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Cartridge loops.

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wyldwylliam:
I recently read a statement concerning cartridge belts which said that woven or semi-woven bullet loops are more period correct than sewn loops.

This didn't really sit well with me so I just had a close look at every artifact cartridge belt illustrated in AGE OF THE GUNFIGHTER by Joseph G. Rosa and out of the dozen or so pictured belts from back in the day only one had woven loops and that is acknowledged as being "late."

However, that is just one book and I'm just one amateur historian so I would like to ask others' opinions and or citations of evidence one way or the other as to what was more widely used from the 1870's to 1900: woven or sewn?

Fox Creek Kid:

--- Quote ---The oldest Wyoming patent was issued to Anson Mills, a Captain of the Eighteenth Infantry and Brevet Lt. Colonel of the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Bridger, Utah Territory, now located in Uinta County, Wyoming. Patent number 67,898 for an “Improvement in Cartridge-Belts” was issued on August 20, 1867...
--- End quote ---

http://www-wsl.state.wy.us/sis/ptdl/PatentsInWyoming.pdf

pony express:
For military use, leather sewn loops came first, then to be replaced by the woven later to prevent corroded cartridge cases. I expect leather was used on most civilian gunbelts.

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wyldwylliam:
Thanks a lot for the replies, Compadres, but I seem to have been unclear. The woven belts I'm referring to are also leather, it is just a term denoting loops which are not sewn, but are fashioned by cutting slots in the leather of the main part of the belt and threading a narrow strip thru the slots to form loops.

Cliff Fendley:
They all are correct, depends on the maker, the region, time period, style of belt.

I make all three styles myself, two different woven styles and sewn loops. Depends on what the customer wants, look, style of the belt itself, etc.

I would have to say I've seen more original sewn loops on 1880 and later belts but those are also almost always a money belt which very few Cowboy action shooters wear.

A huge percentage of cowboy action shooters are wearing a belt that would have never been seen prior to the 1920's so the style of bullet loops being correct is pretty much a moot point for most.

Even in NCOWS many of the belts shooters are wearing are not very correct in one way or the other.

I guess what I'm saying is if your worried about period authenticity of the bullet loops you want to pay close attention to the belt itself and what style would have been seen on that belt for the period and region your rig is to represent.

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