Tallbald
Member
In my 55 years I've learned that from guns to vehicles, sewing machines to blue jeans, the quality and proper function of everything we buy, in some manner, affects our daily life.
Saturday, a small but important new item in my life arrived in the mail carefully wrapped and several days ahead of schedule. I am so impressed with this, my new belt, that I feel a need to share with members here on The High Road my thoughts about the custom gun belt made for me to my specifications by fellow THR member Rick (Rayban) right here in the USA.
As a long time pocket carrier of a Ruger 3 inch SP101, I have for years been able to get by using department store belts to keep my britches hiked up despite the weight of an all-steel revolver in my front right pocket. As I've aged and my shape has uh...evolved.... I've decided to try a different method of daily CCDW carry. Specifically, I wanted to wear my EDC in an in-the-waistband holster which will let me reach it smoothly without twisting at the waist. Enter the downside of typical consumer casual and dress belts. Roll over, stretching and cracking were all the rage with the belts in my limited wardrobe.
My search for a proper gun belt was lengthy. At least compared to past efforts spent looking for clothing to fit my 6'5" 281 pound frame. Aside from having no success whatsoever finding anything approaching an appropriate belt in my town of 60,000, it appears to me that there are no industry standards for just how a belt should be measured! Depending of manufacturer, the belts I tried on "just to see", seemed measured in a way designed to tickle my vanity ("come on now, I KNOW I wear bigger than a 42 inch belt") or cut to length with one of those humorous fisherman's rulers that says a fish the size of your palm is really "12 inches".
As I often do when in a quandary , I sought the help of THR members to maybe narrow my search for an affordable high quality gun belt. Many excellent and useful responses were shared, and as I do, I carefully considered them all. One posting in my thread was from a very friendly fellow member, Rayban. Right here on the forum was a man who it turns out, proudly hand makes numerous high quality leather products and accessories. Prompt to reply to my PMs, he offered me his phone number and invited me to contact him with any questions I may have about construction techniques, product materials, options and anything else I felt the need to know about the belts he produces. I did call. And Rick himself answered. No phone tree number selection, no "press one for (such and such). Rick himself.
I won't discuss the price of my custom belt, because I don't know how Rick's price was calculated given a few special touches I requested. What I will say is that the price was below the prices I was seeing for similar laminated, double stitched, 1/4 inch thick serious gun belts with a thick, heavy built buckle secured not by flimsy snaps but with heavy plated "Chicago screws". I chose for my belt Rick's beautiful deep black color with contrasting red double row stitching. I want this belt to be noticed. That's how proud I am of it. It deserves to be admired. It deserves to be the significant part of my casual wardrobe I know it is destined to become. Although I've only had it a day, I've already removed it several times to show it off to family and friends. Invariably, those who've held it respond verbally with something akin to "WOW! DANG! WOW!", and comments about it's heft, beautiful construction and unique stitching.
This belt will likely survive me. Like a favorite hat, pair of boots or shirt, the belt Rick made to my specifications shall I expect for years meet all my functional needs and aesthetic wishes. Oh. And let me address the measurement issue! Rick is straightforward in his methods. He had me use a real tape measure to measure an existing comfortable belt from the fold that held the buckle to the hole it went through. I did add two inches to allow some for an IWB holster I plan to make. The first time I slipped my new belt through the loops of my jeans, it smoothly eased through each loop and the center hole lined up perfectly where needed, on this 1 3/4 inch wide beauty. It was as if Rick made it just for me as I stood right there!
Hey Rick. Thanks. I can only aspire to make holsters as nicely as you made my belt. A belt may seem a simple item, but it's one that must encompass several critical features. This belt does for me.To steal a famous quote from a certain movie killer android... "I'll bee baack!" Don
P.S. I've included some photos taken with an old early digital camera. They don't do justice to the beauty of my new belt. But theys all I got. Don
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This was my reaction to finding out just what I'd been missing all these years in not having a really good belt to my name. Don
Saturday, a small but important new item in my life arrived in the mail carefully wrapped and several days ahead of schedule. I am so impressed with this, my new belt, that I feel a need to share with members here on The High Road my thoughts about the custom gun belt made for me to my specifications by fellow THR member Rick (Rayban) right here in the USA.
As a long time pocket carrier of a Ruger 3 inch SP101, I have for years been able to get by using department store belts to keep my britches hiked up despite the weight of an all-steel revolver in my front right pocket. As I've aged and my shape has uh...evolved.... I've decided to try a different method of daily CCDW carry. Specifically, I wanted to wear my EDC in an in-the-waistband holster which will let me reach it smoothly without twisting at the waist. Enter the downside of typical consumer casual and dress belts. Roll over, stretching and cracking were all the rage with the belts in my limited wardrobe.
My search for a proper gun belt was lengthy. At least compared to past efforts spent looking for clothing to fit my 6'5" 281 pound frame. Aside from having no success whatsoever finding anything approaching an appropriate belt in my town of 60,000, it appears to me that there are no industry standards for just how a belt should be measured! Depending of manufacturer, the belts I tried on "just to see", seemed measured in a way designed to tickle my vanity ("come on now, I KNOW I wear bigger than a 42 inch belt") or cut to length with one of those humorous fisherman's rulers that says a fish the size of your palm is really "12 inches".
As I often do when in a quandary , I sought the help of THR members to maybe narrow my search for an affordable high quality gun belt. Many excellent and useful responses were shared, and as I do, I carefully considered them all. One posting in my thread was from a very friendly fellow member, Rayban. Right here on the forum was a man who it turns out, proudly hand makes numerous high quality leather products and accessories. Prompt to reply to my PMs, he offered me his phone number and invited me to contact him with any questions I may have about construction techniques, product materials, options and anything else I felt the need to know about the belts he produces. I did call. And Rick himself answered. No phone tree number selection, no "press one for (such and such). Rick himself.
I won't discuss the price of my custom belt, because I don't know how Rick's price was calculated given a few special touches I requested. What I will say is that the price was below the prices I was seeing for similar laminated, double stitched, 1/4 inch thick serious gun belts with a thick, heavy built buckle secured not by flimsy snaps but with heavy plated "Chicago screws". I chose for my belt Rick's beautiful deep black color with contrasting red double row stitching. I want this belt to be noticed. That's how proud I am of it. It deserves to be admired. It deserves to be the significant part of my casual wardrobe I know it is destined to become. Although I've only had it a day, I've already removed it several times to show it off to family and friends. Invariably, those who've held it respond verbally with something akin to "WOW! DANG! WOW!", and comments about it's heft, beautiful construction and unique stitching.
This belt will likely survive me. Like a favorite hat, pair of boots or shirt, the belt Rick made to my specifications shall I expect for years meet all my functional needs and aesthetic wishes. Oh. And let me address the measurement issue! Rick is straightforward in his methods. He had me use a real tape measure to measure an existing comfortable belt from the fold that held the buckle to the hole it went through. I did add two inches to allow some for an IWB holster I plan to make. The first time I slipped my new belt through the loops of my jeans, it smoothly eased through each loop and the center hole lined up perfectly where needed, on this 1 3/4 inch wide beauty. It was as if Rick made it just for me as I stood right there!
Hey Rick. Thanks. I can only aspire to make holsters as nicely as you made my belt. A belt may seem a simple item, but it's one that must encompass several critical features. This belt does for me.To steal a famous quote from a certain movie killer android... "I'll bee baack!" Don
P.S. I've included some photos taken with an old early digital camera. They don't do justice to the beauty of my new belt. But theys all I got. Don
This was my reaction to finding out just what I'd been missing all these years in not having a really good belt to my name. Don
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