Lined Ranger Style Gun Belt - Billet Question

[RemingtonSteel]

l followed Jim Simmons’ tutorial on making a Plains Gun Belt, but adopted it to be a shell belt for 6 pairs of 12 gauge shotgun shells and 6 .38 cal cartridges for Cowboy Action Shooting.  The other alteration is that the belt is lined - made from two pieces of 7/8 oz. leather.

Now I am making a pair of lined holsters and a Ranger style gun belt to go along with it. The belt will also be lined (made from 2 layers of 7/8 oz leather).  My question is: Should the billets (both buckle and tongue) be made from 2 layers as well?  I think yes for both strength and consistency, but is there a strong arguement for not doing so? 

Thanks, any input is welcome!

[dikman]

Excellent job on the belt! Why not make the holster belt in the same style (if it's good enough for Clint Eastwood )?

As to your question, I think you've answered it yourself, the only reason to make the billets single layer is to make it easier to feed through the buckle (or use two layers of thinner leather). It would certainly look better lined.

[Dwight]

Personally, I've made em both ways, . . . what works the best for me is the buckle end is a single piece of leather, . . . the tongue end matches the belt, . . . but I always use 6/7 and try to find the thinner end of the hide for the tongue end.  The buckle end is always one thick piece, . . . makes it so much easier to patch it back into the belt so it can be fastened.

My ranger belts are made from the John Bianchi school of gun belts.

May God bless,

Dwight

[RemingtonSteel]

Thanks guys!  Just what I was thinking, but I just wasn’t sure if I was missing a compelling reason not to. I have a small leather spliter and will take off at least half of the thickness of each piece of the buckle billet where it folds back under the buckle to reduce bulk there.

Dikman, I thought about the same belt style for the gun belt, but I think the Ranger style will keep belt from lateral racking at the buckle from the weight of two single action revolvers.  Might not be a huge difference, but when making your own, why not go for the best!

[dikman]

At the moment I'm using a simple belt, unlined, with a right side holster and a left side cross-draw. I angle the belt across my waist so that the right side holster sits lower, this places the cross-draw at my front left and higher. Both holsters are angled on the belt. If I'd used a heavier/lined belt it might have been too stiff to sit at the angle across my waist.

If you have two holsters, left and right, then yes, the ranger belt will probably give better support.