Western Tapered Gun Belt

[bradkincaid]

Forgive me if this is the wrong section to post this. It seemed appropriate.

I am planning on making a tapered gun belt without bullet loops (worn outside of belt loops, lower on the hip) in the very near future and I am hoping for some general advice.

Do you think I need a pattern to work off of? I was planning on purchasing Will Ghormley's book of belt patterns, but I think those are all ranger and money belts. If anyone has a suggestion for a good tapered belt pattern that would be appreciated.

Without a pattern my plan was to buy an SLC premium 2.5" stirrup strap and then line it with suede. Lining only the wide part of the belt, not the billets. I don't want to taper the billets too much, maybe to something like 2" or 1.75". I'll use one of my trouser belts as a size guide, making the middle hole of the gun belt the ideal length and including two holes on either side about an inch apart to allow for adjustment.

What weight suede should I use for a lining? And will the stirrup strap plus the suede be sufficiently heavy?

Do I need to skive anywhere, like around the buckle so that I can double the leather over the buckle?

Thanks for any help you can offer. I want to make sure I have a solid understanding of the whole project before I start.

[IngleGunLeather]

You'll find a lot of information in Al Stohlman's book.

https://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/search.aspx?searchterm=Belts+galore

Another belt pattern pack, if you're wanting to make a 2.5 inch gun belt is Chris Andre's pattern pack. Check Maker's Leather Supply for it.

http://makersleathersupply.com/product/SBC-MP-BELTS.html

Edited November 3, 2017 by IngleGunLeather
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[fredk]

You ask 'will it be sufficiently heavy'? How heavy do you want it? a medium weight suede would be needed; say 1.5 to 2mm

I always skive the area where the buckle goes; I find it fold around the bar better, and the end of the billet is so thin that there is hardly a bump where it meets the rear of the billet. I would skive the ends of the suede piece as well

You don't really need a pattern for this. Use cardboard from a cereal packet to draw out the length and width of your billet ends and use that to mark your main strap

Don't forget to allow plenty of extra inches for the fold over at the buckle and at the tongue end; its easier to cut this back than to add to a belt that ends up too short for comfort

[bradkincaid]

Thanks for the responses! I will definitely order the Strohlman book and check out the Chris Andre patterns.

I don't really have a frame of reference to determine how heavy I want the belt since I've never carried in the field before. The belt will be for field use; carrying either a Ruger Flattop Blackhawk, S&W K-22, or S&W M29 4", plus probably a small knife and one or two cartridge slides. I'm hoping that the 13-15 oz stirrup strap plus 3.5-4.5 oz suede (from SLC) lining will provide enough support and also be comfortable, I don't imagine it will be so far off as to be unusable.

Thanks again for your help. I can't wait to get this project started.

[Josh Ashman]

Your plan is solid, building the belt from a pre-cut stirrup leather will have it plenty stout for carrying the load you've described. If you think about it, the stirrup leather will carry half a riders weight when standing in the stirrups and a portion of their weight when sitting. The "onside" leather will take a riders full weight each time they mount or dismount. The few pounds of pistol, knife and ammo are no biggie by comparison.

In my opinion, the suede liner won't add anything structurally so it doesn't much matter what thickness you use. 

13/15 oz will be 3/16" to 1/4" thick so skiving it down where it'll fold around the buckle is a good idea. I'd also suggest making the fold when the leather is well cased. 

Good luck with your project! 

Josh

[alpha2]

If your gunbelt will be significantly thicker than your trousers belt, you might want to add a bit of length to the "buckle to middle hole" dimension.