Woven Cartridge Loops

[Lobo]

Some folks lay up cartridge loops simply by stitching down a strap to the base (belt, carrier, etc) with predetermined loop lengths and intervals, and there is nothing wrong with that. There is another way to do cartridge loops, and that is what we will look at here.

I do my cartridge loops by punching a series of oblong slots in the base (belt, carrier, etc), then weaving the loop strap in and out to form the loops. This produces a pleasing result and is actually pretty quick and easy to do, once you have done a few and gotten a good feel for the work.

For illustration I have made a sinple 6-round cartridge slide carrier for .38/.357 revolver cartridges and fitted for a belt up to 1.75" width X 0.25" thickness.

Base piece for the carrier is cut from 6/7 oz. veg-tanned, width 3.25", overall length 7.0". This wraps completely over the belt with sufficient space to form the seam at the bottom.

A line for the cartridge loops is laid out at 2-1/8" from the bottom line of the front of the carrier. Loop spacing is 0.5" apart. The strap for the loops is cut from 5/6 oz. veg-tanned, 0.75" width. For .38/.357 cartridges you will need about 2.0" of strap length for each loop.

Slots for the cartridge loops are cut using a 1/2" wood chisel for the slot sides and a 1/4" round punch for the slot ends. Mark the layout, then tap the round punch at top and bottom to leave a mark, then cut the slot sides with the wood chisel, then finish by cutting the slot ends with the round punch.

Now is the time for basic dyeing and burnishing the edges of the strap.

Making the loops starts with inserting the end of the loop strap into the end slot, extending beyond the outer edge of the base (carrier), the tacking it down with stitching. Then the loops are formed by going back through the first slot, then on to the next slot. At each loop a cartridge is inserted and the strap is pulled up very snugly before proceeding to the next loop slot.

When all loops have been formed the strap is extended beyond the outer edge of the base (carrier) and stitched down. Strap edges are then cut off flush with the base edge.

The carrier is then folded over to line up the two ends. In this case I have used a welt 0.5" width between the inner and outer sides, then cemented and stitched the seam. The welt adds strength and rigidity, while also allowing for a nice neat fit over the belt. After stitching the edges can be trimmed as needed, then dressed on a sander, followed by edge beveling.

Next the piece is cased (dunked in water for about 5 seconds or so to permit molding) and a wooden mandrel is inserted, simulating the belt. In this case I have used a mandrel 1.75" width by 0.25" thickness. The carrier is molded to the mandrel shape, then allowed to dry thoroughly.

It may sound like a lot of work, but it really isn't. I completed this 6-round cartridge slide in exactly 18 minutes, to a point where it is ready for sealing and final finish (which takes perhaps 5 or 6 minutes per piece as I finish 3 dozen or more at a time).

The same process can be used for cartridge loops on a belt, or on a strap (such as the Mexican loop style western holsters, shoulder holster strap, etc). When placing loops on a belt that is to be lined and stitched I recommend leaving about 3/8" above the line of the loops to permit easy stitching.

As stated, for .38/.357 cartridges the loop spacing I have found to work is 0.5", and strap length needs to be about 2" per loop.

For .44 and .45 caliber loops I use a spacing of 5/8", and strap length will need to be about 2.5" per loop.

Belts will take just about as many loops as you may find room for. The cartridge carriers work best with no more than about 6 or 8 loops, as wider carriers will not flex easily enough to work around the hip.

Best regards.

[Dwight]

Good job, Lobo, . . . that's the way I do mine, . . . like you said, . . . a little practice and it doesn't take long to do one.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Lobo]

Correction on the dimensions of the cartridge slide. Overall length is 5.0", not 7.0" as stated in the original post. My apologies.

[Warpe]

I like doing that method myself. Nice guide Lobo.

[Trevor]

Hey LOBO,

Looks like you could do with a couple of slot punches for that job. Would make your life a lot easier when you cut the slots.

Nice work keep it up

[Lobo]

Hey LOBO,

Looks like you could do with a couple of slot punches for that job. Would make your life a lot easier when you cut the slots.

Nice work keep it up

Slot punches are nice. They are also relatively expensive and can be difficult to keep properly sharpened. I prefer an assortment of wood chisels, which are easily sharpened when needed, and a supply of various round punches, which are inexpensive and can be replaced as needed.

In the case of a manufacturer making hundreds of products per day specialized tooling makes a lot of sense. For the small production shop or hobbyist the economies of scale dictate the use of expedient methods. I'm making about 2,000 items per year and I'm quite happy to do so without a large investment in specialized tooling.

Best regards.

[malabar]

I don't do a lot of this kind of work, but I've always done it it the other way -- stitching in the loops. That's probably why I don;t do much of this -- it takes a lot of time and layout (Bianchi makes it look easy in that DVD, but ...). This way looks to be a whole lot more efficient.

When you talk about using .5" spacing, that's .5" from the centerline of one slot to the next? Which means you've got about .25" of leather actually separating the slots?

I would have thought that this method would be subject to loss of tension on the loops when one cartridge is extracted. But if you're using this technique, it must work well.

THANKS! for this tutorial. I'll have to try it.

tk

[supercub]

I've done a lot of these over the years for rimmed cases. As long as you secure both ends of the woven strip and wet mold (and allow to dry) the loops, they shouldn't move. Shotgun shells are doable, but you have to cut a pretty good size slot and end up with a potentially weaker holder. I prefer to stitch loops for shotshells. Rimless shells like many rifle cartridges work okay with two loops. A little more work, but much easier than stitching.

[malabar]

Supercub

I really like that. Using the slot method makes it a lot easier to align the top and bottom loops than if you stitched them.