CCW Belt & Mag carrier - Suggestions?

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Falconeer

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Hay there folks.
I'm going to be taking a handgun class at the end of May (Randy Cain's Tactical Handgun 101 at Southern Exposure Training Facility). I don't currently have a good belt or mag carriers so I was looking for suggestions. My carry rig is/will be a Sig P229 in a C-T.A.C. IWB.

1) For belts, I've narrowed my choices down to:
Hume Trouser Belt 1 1/2
1 1/2 Gunner's Alley Gun Belt
Andrew's Custom Leather gun belt
The Belt Man 1 1/2 Bullhide Belt

Any experiences with any of these? The Hume is the cheapest, but how's the quality? As I said the class will be the weekend of May 27th so I have to make sure I receive the belt before then.

2) I'm also looking for a magazine carrier for the P229, preferably with some kind of body guard to keep the tops from digging into my side. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
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I use the Gunner's Alley belt with my CTAC and I'm very happy with it, plus they are great folks to deal with. The turn around time was pretty good too (about 2 weeks IIRC). Order one now, sometimes they take a while.
I haven't had experience with those other belts but I'm sure they are all of good quality.
 
I use a Beltman belt. They are excellent quality and will not let you down at all.

Incidentally, he makes the Gunners Alley belts, or so I have been told. But I would suggest buying from him directly. He is a wonderfuly person to deal with and even fixed an order when I screwed up.
 
If you can spend the cash I would recommend a Milt Sparks VersaMax II and a Sparks belt. I own 3 VMII's and just received my Sparks belt last week. You get what you pay for and what you get from Sparks for the money is well worth it. I highly recommend anything from Sparks.
 
I second the recommendation for Milt Sparks, but, their turn-around time is close to 8-10 weeks if you order from the factory.

I can enthusiastically recommend their Executive Companion holsters - I have one for a SIG 229 and another for a Glock 30. Also, their Summer Special 2 works quite well with my S&W J-frame.

I have 2 of the Versa Max 2's, but I find that I use the Executive Companion's more often.
 
If your class is at the end of May, you don't have time to order a custom belt.

In a handgun class, you are going to draw and reholster hunders of times. get a simple plastic or Kydex holster and mag holder that is outside the waistband -- either belt mount or paddle. Any heavy leather belt will work for this class. Total investment <$50. THEN, after the class, you will have a better idea of exactly what you want and can order that custom gunleather (which often takes months to arrive).
 
I know none of these were on your list. Whether you considered and excluded them, or just didn't know about them, I don't know. But I thought I'd offer a couple more to your list of acceptable alternatives:

You can try Rafter S leather. He turned around a sharkskin for me in about 3 weeks, from order to arrival at my order. And its good leather at a very reasonable price.

If you can deal with a 1 3/4" I have a Milt Sparks that I'll let go for a good price to start you out. It fits a 38.5 inch waist. I thought it might fit my father-in-law, but he's been exercising, so it won't fit him. Its too large for my thin waist, too.

Lightning Arms tries to stock a small selection of commonly sold leather. You can try those folks. You'll pay a little more to have it right away . . . but . . . you'll have it right away.

Don't buy Galco, please. Not to knock them for anyone who has Galco leather, but for the prices you pay for their assembly line product, if you have a little patience you can have a nicer hand made article from a true craftsman. But, if you must have it now, Galco can probably get it to you.

Henry has a good suggestion, too. But you should do your best to get a good, sturdy belt. If you try to manage without one, you'll still enjoy the class, but you'll find out what a sturdy belt is for.
 
Unless you are wedded to leather, I would suggest a nylon-based Wilderness belt (http://thewilderness.com/catalog/default.php/cPath/3).

I have a five-stitch instructor belt, and it holds a P226 IWB with little slouching. (stitch refers to the stiffness level) I never did like leather belts, but that is just me.

Plus it looks tacticool, but you can get one with ring buckles if you would prefer to be lower-key :)
 
Thanks much for the responses folks!

I'm going to stick with a leather belt, as a nylon belt would stick out on the clothes I wear normally (business casual, etc). I have some emails out to the suggestions regarding turn around time. I'm leaning towards the Hume belt at the moment, primarily because of cost. If nothing else it should get me through the class. Once I have a better idea of what I want/need I can go custom.

As for the holster, the guy who runs the range is lending me an OWB leather holster for the first day. The second day (when we get into draws and such) I expect to wear my C-TAC. I'd much prefer to practice with what I'm going to be actually wearing. :)

I still need a mag carrier. Any suggestions for inexpensive but not going to fall apart?
 
To get you through the class, try this.

For a belt, go to your local store that sells work clothes, Dickies brand, specifically. Buy a Dickies 1 1/2 inch belt. Twenty bucks max and will last for a very long time.

For mag pouches, think about Uncle Mikes. They run about twenty bucks near me, and in my opinion mag pouches and QD sling swivels are the only worthwhile products Uncle Mikes makes. I've got two pouches by them, a double that attaches to the belt and a single with a "finger" in the back that keeps it attached to your pants and belt. I prefer and carry leather, but do use those on occassion.

A comment about the problem of the mag bases digging into your side. My first thought is to play with the position a bit, find a comfortable spot that doesn't hinder movement as much.
 
I really don't carry a spare mag all too often but when I do I tend to use a brand of kydex carriers which a buddy gave me..I cant' remember the name. They work so I have never replaced them.

I think the mag carriers from Bladetech are a good place to start. Really, I would think that any carrier would do....IMHO the most important parts of a CCW are your weapon, holster and belt. Any quality mag carrier should do the trick.
 
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I found a Fobus twin magazine paddle for $18 with shipping. That will cover mags for the class. Once I start carrying consistently I'll decide if I need better.

Now just for the belt! :)
 
Some friends and I came across a belt made by Filson at one of the local outerwear stores.

Great leather belt, sturdy (this one's a double thickness), and holds my 5" 1911 in a Sparks VM-II just fine.
 
I checked out Filson's web site; they look like great quality. They want $75 for a double thickness 1.25" belt (the hooks on my C-TAC are for 1.25"). Seems a bit expensive for a belt that isn't even specifically a gun belt. :)

I believe I'm going to go with Rafter S (thanks BullfrogKen) for the belt. I've contacted them and they can get it to me in three weeks, and the price is very competitive ($48 for a custom double layer 1.25" belt).

Thanks for all the input and advice. I'll post pics/review when I get it.
 
Mannlicher said:
I carry my handguns in holsters by Sam Andrews, and they ride on one of his belts. First class leather goods from a first class guy.
Click to expand...
I would have liked to go with Andrews (I have one of his MacDaniel II IWB holsters). Unfortunately when I contacted him I discovered he's 8-10 weeks out on belts these days. He's definately good people though; I've chatted with him a number of times at the Lakeland gun shows.
 
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