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MODEL 1910 MOUNTED CARTRIDGE BELT-RIMLESS EAGLE
SNAPS –FIELD MODIFICATION – VERY NICE CONDITION:
Fresh from an old carefully assembled collection, this
is a very nice specimen of the rare Model 1910 Mounted
Cartridge Belt, as issued to the US Army Cavalry
troopers during the Mexican Punitive Expedition into
Mexico in 1916. This particular belt features one of
the more desirable field modifications and is unit
marked.
As originally designed with two revolver ammunition
pockets on each side of the front closure, this belt was
intended to be issued with the Model 1909 Colt
Revolver. However, as noted in so many other instances
through the history of the Ordnance Department’s efforts
to coordinate the development and issue of new weapons
and the related accoutrements, technological
developments outstripped the design and intended use of
this belt, and by the time the belt was issued for use
in the field most of the mounted soldiers had been
issued the Model 1911 Automatic Colt Pistol. The M1911
which required the two pocket magazine pouch to carry
additional ammunition rendered the four revolver
ammunition pockets on this belt obsolete.
This belt features one of the better known modifications
in which one or both sets of the revolver ammunition
pockets were removed and replaced with the M1911 Mills
Magazine Pouch. This modification was done very neatly,
likely by the arsenal or a competent company saddler,
and in the case of this particular belt, enhancing the
collector value only one set of the revolver ammunition
pockets was removed to accommodate the magazine pouch,
leaving the other set of revolver ammunition pockets
intact. This very same modification was executed on the
Model 1910 Belt worn by the US Army cavalry trooper
shown in the photograph below, taken in 1915 in
Galveston, Texas, on the eve of the Punitive Expedition
into Mexico.
This belt has survived in very nice condition given the
obvious signs of issue and use evidenced by the field
modification and the unit inventory stencils on the
interior surface of the belt.
There is no sign of wear,
fraying, fading, tearing or other damage on this belt
with all of the flaps and pockets in excellent condition
and the metal fittings and eagle snap buttons retaining
the majority of their original darkened finish.
All of the rimless eagle
snaps are intact with no tearing or wear around the
snaps and all of the clip retaining straps are present
and intact in each of the rifle cartridge pockets.
The two revolver ammunition
pockets on the right side of the belt are completely
intact. As is correct, the left hand section of the
belt features the unique oval eyelets along the bottom
edge of the belt, each eyelet large enough to
accommodate the hanger wires of two items such as the
tool carriers or first aid pouch. Both of the belt’s
metal end pieces bear the Mills Company logo and patent
information and all three sections of the belt still
retain the visible Mills Company ink stamped bullet logo
on the interior surface of the web – two of these stamps
also have legible date stamps of 1913. The interior
surfaces of both sides of the belt and the center
adjusting strap are stenciled with unit identification
and inventory numbers. The stencils consist of the
Cavalry crossed sabres with the numeral “21” above the
sabres and the letter “C” below. The center adjusting
strap is stenciled “21 C 1”.
Introduced in the early years of the 20th
Century, these belts were exposed to extensive service
to include the Punitive Expedition into Mexico and World
War One, and few of these belts survive in such nice
condition, particularly those that exhibit this
interesting and historically significant field
modification. (0435) $1250
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