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ca. 1880 12 GAUGE SHOTGUN CARTRIDGE BELT – VERY
SCARCE EARLY BELT IN EXCELLENT CONDITION – GREAT FOR
DISPLAY WITH EARLY US MARTIAL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
SHOTGUNS:
One of the special purpose
Mills Belts, this dark blue Mills Woven Looped Cartridge
Belt incorporates features which suggest it was
manufactured during the 1880’s for U.S. military guards,
express company agents, and law enforcement officers who
were carrying shotguns in the last two decades of the 19TH
Century. A relatively scarce belt, this pattern of the
early dark blue Mills shotgun cartridge belts without
the captive brass ends far less common than the later
tan versions with the brass captive belt ends used by
the army up through World War One.
In addition to the dark blue color – consistent with the
pistol and rifle/carbine cartridge belts Mills produced
for the army in the late 1880’s through the 1890’s -
this belt has several other features which bear
comment. Although it is intended for carrying the large
12 gauge cartridge, it is made in the narrow 2 ½” width
found with the looped pistol cartridge belts of the same
era. The belt measures 48” long, a good 8” longer than
the standard length of the pistol cartridge belts.
There is 11 ½” of belt without loops on each end of the
belt, allowing for considerably more adjustment than
provided on the looped pistol cartridge belts. This
additional length suggests that either this belt was
made longer so it could be worn over a pistol cartridge
belt and holster rig, or it was produced as a narrow
belt with the lengths of belt without the loops so that
a holstered pistol could be worn on the shotgun
cartridge belt. Either arrangement would certainly suit
the purposes of a soldier, an express guard or law
enforcement officer.
This is a very special belt which would display
appropriately with any of the double barrel shotguns in
use at the time, as well as the slide action shotguns
such as the Marlin Model 1898; the Spencer Arms Model
1884, 1886, 1887, and the Spencer shotguns made by
Bannerman – Models 1890, 1894, 1896 and 1900; and the
Winchester Arms Models 1887, 1893, 1897, and 1901.
This belt is in full form and it is complete with all 30
cartridge loops. The weave retains a strong even dark
blue color with no fading. The belt body shows no wear
and likewise, the edges of the cartridge loops are all
intact with no fraying or wear. Having survived the
years in excellent condition, the weave is complete
throughout with only minor localized wear points to the
edges at the ends of the body where the belt was passed
through the sheet brass keepers. Both sheet brass
keepers and the original Mills Company “C” closure are
present and intact and are in full form with no damage.
This is an excellent specimen of a very rare belt, and
it would display very well with your frontier used
shotguns. (0305) $525
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