Tromping through the desert today, with magazines, ammo, and other sundries tucked in my pockes, I had an idea for carrying my pistol, spare magazines, ammo, and perhaps some water on field trips.

I have an old-style pistol belt , and I am going to add Y suspenders to it, for more support, . But, HOW to attach my holsters, which only have belt loops narrower that the belt ?

I think I could thread the little bent wire hangy things that were used through WWII, the Korean war, and part of the late unpleasantness in Southeast Asia through the holster and speedloader (good for 77-22 magazines, too) pouch loops, then attach them to the belt. That and a spare ammo pouch, plus a canteen would make a fairly handy carrying system, I think. .

Looking thru the catalogs, it appears the wire hangy things have been replaced by clips or the newer Molle' gear.

Is there an alternative to the hangers, or does anybody have an idea for a source? Should I just buy some older equipment, and cannibalize it? Thanks

I think your WWII style hangers are the way to go and you will probably have to hit the military surplus supply websites to find an old canteen holder etc to get the hanger you need. Sometimes the foreign milsurp items have the same WWII style hangers for canteen covers, machete sheaths etc. It might be a good idea to call some of the surplus dealers. They might have the hangers in stock and just not listed on the websites.
I only have one item with that style hanger for my WWII style pistol belt. It is a sheath for a 'Pacific Knife' also known as the 'Woodsmans Pal.'

MOLLE gear is 100% compatable with your old Pistol belt! MOLLE is just a upgraded non-weather effected version of ALICE clips so they will work too

By the way I use a US Pistol belt with a canteen on it, a cheapy Made in China clone cost me 10$ with a older WW2 style mounting system. Its pretty nice because unlike ALICE (which was the gear issued after Korea and issued in Veitnam as far as I know) or MOLLE the pouches cant move around alittle.

You can still find companys making WW2 gear for renactors if you'd like
At the front for example makes them right in the US!

Dimitri

Sniper.....put your belt away mate, or use it to hold up your trousers, and have a look around for a surplus Load Carrying Vest. I have about half a dozen or more surplus military belts from my time in the aussie army and I only use them for holding up my trousers and attaching a knife for which I hand made the leather scabbard to suit the belt.

If you are hell bent on using your belt I suggest using the metal sliding lock clips that were used during the Vietnam era.

The Load Carrying Vest is made to accept the new Molle gear or it can also have big pieces of velcro for attachment of pouches. You can mix and match the pouches etc that you want to carry. EBay usually has a plentiful supply. As for carrying water.....I would be lost without my Camelbak. It holds about 70ozs of water, keeps it reasonably cool and it is usually sufficient for a day walking around in the scrub (bush).

Cheers, Vince

Vince,

Thouse vests are nice but here in both the US and Canada for most of the provences and states hunters need to wear a hunter orange vest which gets in the way of pockets on jackets etc. so a load bearing vest might not be so accessible.

Myself I forked over 55$ to buy a new belt and a couple of pouches like the ones I bought a while back only better as they havnt discolored and the snaps didnt seal making them unsuable.

Now the hunt is on to find a good long set of braces which I'm told dont exist.

Dimitri

Hm, never thought of the blaze orange bit....we don't have to worry about it here.

The "braces" you are searching for.....would they be the harness used to support the web belt when loaded with pouches and all of the other paraphenalia soldiers need to carry? I carried a Bum pack, two large ammo pouches, two water bottles in carriers, a bayonet, a machete and some other minor things on the odd occasion and we had a harness that attached to the front of the belt, went over the shoulders (with a padded section across the upper back) and then attached to the rear on the belt.

I have probably half a dozen of them, including a couple of the US issue harnesses. They do the job, but can get uncomfortable if you don't set them up correctly.

Cheers, Vince

Vince,

Actually I'm looking for a set of these:



They are not as comfortable as they could be (no padding), but then agian I got a set of American suspenders I used to use with my US pistol belt, got in the way being so thick.

There is a company "Whatpriceglory" that used to sell reproduction XL braces but I've been told they are sold out so once every couple of weeks I've been looking for a set on Ebay and I might end up calling them anyways in January to see if they might have another set hidden somewhere.

So far I've got a belt, a small little pack, a couple of ammo pouches holding more ammo then I've used ever in a hunt even for small game (40 rounds). So I think I'm "good to go".

I've got a fondness for the thick cotton canvas the old stuff is made of, dont much like the thin nylon I find it rips easier.

Dimitri

Dimitiri

Check with companies that sell equipment for heavy industry/construction. I bet you'll find the braces. I agree on the old cotton canvas statement. Nylon rips too easily and you're always listening to that annoying "whisper" every time you walk through thick brush anyplace.

I use an old cotton backpack with one big pouch one small and a couple of pockets, carry a regular beltknife and clip extras onto the pack with those cheap little carabiner thingys. Always carry a few rounds in a shirt or jacket pocket and I'm happy with that. Cheap, comfortable, effective.

Tracker,

Thanks for the tip!

Even that "rip prof" nylon they sell I've managed to rip so since the thick cotton canvas stands up to it I like to get that stuff. In the mean time people think I'm nuts saying cotton is worse then Nylon (as nylon supposidly doesnt rip and is waterproof) and I shouldnt be spending money on old c*** according to them but I like the stuff.

This is my new hunting belt (new never used) I bought for 55$ inculding shipping and taxes (Its probably older then alot people on this forum ):


Holds 40 rounds of "proper" ammo (303 British, 8mm Mauser, 30-06 etc) so I dont think I'd have a problem while hunting for not having enough ammo.

I've been toying with the idea of getting a tailor to make me a backpack for hunting out of heavy cotton canvas a real nice one I drew up maybe in the summer.

Sorry for the highjack Sniper

Dimitri

Dimitri wrote:

MOLLE gear is 100% compatable with your old Pistol belt! MOLLE is just a upgraded non-weather effected version of ALICE clips so they will work too ;)Dimitri

Huh? Non weather affected? What's that? Metal clips or hangers would seem to be that already.

Your hunting belt looks similar to what I have in mind. I'm going to try cheap and simple first. 40 rounds? You must have a GENEROUS bag limit! Don't think I have carried more than ~10.

Sniper,

The Metal hangers dont get affectied, I've been told by a couple of people I know that Alice clips can come apart (where the slider holds onto the rest of the clip) in temperature extremes (both used them in really cold wether) dont know if its true though or they just were unlucky. Ether way I wouldnt depend on it on a hunt just to be safe.

I do know that MOLLE equipment is supposed to be "They are not affected by heat or cold, and will never corrode or lose their subdued finish." And the clips once connected need something like a knife to go in and pop them out so they are more secure then ALICE.

Sniper as for the belt I got the belt extends to 44" and cost me 20$, the pouches cost me 10$ each. I don't got that generous of a bag limit but I figure if I'm out hunting, dont get anything I might as well make targets out of the trees and practice shooting alittle.

Dimitri