Cartridge Belt & “Slim Jim” Make -Do Holster Rig – SOLD

This Old West cartridge belt & holster rig shows a great deal of honest wear, and a life time(s) of modifications by their owners. If one looks through great references on western leather, like “Packing Iron” for instance, one sees many styles of gun leather for its rare and desirable makers, and examples of the best conditioned rigs any collector would love to have.  This ain’t one ov’m pard.

The belt rig appears to be typical of the 1870s -80s type, incorporating a common “California” clip corner nickel-iron buckle on a local made cartridge belt with many un-evenly sewn cartridge loops.  The bullet loops show the memory of use, where other are just shriveled up from un-use. Even though the belt was initially vertically scribed lightly where the one-piece loop leather was to be sewn, the loops are sewn down in a hand-done and crude way and some loops appear to be unusable.  The belt ends in a tapered billet that rises from the underside of the belt end, and enters into the buckle.  The billet is about 7 inches approximate.  The entire belt measures 41 inches, with a width of 2 3/8 inches.  The belt has scribe lines on lower and upper edges.

Applied to the back side of the belt behind the holster, is a small scabbard for a 5 inch utility knife, held in place using thin leather thongs, and sewn down leather loop. The scabbard has a metal inserted into the throat, extending down about a inch.

The holster must be for a Colt Army conversion using metallic cartridges, and the look makes it difficult to know how it started with all its modifications.  There are holes in odd places (see photos). The belt loop has been cut down some to accommodate slipping this or some other holster into place. The loop has 4 old and original copper rivets. A leather “tie down”thong fastened from the back hangs loose and may have been for looping around the hammer to secure the revolver in place. Two holes in the front may have been original (or not) another sling which would reverse the draw. There is no plug, and no evidence of any thread holes exist, and holes were most likely for leather leg tie-downs. The back side of the body shows the evidence of the extractor housing,  Some stitching is loose and old repairs are coming loose. The holster was worn on this belt close in the front and rested over 4 to 5 cartridge loops, as they are flattened some from wear. Most of the cartridges were loaded in the opposite side of the buckle, and some place sporadically here and there. There is a possibility that some of the loops held some rifle cartridges of a different caliber, but this is only conjecture on my part.  I have tried to place a .45 Colt cartridge in the loops and find it tight but likely the right caliber.  I have not tried putting a revolver in the holster because of weak stitching, and the rock hard condition of the body leather.

No maker’s name, or history comes with this rig.  I almost pasted this one up, because it frankly didn’t look Collection Worthy. This this is an example of Old West usage. Not by a fancy gunman, or eastern dude. Not a marshal or deputy who cared for his gun leather, but used by a farmer, poor cowboy not yet cashed up to purchase a better rig?  This is a make-do, hand me down, good enough western piece of history! Holster you see in collections or the books devoted to them show the best examples, and photos of the period are of men who had the money to have pictures taken.

An honest, real hard used gun rig that did survive to provide a different look at ‘tools” from the America’s frontier years.