Buyer's Guide to Gunbelts

Informational guide about gun belts, and how to select the best gunbelt for your needs.

Cary, NC (PRWEB) February 9, 2005 -- A good gun belt is a fundamental necessity to the proper wear and performance of a holster and/or related belt based shooting accessories. A true gun belt is different from a standard belt. A true gun belt is going to be:

- Designed to be rigid and strong in the areas necessary to properly support a holster and any accessories.
- Thicker than a normal belt. This extra thickness equates to additional strength and support.
- Significantly more durable that a standard belt. Most standard belts are made of a thinner leather. Over time and use, the thinner leather tends to break down. This break down causes the belt to stretch and sag. Have you ever put a regular belt on only to find that you now have to move the buckle in to the next closest hole? If you haven't lost weight, then you're probably experiencing the stretching referenced above.

But when searching for a quality gun belt, what factors do you look at to help make an educated purchase?

We'd recommend evaluating the following when making your decision:
- Gun Belt Material
- Gun Belt Sizing

Lets look at each of these topics in more detail.

Gun Belt Material -- Today gun belts are typically produced from one of the following materials:

- Leather -- Usually either cowhide or horsehide leather. These is the most traditional and common material.
- Ballistic Nylon -- Ballistic nylon has some unique properties that make it desirable as a belt material. It tends to be very light, less expensive than leather, and is extremely strong for its weight.
- Exotic Materials -- These usually include animal hides like sharkskin, ray skin, elephant hide, alligator hide, etc. Depending on the hide type, belts from these materials are usually very expensive, and only produced on a custom basis.

Gun Belt Sizing -- Gun belts are generally produced in 3 width sizes:

- 1 ¼" width -- This is the smallest width gun belt that we would recommend. Anything smaller than 1 ¼" probably wont provide enough stability to adequately support a loaded weapon over time.
- 1 ½" Width -- 1 ½" width gun belts seem to be the most popular, and many within the shooting industry consider it the optimum width size. As a result, nearly every holster makers produces products geared towards this width. In addition, most all pants belt loops will fit a 1 ½" belt.
- 1 ¾" Width -- A very sturdy sized belt, but not as common as 1 ½". The 1 ¾" gun belt width usually wont fit through the loops of standard pants, and will most likely require some type of tactical pants. In addition, some holster manufacturers dont produce items to fit a 1 ¾" gun belt.

Some additional points about gun belt widths:

Consider selecting the largest belt width that your gear will accommodate while ensuring that it will not require special clothes. For example, a holster with 1 ½" belt slots will accept either a 1 ¼" or 1 ½" belt. In those cases, the larger 1 ½" belt will provide better support, while fitting standard belt loops.

For more information on gun belts, and a look at gun belts that we think are the best value on the market today, please visit http://gunnersalley.zoovy.com/category/accessories.belts.

# # #