thx for the replies. Yeah the holster was made separate and was the first holster and second project i had ever done, so it was still a bit of a learning curve. I actually hate the basket weave on there, and have since been thinking of making another one without it.
The bullet loops were riveted on the ends, everything else on the entire belt was sewn, and i can tell you i am in no way a fan of hand stitching after doing that belt.
I went with the shiny buckle/conchos vs dark ones because the belt was dark. i looked at it like i do cars. dark paint= add a little chrome, light paint = black everything else out and I like the way a little bit of shiny breaks things up a little bit.