 loops on a slide when I find a good piece of leather for it.

 

[rednichols]

V. nicely done. Don't give up hope, different calibers were sometimes used on the same belt: this is Elmer Keith's 1930 Berns-Martin with .44 Spl. in the top row and .38 Spl in the lower row.

As the father of the .357 and .44 Mags, and of handgun hunting, he started out with hot .38s and .44s at that time; the holsters accommodate Smiths of both calibers which were N frames only then.