Horsehide beltman belt arrived

[GriffDeLaGriff]

My belt arrived today.

Its a natural color 1.5" horsehide doubble gunbelt.
I got a keyholder in matching leather to use for my walletchain.

1.5" is no problem in jeans, there is alot of wriggleroom, but it gets snug
in the loop where the belt end goes since you will have doubble thickness there.
(belt + end of belt on top of oneanother) so 1.75 might have been too tight there.

I am happy with the quality and I am glad I choose natural since it will develop a nice patina.

That thing hanging out is a "thingy" I made for my keyes so I can just pull
it to get out my keys without having to dig in the pocket.

 

[too much coffee]

Very nice belt you got there Griff.
Excellent braid job on your "thingy" also.

coffee

 

[Edward]

Nice belt.... from where? Price? (I guess I missed a thread with the original information?).

What is the significance of the appellation "gun belt" - is it designed to accomodatre a holster in some way?

 

[Dav]

Nice belt.... from where?

www.thebeltman.net

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

It is a doubble belt, this makes the belt very stiff and is nice when carrying a gun since a gun is heavy and will make a normal belt just hang bad.

I dont own a gun (I do own many bows) but still like my belts well made and stiff.
The construction makes me think it will last me a long time (lifetime?)

I didnt find it expensive at all. It costs around $100 and this is what "fashion" belts cost where I live and they are very much inferior in every aspect.

This belt is crazy stiff and hard (and thick!), so its not for everyone.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

I forgot to add that the nice design with the screws makes it easy to change the buckle if you want to.

 

[57plymouth]

Nice belt.... from where? Price? (I guess I missed a thread with the original information?).

What is the significance of the appellation "gun belt" - is it designed to accomodatre a holster in some way?

They are made by The Beltman as already referenced.

Gun belt means that this particular style is intended for supporting a large frame weapon in either an external or in the waistband holster. When carrying a large frame weapon, a strong belt is required to keep the holster in it's intended location.

I use a Crossbreed belt, which is designed to work with my Crossbreed Supertuck in the waistband holster. As with Beltman belts and Galco belts, the Crossbreed is two layers of heavy bridle leather or horsehide sewn together. This makes them very stiff. My belt has been worn daily for 8 months, and when I toss it on a bed it coils back into the oval shape of a human. Of course, it will also support my relatively heavy full size weapon so well that I often forget I have it on.

A good gun belt will run $70-100 and will be a very long term investment.

 

[Bonneville]

Very nice quality, nice style belt.

 

[Navin323i]

Beautiful belt, Griff!!

It will definitely match your upcoming aged tan steerhide jacket (not sure if that was a possible reason for you to choose this particular color for your belt). Congrats!

 

[westinghouse]

I love my black and brown beltman belts. One of the finest pieces of clothing I have ever had.

 

[frussell]

Screws

Don't know what they are really called, but most leatherworkers call them "Chicago Screws" for some reason. Griff - a word of advice from someone who has made many belts and other tack with these screws - they are prone to unscrewing themselves over time, and can come out at just the wrong moment. This is why I quit making bridles with them, for obvious reasons. I do use them on my own belts, because you can switch buckles easily. I have found that a small drop or two of clear nail polish, or some similar non-permanent stickum will keep them from unscrewing. Either that, or check them regularly. That's a fine belt, and the combination of bullhide and horsehide should make for a belt that will last many years. Frank

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Yes I have put a small amount of superglue on just the tip of the screws.

 

[andy richards]

Great belt, Griff! My belt arrived also, but after putting some gear on it, it seems to be too small unfortunately. So, my 17 year old son has a nice belt now! I was so impressed by the quality of the leather, the stitching and the buckle that I immediately ordered two belts in the correct size. One in black and one in saddle tan. Should be here in a few weeks. Of course I will post pics when they arrive!
Andy

 

[DJS Press]

I received both black and brown horsehide belts from The Beltman last week. What a pleasure to see US made craftsmanship at a reasonable price. I can't imagine these belts EVER wearing out. I got 1.25" wide belts, which work fine with jeans, khaki's, slacks, whatever. If you're looking for a nice belt that should last forever, check out the Beltman.

He also makes belts with embossed patterns that look pretty cool. The website that they're only available in black bullhide, but I'm thinking if I talk nice I might get him to make me one in brown horsehide embossed with a basketweave pattern.

 

[Edward]

They are made by The Beltman as already referenced.

Gun belt means that this particular style is intended for supporting a large frame weapon in either an external or in the waistband holster. When carrying a large frame weapon, a strong belt is required to keep the holster in it's intended location.

Ah, so if I understand correctly from yourself and Griff, this stops the holster sliding around, as well as the belt from stretching out of shape (which you can clearly see in some shots has happened to Dr Jones')? Gotcha.

I must look into that website, that really is a nice belt.

 

[Navin323i]

Yes I have put a small amount of superglue on just the tip of the screws.

Where exactly on the screw tips do you put the superglue? On the circular edges of the screw where it touches the leather? I couldn't even tell you had superglue on the screw tips in your pictures.

 

[57plymouth]

Ah, so if I understand correctly from yourself and Griff, this stops the holster sliding around, as well as the belt from stretching out of shape (which you can clearly see in some shots has happened to Dr Jones')? Gotcha.

I must look into that website, that really is a nice belt.

Well... not exactly.

Allow me to insert some photos used in another context for another forum, but they are conveniently stored right now.

This photo shows a bunch of junk I lug around INCLUDING my Crossbreed belt. My belt is made very similarly to the Beltman belt. This photo shows how my belt naturally lies after 8 months of daily use. It also shows my holster. Pretend the combat tupperware is a Colt government for the time being.

You can see that the belt is considerably thick, considerably stiff, and it wants to return to a round shape. This allows the belt to support the weapon without rolling. In the case of an outside the waistband holster, the belt would want to roll outward at the top, and with an inside the waistband holster the belt wants to roll inward at the top.

Here is the belt and the holster on me. *Warning* this is a graphic photo of me 20 pounds fatter!

As you can see, the holster has no room to move front to back, but since the rear part of the weapon containing the magazine of 13 rounds and the back of the slide is above the belt, It would want to push the belt or drag it in under the weight. The straps, or metal clips in my case, retaining the holster combined with the inherent friction of the holster against the pants or the belt would prevent the holster from sliding. The thick belt prevents the holster from tilting.

Here is the same holster with the shirt concealing the holster, hence the brand name of the holster "Supertuck." The weapon has essentially dissapeared.

The thickness of two layers of heavy leather makes the belt very stiff. It acts like a hoop around the wearer that supports the weight of the weapon as if it were not there.

I realize that my holster and weapon are most decidedly not vintage in any way. But I'm using them to show the theory and proper use of a gun belt when used as a gun belt. That said, Beltman makes a very fine product. I wear a Crossbreed because of several reasons. Those are that I use their holster, so I bought the belt with the holster. They are run by Christians, and I like that. They offer an NRA discount. I was in the NRA at the time. The turnaround time for Crossbreed is shorter than Beltman. Crossbreed's base price is lower than Beltman. Crossbreed does not have as many options as Beltman, but I wanted a black cowhide belt with no stiffener so that didn't matter to me. But I have only heard ONE complaint about Beltman in hundreds of reports I have read. That complaint was that the round buckle wears the black off the edge of the belt, but Beltman states that will happen on his site. That buyer eventually bought a square buckle and is now happy. I've never heard one complaint about a Crossbreed or a Galco belt.

By the way, Beltman says that horsehide is too tough to emboss. That's why the horsehide is not offered embossed like the bullhide is.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Where exactly on the screw tips do you put the superglue? On the circular edges of the screw where it touches the leather? I couldn't even tell you had superglue on the screw tips in your pictures.

Hi.
No not onto the leather.

I unscrewed the screws and put a drop of superglue onto the side of the screw,
and then screw it back in fast.

Like this:

Its a little bit tricky because you have to be fast otherwise it gets stuck halfway.
And you can also by mistake smear it onto the leather if you arent very steady on the hand.

I want to point out that I have done this before on my modern arrows with
screwtips and after a long time they can usually be unscrewed.
Superglue gets brittle after a year or so and can usually be unstuck if one wants to.
I do not know exactly how hard they will be to unscrew if one wants to after
a short time only and therefore recommend loctite instead.
Personally I dont have loctite at home but had superglue and I also know
that i wont be changing the buckle for a long time.

 

[57plymouth]

Blue Loctite does the same thing. It takes longer to dry than Superglue.

 

[Windward]

Griff - great belt and thanks for sharing - amazing pics!!
Andy - what do you mean with too small ? I am mostly wearing cargo pants with my FQHH Jackets and therefore thinking about a 1,75" horsehide belt.
Any idea how would "saddle tan" matching with AERO brown standard color ?? Maybe a bt of KIWI mid/dark brown shoe wax will make the perfection!