A good belt? Ohhh, you meant a GOOD belt.

thanks for the info. i've been wanting to try that belt for awhile. i will now.

had

Cool. I've been wondering if a good gun belt would be worth the money. Sounds like they are.

I am checking out Galco's site. What width did you buy? What model did you buy? Thanks.

I was very upset when uncle mikes discontinued the brown and cordovan versions of their nytek dress gunbelt. It only comes in black now. My first cordovan soldiered on for three years of gun, keys, cuffs, baton, spare mag etc. on a daily basis. Still wear it with casual clothes occasionally although it is a bit ragged looking.

Bought a Don Hume gunbelt. Lets just say it wasn't up to the standards of their holsters. It started getting surface cracks after a few weeks of wear and was too small. Usually, a 36 waist belt will let me carry IWB. It was too tight for that.

I don't mean to be a total heathen, but if you want a REALLY good gunbelt, go to any western store and ask for a near-side latigo. Add a buckle and cut to fit.

I'd say that a GOOD belt is MORE important than the holster you carry the gun in. I have belts from Dillon and Galco and both are fine. I'm going to be ordering a new one from Milt Sparks or RafterS soon. Strangely, my Galco belt appears to be shrinking lengthwise...

The Incredible Shrinkage Gunbelt

AlphaDog has pointed out one of the least discussed and understood aspects of a good gunbelt: Shrinkage.
It may just be a "Florida-thing," but I have also experienced increasing length deficiencies in my gunbelts, other belts as well.
A good gunbelt is at least as important as a good holster for concealed carry. The problem is, they shrink.
Perhaps one of our resident holster/belt makers can explain this.
Oh, the latigo approach won't work for me. Since I quit smoking, regrettably, I have developed a pernicious case of Dunlop's disease and those big, old Western style buckles (you know the ones that look like a tombstone for your &^%$), just cause me more pain.
Can we get a government grant to study this relentless shrinkage?

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Can we get a government grant to study this relentless shrinkage?
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Oddly enough, I just had that conversation. A friend had a "belt" put around his stomach -- his REAL stomach, not his belly. This constricts the stomach, you feel full with a light snack, and it doesn't have all the problems that are associated with taking out several feet of intestine, or having the stomach stapled.

He's retired military, and Tri-Care paid for it.

My approach is simply walking -- I walk to the top of the hill on one side of the creek, come back and walk to the top of the hill on the other side -- about 7 1/2 miles, and over 1000 feet of climb. It keeps me about 25 lbs lighter than I normally would be, and elk hunting in the Rockies, I can walk everyone else into the ground.

I bought a Mitch Rosen ARG for my first carry gun, a SIG P228. I sold the gun and holster but kept the belt. I sure dig Mitch's work. I bought another of his belts a few years later. My first belt is going on 10 years and is still in great shape.

Galco does make good belts - this one's on one of their gunsite holsters with a Browning HP. The belt is ever so slightly contoured so it fits very comfortably.



It's a few years old, and I'm working on the "shrinkage" problem.

Don Hume makes a great double thick belt that is a bit less expensive.

I believe the model is 109L.

A good belt is more important than the holster, IMO.

I just retired my old, black 1 1/2" Hellweg belt. After six years and many refinishings, it had started to get little soft. Forum member in Denver advertised a Milt Sparks for sale. I experienced almost the same euphoria that MJRW described. The Hellweg was a good belt. Six years of service for $40 is good service, but the "first impression" with the Sparks is that it should be a twelve-year belt. There are good belts, and there are GOOD belts.

KLR,

I have had the same problem with a Don Hume belt. I am thinking of sending it back to them but I have had some problems with their holsters also. They always made it right but it has been a hassle.

Bill

A GOOD belt is very important and well worth the money.
You'll never regret it if you get one of these:

RafterS

Been trying to tell people this for years now. When I first got a ccary holster I used a regualr belt. It was my first carry so I figured, ok this is how it's supposed to be. When I bought a complete new leather set for another gun I got a belt at the sma etime (All Mitch Rosen) WOW what a difference. Too many people just don't get it though. They search and research for the best gun for them, spend a bunch of money on it and are happy carrying it in a cheap hlster and a cheap redular belt. Have some pride in your guns. I'll be getting another of Mitch holsters sometime soon and likely another belt to match it. Great stuff!

cheap gun => cheap leather

quality gun => quality leather

What's the life span of a Rafter S cowhide belt if used on a daily basis? Can anyone with experience chime in?

brad cook

Well..I've worn mine pretty much daily for 2.5 years now. It has some scuffs on it from where I clip and unclip my spare mag carrier...thats about it as far as wear goes. The thing is solid.

Mike

I've been wearing a black sharkskin belt daily for about a year and it still looks like new. I've only worn the IWB about half that time, but it looks like new as well. The sharkskin is supposed to be more durable than the cowhide, but I'm sure the cowhide will last a long time. They do quality work. If you can afford the extra, the sharkskin looks better and is more resistant to moisture.

GOOD Gun Belts

My father had an Alessi 1.5" double thick gun belt that he used for the last 15 years of his life before he passed three years ago. I inherited the belt and use it -- almost daily. A few scuffs from age and such, but still rock solid. I don't foresee a point within the next five years that it'll wear out, even if I wore it every single day.

Quality leather can last well for years and years. It makes me sick to see poeple spend gobs of money on fancy guns and super duper magazines, but then tack them into $19.95 holsters and regular belts.

I've only ever been able to use one store-bought belt as a fairly functional gunbelt. The secret is the "pinch" test. If you can grab both the top and bottom edge of the belt in your fingers and pinch it then you will have a belt that will not have the lateral stability to hold up a holster, let alone any other gear.

Agreed on the necessity for a good belt, at least if you're carrying anything heavier than a 642.

Also agreed that the Galco belts really are the bees' knees. I have been up and down and all around on belts -- IMO they are the best. (FWIW, I'm not a huge Galco fan otherwise - have only one of their holsters, so my belt endorsement doesn't have anything to do with being a big customer of their other lines.)

I have been up and down and all around on belts -- IMO they are the best.

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What other brands have you used that you can compare it to? Have you tried Alessi and Rafter S?

brad cook

My father had an Alessi 1.5" double thick gun belt that he used for the last 15 years of his life before he passed three years ago. I inherited the belt and use it -- almost daily.

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That's impressive.

brad cook

I have another testimonial for Rafter S. I have set aside my Mitch Rosen gun belt in favor of two Rafter S belts, in black sharkskin and elephant hide. They are fully equal in quality to Mitch Rosen's belt that I wore before. With Rafter S, I got better materials for the price of Mitch Rosen's standard cowhide. Rafter S belts have seven holes spaced 3/4" apart, resulting in finer adjustment over a similar range compared to Rosen's five holes with 1" spacing. I am very pleased with my new belts, and will buy more exotic gunleather from Steve and Della Schafer. My only wishes are for them to bring out crossdraw and shoulder holster designs, and to accommodate a greater variety of handguns. By contrast, the Galco gunbelt with which I started out, fell short by breaking its buckle tongue, fraying its holes, and cracking its surface finish in short order.

in black sharkskin and elephant hide.

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How do you like the Elephant hide? I'm trying to save up for an alligator rig, but that may take awhile. Steve and Della are great, aren't they?

the bees' knees.

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I love hearing this phrase, but I have no idea what it means other than something good. Would somebody please explain the meaning and origin of the Bee's Knees?