Gun Belts

welldoya said:

I've bought several nice thick belts from Cabelas on sale in the $20-$30 range. I'm not destitute but can't see paying $70+ for a belt. I've gotten both leather and nylon and they work fine.

Click to expand...

I have spent the last few years under this plan. Nothing wrong with it at all. I am not one to have multiple holster and the thought of spending close to $100 on a belt is very hard to swallow. I have a 5.11 belt and am very happy with it. About a month ago or so the Velcro is not working the best. I have switched my belt wear so that the Velcro is held tight by the clips of my holster and work well. I carry anything from a full size M$P 40 with 15 round mag (farm carry) to a Shield or Kimber Ultra carry for EDC. The 5.11 works fine but I do have to "hitch" it a little tight sometimes.


I had some extra money from a vacation check so after about 3 years worth of internet searching I decided to buy a beltman belt. Now I only have a couple of weeks with this belt so longevity I am relying on internet input but I can say this is a very, very good belt. Way better then my 5.11. I do not have to "hitch" my belt tight at all. I wore it with my full size 40 this weekend since I was going to be working outside. Still hard to swallow that $90 some dollars but do not regreat it one bit.

I have my belts made my a local Amish Harness Shop. Any width I want, any length I wand any style of buckle I want, always cost less than $20 bucks. They are stiff, and they are thick, how thick? Don't know and not going to get up and measure one now.

Last one I had made lasted for 15 years.

Crossbreed Holsters has a seconds website where they sell their blems. They sell blem belts there too. I've bought two of them, one for me and one for my wife, and we can't find a blemish anywhere. Much cheaper than their regular site prices, so you can try it out on the cheap.

I carried my XD45C IWB daily with a Comp-Tac belt for a few years and it was great. After losing weight and needing a smaller belt (woohoo!) I got a Wilderness Tactical Instructor Belt. The instructor belt is much more comfortable than the Comp-Tac as it is really thin, like only an 1/8" thick. I have the polymer reinforced (stiffest) version. It's no where near as stiff as the Comp-Tac the direction it wraps around you, but is every bit as stiff vertically and resistant to twisting as the heavy leather gun belts. It's vertical stiffness and twist resistance that separate regular belts from gun belts and great gun belts from OK ones. The Wilderness belt is also infinitely adjustable and I actually use the safety tie-off/load bearing buckle feature on some of my adventures in the woods.

Another vote for the Wilderness instructor belt. Five stitch preferred over the three stitch.

Tucker Gun Leather - Latigo Canyon Gun Belt.

There's nothing subtle about that SOE belt. I suppose it'll look great with 5.11 pants and a photographer vest.

DFisher3112 wrote,
For those of you that currently conceal carry- how thick or inches does a IWB add? So for example I wear a 32" waist for my pants but is slightly big. I'm hoping that my Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 2.0 holster takes up the slack. If thats that case, I'm assuming I need a 33" or 34" belt correct?

Click to expand...

Huge critical point here.

Don't order a belt based on your jeans waist size. The belt size will almost never be the same size as your jeans size. Every belt maker has a "how to measure your belt" section on their website. Follow their directions very carefully. Most will have tips on how to account for IWB carry. If you don't follow their directions, and get the wrong size, it is your fault.

Some examples

The Wilderness Tactical http://www.thewilderness.com/index.php?p=page&page_id=Belt Sizing/FAQ

A&G Custom Leather http://agcustomgunleather.com/store/craftsmanship/belt-sizing/

The Beltman http://www.thebeltman.net/sizing.htm

Will a gun belt keep my iwb from pulling my pants down ?

Some guns belt offer a rigid kydex core. I've found the all leather guns belts to be the better choice. Has anyone else compared and prefer the uber stiff/rigid belts?

Will a gun belt keep my iwb from pulling my pants down ?

Click to expand...

Depends how tight you wear your belt, where you wear it, and your body shape.

An aside to the OP. It just struck me, you are in North Carolina, which is also the home of "The Beltman". I believe he is about 2 hours from your location.

I'd buy from the in-state guy, especially since he makes a known quality product.

I carry OWB and use a Galco 1.5 inch works great no sagging.

One vote for the High Noon Rock Steady gun belt - I hung up my thick leather belts some time ago and switched to this belt exclusively.



http://highnoonholsters.com/

Best belt I've ever tried.

i let Dave at Sturdy Belt
make my stuff

I have been wearing an Beltman belt daily since October of 2012.

D.M.Bullard. Aside from making excellent holsters, his belts are good-looking, tough, stiff, and durable. I've worn mine every day for the last seven years.

I picked up a couple of 5.11 leather belts very reasonably that work pretty good. They have some kind of insert in them where they don't sag with the weigh of a pistol.

+1 on the wilderness belt, it is stiff, but serves as a great base for any rig. A bit tactical, but affordable and will last for ever.

If you're looking at a Wilderness belt and don't need the climbing components, check out the Propper 180 belt; double layered, five-stitched nylon with a 'normal' nylon buckle.

It's essentially the equivalent of a Wilderness belt without the climbing buckle and all that 'odd' stuff. Bonus is it's only about $15!

Larry

I've had belts from Crossbreed, Gunners Alley (I've been told that when I bought it they were made by the belt man) and Rafter S gun leather. The Rafter S is by far the best of the 3 but they went through some tough times due to a divorce when Della Schafer took over and business went down hill. She was killed in a wreck and to my knowledge they are no longer in business.

I've been wearing that Rafter S most days for around 11 years. It's not in any danger of falling apart but the finish doesn't look as good as it used to for work so I think I'm gonna order one from Armour Belts to replace it. I hope it comes close to being as good.

brad

Milt Sparks 1 1/2" - Supports OWB/IWB very well.

R-