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M1923 Cartridge Belt, Made in USA
US WWII M1923 Garand Cartridge Belt
 
: $124.99

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Product Description
 
Compared to originals

USA made reproduction of the M1923 Cartridge belt issued by the US Army in WWII. These hold ten 8 block charger clips for the M-1 Garand or twenty 5 round stripper clips for the Springfield and other bolt action rifles. These are made using the best materials and workmanship available, rather than the cheapest possible.

Note! There are subtle shade differences between the different widths of webbing. Originals are the same way- this is not a flaw in any way.


Size: Our belts will adjust large enough to fit a 43" waist. If you are larger, check the cartridge belt page for our extender belts.
Mag pouch side measures 14 1/2, adjustment belt is approx. 25''

Care: Hand clean & air dry only! Machine washing and/ or dryers will cause shrinkage and damage to hardware.

Made in USA

About our belts
Yes, there are far cheaper, Asian-made belts available. However, in the long run, ours are likely to save you money. There are times when the cheap-ass product will do just fine, but if you intend to actually use it, cartridge belts are not one them. The inexpensive belts from India and China (sold by various companies worldwide) are made using the cheapest possible materials by workers who have no idea what they are for. Pockets are frequently too small, flaps too short, snaps and eyelets are paper thin and tear out the first time they are used, and the webbing can turn funky colors in the sunlight after a few hours. By comparison, our belts are every bit as tough as those issued by the US military in WWII. Why?


Our cartridge (and BAR) belts are assembled by our own staff in our shop in Columbia, KY using the best materials available. Each of our workers now has over 15 years experience making US field gear. The webbing is made on period shuttle looms and yarn dyed to match original WWII cloth. After cutting it to length, we apply the markings with stencils using water based ink, and heat cure it. Then the components are sewn with Coates brand Tex 110 cotton-wrapped thread- all pieces being spot checked repeatedly for correct size. (A .25 inch mistake can ruin a cartridge belt). Once sewn, the hardware is set. To punch the holes and press in the parts requires over 120 individual steps- again being inspected throughout the process. Our Lift-the-dots and snaps are genuine Scovil parts and our eyelets are custom made for us by Stimpson Eyelet Co. in New York. The buckles are specially cast by the Anchor Co. (All three were contractors during WWII.) One of the reasons the cheap belts fail is their lack of the special wide-flange grommets used to attach the field gear.


Of over 2,500 US made cartridge belts sold, we literally cannot remember the last time one was returned for any sort of failure. And if one ever does, we can usually fix it. People complain about the cheap ones every week.

The question with no answer. Which color is "correct"?
The roll of original webbing we used as a sample,
a roll of our webbing made from it, and some original, mint condition cartridge belts.
Neither of them match the belts perfectly- but none of the belts match each other perfectly so...
Can you believe our soldiers were actually expected to fight wearing non-matching crap like this?
What a disgrace!

Setting snaps with the press.
Each belt
requires over 120 steps
just to install hardware.
This is what the little black marks
on US gear are for- to show the
workers where to make
each fold so the pockets
are the correct size and all parts align properly.

Sub-assemblies ready to be joined.

Sewing the main panels together.
Pocket size is checked repeatedly.

Belts ready for grommets.

Checking each and every pocket
with a charger clip.