Best Type of Gunbelt?

L

Lee6113

New member
I was at my local gun store the other day and they were showing me an instructor belt type made of a reinforced, non leather material. Looked sturdy and thought it may be a good option, but I've been on the market for a good leather belt, so I hadn't really thought of this kind.

What kind of belt works best?
 
The "instructor" part is marketing. A gun belt needs to be stiff enough so the holster doesn't move around.
Pretty is in the eye of the beholder and it has to fit your pants and your budget. snicker.
Haven't bought any belt for eons. Make 'em. Trick is finding a decent buckle.
 
Mine is thick and fairly wide leather that is also quite pliable and comfortable.
It was made by a harness maker at a re-enactment.
It must be at least twenty years old.
Good leather will last.
 
Leather, good maker....fairly thin are my desires.

Thin for a gun belt... Still thick for a pants belt....RG Gunleather
 
He seem to be serious (he italicized the word "leather"), that he wanted leather.
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Actually, no. Re-read the OP's post. He said he has been in the market for a good leather belt but someone suggested the "instructor" style belt and he was soliciting opinions on that type of belt (and other types, too). Otherwise, I would not have offered the opinion that I did. Thanks, though.
 
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Yeah, I'm open to options. I hadn't considered anything but leather, but if they work just as good I'd be fine with it. I'd just be worried it wouldn't go with some nicer outfits.
 
My 'requirements' in a leather belt are few...
a) have a roller on the buckle so the belt can be tightened easily
Antique%20Silver%20Roller%20Plain%20pin%20Belt%20Buckle.jpg

b) the use of 'Chicago screws' so the buckle can be easily replaced or switched to a newer belt. Not as important, but still something I look for.
black-interscrew.jpg


I've been avoiding belts that fasten with Velcro, they seem to lose 'stiction' way before the rest of the belt is worn out.
For other unnatural belts, I like the 'Ligerthane / Biothane(r)' although again, I'd rather have replaceable screws than rivets.
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Harness shops sell it online in the right colors and widths, I just need a friendly belt buckle*.




* Being former military and left-handed means I wear my belt 'correctly' which is a pain in the arse for threading it through holster loops as the belt has to be almost completely undone while attaching the holster.
 
I started out with a 5.11 instructor type belts and then moved on to leather. I have a very nice custom leather one made by Rick Garcia but I've recently switched back to the instructor type belts because of my fluctuating weight. For the last month I have been using one made by www.x-concealment.com and I absolutely love it so far.

4thPoint,


What do you mean by wearing a belt correctly?
 
What do you mean by wearing a belt correctly?
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In the Army (and I'm assuming all other services follow suit) all belts worn by male personnel will be threaded so that the tongue extends to the left. Or... counterclockwise around the body.

Being left handed, that means my holster has to be attached when the belt is only through the first or maybe second belt loop and then continue through 4 or 5 loops to buckle. Were I right-handed I'd only have to buckle and unthread a loop or two.
 
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I prefer Wilderness Instructor 5-Stitch. There is no "best," just get a dedicated gun belt of some some sort. Regular belts just are not stiff enough to get the job done properly.
 
4thPoint said:
In the military, all belts will be threaded so that the tongue extends to the left. Or... counterclockwise around the body.

Being left handed, that means my holster has to be attached when the belt is only through the first or maybe second belt loop and then continue through 4 or 5 loops to buckle. Were I right-handed I'd only have to buckle and unthread a loop or two.
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I'm also left handed (prior military) and I find I get tired of having to take my belt almost completely on/off to thread it through a holster. At which point I just wear the belt reverse (girls style). Much easier to put on a holster. Usually have a cover garment on so no-one will know...
 
Beltman's horse hide model looks like mine.
Thanks for the link should I ever need another one.

As a side note, scuba weight belt webbing works pretty good for guns and holsters, too.
They're made to carry a lot more weight than a mere pistol.
Just make sure they have a metal buckle (or whatever it's called) instead of the more common plastic.
 
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I used leather until I got my first Wilderness Instructor, and havent gone back.

I find they just work better, and are more comfortable. Their biggest plus being, they are infinitely adjustable through their wearable length. You dont have to try and "hit" a hole if you go up and down a little in size.

The downside to them is, they look like a gun belt, especially to gun people. Then again, so do most of the leather gun belts.

These days, Im using one of Wilderness's Frequent Flyer "double ring" belts. They work the same, just dont look as much like a gun belt.
 
Same as OP, I'm in the market for a leather gun belt, and here's what little I've learned as a novice:

- a good leather gun belt will outlast the typical dress belt by a factor of 3 to 5 (they'll last 5-10+ years). So the higher cost us offset by longer useful service life.
- they need to be at least double leather; most off the rack dress belts are a single thickness of leather and are too pliable. The better makers use the higher (stiffer) quality bull or cow leather, or...
- Some use horse hide which is - as I understand - stiffer than cattle hides.
- they may have inner stiffeners, like kydex;
- there are a bunch of folks who make them from the major holster manufacturers to local leather workers. I prefer supporting local (or as close to local as I can get) businesses & have found a couple of makers in my state with good websites and good reviews.
 
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I'm using leather belts from Bianchi, Blade-Tech, Davis Leather, Ted Blocker, FIST, and maybe some others.
They're all good, but I do prefer belts that are made from split leather, with the two pieces stitched face-to-face so you have the smooth, shiny side facing out on both sides of the belt.
My latest Davis belt has the roller buckle illustrated by 4thPoint, and it seems like a luxury rather than a must-have, but you did ask about "best". :)
 
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