Thank you gentlemen for the help,
How common would the 1876 Prairie belt (pictured) be at this time? I was gonna buy one for my .410 for rabbit and squirl hunting so I might as well kill two birds with one stone so to speak and I really like the look of them. while reading on other forums discussing this same subject i heard that lots of times troopers would wear civilian hats and shirts while out on patrol because they were more comfortable then the issue stuff. is this well know? or is it rarely seen?
thanks again,
Tex
After 1876, that prairie belt was standard issue. It replaced the field-expedient leather belts which were made up by post saddlers using leather waist belts. The problem with the leather ones was that the cartridges would be corroded by the leathe loops if the cartridges were left in the loops too long. In the field, about any clothing that the troops could find or afford (that includes the officers went. Gen. Crook usually went around in a canvas hunting suit and a pith helmet, with no rank visible! As troops had to pay for their own uniforms, they generally kept the good stuff for wear in garrison, where it was required. If they had pieces of clothing left from the CW, they often wore that, plus straw hats, etc. So, if you can't afford everything at once, just use what you can.