Gun belts??

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Needing a gun belt depends on the size of the gun and where you carry. I have an old Dickies leather belt I used for years that did the job. Then I tried Hank's belt. It certainly works better for carrying a heavier gun at the 4:00 position. But I didn't care for the super thick leather, I find it uncomfortable, not to mention the sweat leather collects in the summer when I'm outside. It's well built, but not for me. So I next tried a 2-ply webbing belt. It's much more comfortable, but even it feels too stiff and heavy when I'm wearing light fast-dry shorts in the summer, and I find myself constantly adjusting the tension through the day since the material is so unforgiving and can feel like it's digging into my sides. Now I'm wearing a Patagonia hiking belt and find it perfect. It might not work well for heavy guns at 4:00, but for appendix carry it's perfect for even my steel framed 3" Kimber K6s.

https://www.hanksbelts.com/

https://www.klikbelts.com/collections/1-5-2-ply-tactical-belts/

https://www.patagonia.com/product/tech-web-belt/59193.html
 
A proper gun belt is well worth the money. If you have never had a quality gun belt you will be amazed at how much better a holstered gun feels or, more importantly, doesn't feel.
I have worn a Beltman daily for 3 or 4 years now and it will last many more.
I think it cost $80 or $90 and would be worth it even if I didn't carry.
https://www.thebeltman.net/
 
I unfortunately have a body type that could basically be described as no butt.

So for me the slidebelts work best for every day use and they are rugged enough for holsters as well.
 
Nothing will support a gun like heavy leather. You can have comfort or support - pick one.
 
I like the nylon belts like the 5.11 Tactical Trainer Belt. I found a knock off from Bison (Heavy Duty Last Chance) that uses aluminum rather than steel for the buckle and its just as stiff but much lighter. Carry a gun all day on either belt in comfort and the infinitely adjustable nature of these belt is nice going from various weight clothing and IWB to OWB holsters.
 
Spats McGee said:
Yes, it is absolutely worth it to have a proper gunbelt. Being able to carry a gun without the belt sagging or stretching makes a big difference in the comfort level.

I have a Beltman, and it's an awfully nice belt. Bullhide with internal stiffener. I've also had an Aker B21, and two DeSantis Econobelts. For differing reasons, I'd recommend any one of them.
Click to expand...

I have that type of Beltman too as my main daily belt and its awesome. I also have a reinforced nylon Blue Alpha belt for casual wear it works well but isn't nearly as nice of a belt, nor is it as stiff. I think a purpose built gun belt is worth the money for sure, the regular ones just don't work nearly as well nor do the hold up at all.
 
theboyscout said:
Is it worth buying a "gun belt"?
Click to expand...

Short answer: absolutely.

A decent belt will make a works of difference in carry.

You can get an idea fairly cheaply by carrying a holstered pistol for a while with your typical belt, which tends to be a light weight, thinner belt.

Then go pick up a cheap belt that's much wider and thicker and carry the same holstered pistol.

A wider, thicker belt will do a much better job supporting the holster without sagging and distributing the weight more comfortably around the waist.

Now, with that in mind, toss the cheap belt and find one in good leather that's wide enough and thick enough to do the job.
 
Hartkopf said:
I found a seller on fleabay that sells thick, plain leather gun belts for $39.99 that are made in the USA:thumbup:. I'm a cheap a$$ when it comes to clothes so I refuse to spend a penny more than I have to.
Click to expand...

MidwayUSA has the DeSantis E25 1 1/2" gun belt for $22.49. I finally broke down after years of buying belts from Walmart and Farm and home supply stores. I bought the DeSantis E25 and have been very pleased with it, especially for the money. I can carry my full size 1911's in an IWB holster with this belt all day long without feeling my my pants are falling down.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2375320978?pid=425667

No matter what brand you get or how much you want to spend, a good gun belt makes a world of difference.
 
A1C79F57-11E5-4261-9487-1D31404D6522.jpeg 998130A9-35B5-4A36-BD3C-2DEE570F8FDA.jpeg F40CBDD7-27FB-4D63-A39F-D0026C95DDA5.jpeg Check around and see if there is a leather craftsman near you. I have two gun belts that will last me another 20 years made by a one man shop. See pics for the difference between a regular single hide thickness belt and a double hide gun belt. (& no, the belt in the top pic isn’t touching the door frame)
Support local businesses.
 
Always use a gun belt.

I have quite a few different ones but my beltman horsehide belt gets used the most for CCW.

For competition I often use a 5.11 copy of the wilderness belt. Sometimes I use a grey ghost gear belt.

I do use an el paso Saddlery canvas gun belt for open carry while riding.
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I've had a 14oz steel lined Bigfoot Gunbelt for several years. Still as good as new. It will more than hold up anything I'm gonna EDC. Recently I've put on a bunch of weight and I grabbed a Safariland belt locally. It's surprising good too but I don't expect it to last up like the Bigfoot belt. Both put all common belts to shame.
 
You must have a dedicated gun belt to carry a medium/full size firearm. I have two, a Wilderness tactical nylon belt, it is rock solid. My EDC belt is a Tommy Theis Jake belt. It is casual dress, I have worn it to work for 4 years, not a comment. To and from work it superbly supports my Shield 9mm.
 
A gunbelt is the foundation for properly carrying a firearm of any size you may choose, and keep you from printing because the belt will keep the gun right next to your body regardless of size. I understand finances may keep many from buying a good gunbelt but that is no excuse. If you can buy cigarettes , beer, go out for burgers there is no reason why you can't cut that out for a few months and save money for one. The cheap belts I see many wearing bought at JC Penny or Sears are meant to keep your pants up only.
 
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I tried the belt thing. I bought a Relentless Tactical leather belt and while it is modestly thick it is very pliable leather and will not support much weight. Then I bought a Kore kydex-lined belt. It is much stiffer and supports weight better than the Relentless while still being as thin as a typical dress belt, but it still only does a fair job of supporting guns around 3 pounds. If you just carry a plastic gun, the Kore will work and it goes with business casual. To get a non-liner belt to work well it will need to be about 1/4" thick and stiff -- that latter part is hard because even good vegetable tanned leather like Hermann Oak almost always softens and becomes more pliable when it is repeatedly flexed. Leather can stay stiff for holsters and saddles, but straps will not. A stitched double-layer belt will be stiffer. The very thick leather belts won't fit the belt loops on many trouser types though.

The solution I found to work for heavier guns is to wear suspenders or bib overalls. They're much better for load-bearing, and much more comfortable than belts that put pressure on the hip bones and restrict the diaphragm.
 
Gun belt is a requirement for me to wear most guns.
I keep going back to a 5.11
https://www.511tactical.com/operator-belt-1-34-wide.html

My wife bought me one of these:
https://www.bullhidebelts.com/colle...stitched-max-thickness-bullhide-belt-sku-1003
It's very thick & heavy and is rigid but I've had it about 10 months and it's already deformed and stretching out. I can't recommend it, maybe should have gotten it reinforced. Their sizing is crazy too, I ordered the correct size (I've ordered other belts) and it does fit, on the smallest hole, no accommodation if I don't have a big gun on.
 
I know this is a little old threat but would love to give an update on a couple of great belts I just bought. I bought two and they come with one buckle as it is on sale without the buckle but I got the Kores gun belt from https://www.koreessentials.com/collections/gun-belts. I got the X3 version one in nylon and one in leather for dress wear. To me, these trump all other belts I have worn they are simply great.
 
Definitely think they’re worth it. I have several.

1.5” 2-ply Klik Belt and 1.5” Aesir Volund Gearworks - both tied as my favorite for summer casual wear, infinitely adjustable, quick and easy on and off, adequately support fullsize 1911. I don’t carry AIWB, but they seem thin enough to allow for that.

1.5” Beltman - favorite leather belt, excellent quality, thick and stiff enough to easily support fullsize 1911. Might be too thick for AIWB, though.

1.5” Mean Gene Leather Victory Aegis - 2nd favorite leather belt, infinitely adjustable, superb quality, great looking, easily supports fullsize 1911, but too thick for some holsters too fit, and probably too thick for AIWB.

1.75” Mean Gene Leather “Shooter’s Belt” - all of the great qualities found in my 1.5” MGL Victory Aegis, but so thick that only one of my leather holsters fit, and that was after I filed it’s belt slots down to get it to fit. Looks super cool, though!

1.75” Duty Klik Belt - my favorite for Run-n-Gun biathlons; easily supports Glock 34, AR and pistol mags and being dragged and scraped along the mud and through steel culverts. A bit too stiff and uncomfortable for every day carry compared to my other belts, but still doable if I wanted to.

1.5” EDC Liberty Gun Belt with 1” Cobra buckle - best looking out of my nylon tacticool belts with the optional outer camo trim, adequately supports fullsize 1911, but a bit cumbersome to put on compared to all my other belts.
 
Kore essentials. I have both the Gun Belt and the standard belt. The benifits of a slider belt are such that I will never own any other belt again.So easy to adjust throughout the day. in small increments. No need to stop and have go through the nonsense of undoing the belt and moving up a whole notch.
The gun belt from Kore is heavy duty, and used for heavier guns, but the standard belt works fine for the Micro's and Snubbies.
 
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