ladies gun belt

[84v]

I'm looking for a decent gun belt without spending a lot of money. I found this Ladies Blackhawk belt from Cabelas in my price range. Has anyone tried this belt? Does anyone have suggestions for another belt?

Blackhawk!® Women's Reversible Pistol Belt : Cabela's

 

[IndyGunSafety]

Donna has a 511 belt she really likes, and one of our other female instructors also has one.

 

[84v]

Thanks, I will take another look at 511.

 

[Jackson]

I dont know if they are gender specific, but I like beltman belts.

 

[Tired of Lies]

What am I missing? I wore a gun on my hip 24/7/365 in Alaska for a decade and always bought my belts at Goodwill stores. Granted men's belts but in Alaska even women wear Levi's all year in town with at least a sweatshirt over it so who can tell? If I wore my .357 I needed a wider belt for stability but if I was carrying my Tomcat .32 any belt that was fairly stiff would work. And, I paid 2-5 bucks for them.

I put my money into the holster and gun over belt but as I said...what am I missing?

 

[Jackson]

Well, I don't know if you're missing it but there are advantages to a sturdier belt purpose-built for carrying a firearm. I imagine some belts that are not specifically marketed for carrying guns are just as sturdy. Most of them are not. In general, the advantages as I see them:

1. Most leather gun belts are made from heavier weight leather compared to standard belts. They are usually made of two pieces of leather sewn together such that the grain runs perpendicular. This supposedly limits stretching of the leather.
2. Most leather gun belts are made from bull hide rather than cow hide, as it is stiffer and gives a more rigid belt.
3. Some leather gun belts, and most non-leather gun belts, have a polymer (plastic, kydex, kevlar, whatever) stiffener sewn between the pieces to make the belt more rigid and supportive of the firearm.
4. Many people find purpose-built gun belts last longer under severe duty of carrying and training with a firearm. (I have broken belts in training.)
5. Many people find the rigid nature of a purpose-built gun belt holds the weight of the firearm more comfortably for longer periods of time.

As you mentioned, the holster is very important. The belt is the foundation of the holster. A good gun belt keeps the holster where it needs to be. It is as durable as your holster. It adds consistency and comfort to your carry system. Without your belt, your holster is much less useful.

A heavier firearm make the difference in comfort more noticable. More vigorous training makes the difference in quality and durability more noticable.

 

[Tired of Lies]

Thanks. I could see where a kevlar stiffener would be nice with my .357 as it is bulky and moves around a lot unless I carefully matched the belt to the holster. On my small Tomcat or something similar I don't think it would help much more than a good men's belt. If they use bull hide I wonder what moose hide would do? I have seen some things the natives made out of it and it seems pretty tough. Maybe I can get one to make me a belt and check it out.

Thanks for the info. I might wind up ordering one of these once I get past the Christmas dollar draught.

 

[Jackson]

Gun belts are also typically made to specific widths (1.25", 1.5", 1.75") to match the common sizes of belt loops on holsters. So if you buy a holster with matching loop size it should fit better. Even better, you can often purchase a belt and a holster from the same manufacturer. Higher end belt and holster makers take some care to assure their holsters and belts fit together well.

I don't know anything about moose hide, but horse hide is supposed to have tighter grains and a stiffer finished consistency than bull hide. Some manufacturers use other exotic materials like shark skin or elephant hide.

 

[ZbornacSVT]

SOE was/is running a 25% off sale the last few days. Definitely check them out.

SOEbelts.com

 

[Hoosier Gal]

I have one of the victory girl belts by Looper. They are a little over the op's budget, but I saw on concealed carry pro that they are on sale - $10 off. I've ordered from them before and they are very quick and courteous.

 

[Hoosier Gal]

What kind of belt would you suggest for a "wide-hipped" woman? Or would a purse be better? Thanks.

I don't know what "wide" is, but I feel my hips are wide and I ordered a victory girl by looper. I like it. I think I would have ordered a size up of their suggestions.

 

[84v]

Thanks for the feedback. I ended up ordering a new holster from foxxholsters and decided to try one of their belts. The holster and belt should show up in a couple days.

 

[clemracer]

I'll keep the idea of ordering up a size in mind. Thanks!!