Gun Belts. What do you wear?

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Okay, we've had all sorts of discussions about holsters, but I couldn't find any thread devoted solely to gun belts.

I am curious to see what the choice of all of you OCers out there is when it comes to holding up yer breeches. I personally use a 1.25 inch brown leather belt. Brand? I don't really know. I honestly bought it at Dollar General the day I started carrying my first revolver. I think I paid like 6 or 7 bucks for it, and it was a great investment. It has never stretched or shown any signs of wear, and I can almost definitively say that I have worn it every day for nearly 2 years.

What about you guys? Did you go out and spend grande dollars on a high quality gun belt, or are most of you like me and just carry on a standard leather belt?

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El cheapo black leather belt I got from Wallyworld. The leather doesn't seem to be stretching, but the problem I usually have is the holes stretching. This belt has two rows of holes, which takes a little strain off of them.

Edit: Other than the belt, thats the exact same rig I carry. :celebrate

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I too have a belt from Wally World. It is made by Dickies (to go with the pants ) and has the double latch thingamajig.

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Black Galco cop series!! Its been through hell and back with me!!! not even interested in trying anything else!!

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I'm sure we've had some threads on it here; I know it's been discussed at length on other forums I belong to.

I use a dedicated belt from http://www.thebeltman.net - and am about to buy another from him. I could never get a good fit even from the thick department store belt I originally used. I love this belt - my holster does not shift at all when wearing it. (I use either a Milt Sparks VMII IWB or a Serpa OWB)

A good gunbelt will be constructed of two layers of leather with the grain alternating. This creates good stiffness and prevents stretching. I believe the stiffness is more important.

A friend at work finally ordered a good gunbelt after having his CCW for a while. It came in a few weeks ago and he told me" I did'nt believe it would make such a difference - it's amazing how much better this is. I'm glad I listened to you".

I consider the belt to be the thing that holds your entire defense system together. You're carrying a sidearm that cost you anywhere from several hundred to over a thousand dollars, a holster that may have cost over a hundred, premium ammo... and hanging it all on a seven dollar belt from Wally World? I too was hesitant to spent close to ninety dollars on a belt - but it has enhanced my carry experience immeasurably. Eat at home a few nights this month and spend the money on a good belt instead - you'll thank yourself.

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I recently (as in last week) replaced my dickies and wally world special casual belts and my standard 1" Calvin Klein dress belt with a 5.11 tactical series belt. So far, much better! Lot more stable for any of the holsters.

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http://www.highspeedgearinc.com/proddetail.asp?prod=HSG-RIG

HSGI's Rigger's Belt

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THanks alot for posting that link zoom6zoom. I checked out the site and have decided to take your advice and give one of the bull hide belts a try.

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I've been using a matrix gun belt from Galco. It's basically made of rubber, but made to look like leather. I think it was $20 at the local gun shop. It's completely waterproof, and it can't stretch or tear. It's not quite as beautiful as leather, but it sure holds my gun on and my pants up .

Just keep it in mind for a good quality low-priced casual gun belt.

http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterP3.asp?ProductID=3313&CatalogID=254

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why get the "cop" series? Seems like trying to copy what cops carry! ANyway just asking

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swatpro911 wrote:

why get the "cop" series? Seems like trying to copy what cops carry! ANyway just asking

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Cops have to carry not only their weapons but upwards of 20 pounds of other gear on their belt daily, ALL DAY. This would lead me to believe that gear designed to make this scenario more comfortable and more effective would certainly be a good choice for civilian carry as well. Probably thousands of cops carry a serpa holster, does that mean that those of us who carry in one of these are wanna-be cops? Absolutely not. We recognize that the police have made a good choice with these holsters and choose to use them ourselves, but we are certainly not "trying to copy what cops carry!"

There aren't two seperate industries out there: 1) dedicated to only police officers 2) dedicated only to civilians. Nearly all of us carry a gun, use a holster/mag pouch, carry a flashlight, or in DreQo's case wear a belt that was designed with law enforcement in mind.

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Wait huh? I'm not the one wearing the Cops series! lol Unless the matrix line was designed for LE too?

Anyway it really sounds like swatprop is just trying to cause problems. Galco names one of their product lines the "Cop Series" because they want to market their stuff to law enforcement. Doesn't mean it's made exclusively for cops. It's made for anyone that wants to buy it!

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The only belts I own now are "gun belts". I justgave away 7 old beltsI never wear last week. Got sick of them hanging around. I havetwo brown and two black, each in 1.25" and 1.5". Good for suit and tie, or jeans. Simple is good!

My oldest belt is @ 2.5 years old, worn at least three times a week, and looks near new. A good gunbelt is a wise investment. Makes everything work better.

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I have used a "gun belt" for many years. Regular belts are not stiff enough and don't hold up to the additional weight of a gun plus all of the other stuff that gets carried on the belt. Things like additional magazines, flashlight, cell phone, PDA, etc.

I've had several purpose built "gun belts", but many, even those from well-recognized manufacturers, tend to wear and stretch over a relatively short period of time. One belt I have found, however, does very well. Belts from AKJ Concealco have a "rigid but flexible" band of some construction sewn between two strips of leather to comprise a belt with outstanding ability to support the weight of equipment and offer long life will minimal wear. Here is the link: http://www.concealco.com/miva/merch...e=ACL&Product_Code=BELT&Category_Code=054BELT

Its hard to explain why, but a good, stiff gun belt makes for very comfortable carry as well as placing the holster and gun firmly and reliably for consistent presentation. I've also found that the stiffer the belt, the more you can carry on the belt.

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I just use generic canvas army surplus belts. The cloth will get smooth and the buckle will lose its grip after about 6 months from the weight of a gun pulling on it, but they cost all of $4, so I just replace them twice a year.

-ljp

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I was just saying...no harms done.

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I'm using the famed Wilderness Instructor Belt, 5-stitch 1-1/2" size. It's not so stiff that it's uncomfortable, yet it will hold a pretty heavy gun securely. I'm probably going to get a nice custom leather belt for more formal (or less mall ninja) wear.

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5.11 Tactical reinforced in Brown Leather. Made a world of difference over the other belt I was wearing. I can't even tell I'm carrying a gun when I use that belt. I paid maybe $35 for it at Quantico Arms in Woodbridge VA.

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if you guys want to know whats proven in the battlefield then here it goes: Propper,5.11, Blackhawk, Galco miami classic, Serpa, blade tek etc

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swatpro911 wrote:

if you guys want to know whats proven in the battlefield then here it goes: Propper,5.11, Blackhawk, Galco miami classic, Serpa, blade tek etc

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What are you talking about?! (did swatpro always talk like this???)