So Just had to have one and picked it up from WPG - seems well made for what it is.

But, I *think* - I have the buckle figured out....but just curios is there a link to a document somewhere that can possibly shed more light on it?   8-)

Is your reproduction Mills Belt like this original one?

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I have never dealt with this type of Mills "wire-buckle", but, examples are shown on the KCA Main Page. (The source of this photo).
Mouse 'click' on the 'crossed Krags' or 'cartridge head-stamp' at the top of this page.
You will be taken to a Main Page. Then 'click' on the tab marked 'photos'. There are a couple of groupings of Mills Belt photos toward the bottom of the photo page.

Just curious while were talking Krag ammo belts was there ever a Krag over the shoulder blue bandolier? Looking for something like what Rico Fardan wears towards the end of The Professionals.

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KCA photo page also shows 'blue bandoleer'.

FWIW - Poyer and Riesch, "The American Krag Rifle and Carbine", page 222, show a photo of a blue 'Mills & Orndorff 100-round bandolier for mounted troops'.

It has the same 'wire-toggle-buckle-thingy' as the bandoleers pictured on the KCA 'photo page'.

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Thanks, I finally found the photo. Might have to get one myself.

What Price Glory offers both tan and blue reproduction (.30-40) Mills Belts (100 Rd) and Bandoliers (100 Rd).

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If you have the waist-belt (and not the bandolier), one heavy wire "C" is retained in a folded belt-end and the 'opening' of the C is hooked into the other folded belt-end, to serve as a buckle.
This is the usual use seen in campaign photographs.

In 'training camp' photos, cast U.S. Buckles and Stamped Sheet-Brass Buckles are often seen.

The Cast Buckle was likely retained by using a wire "C" at each belt-end. The cast buckle was snapped onto the wire "C".

The stamped U.S. Plate has fingers on its back that the belt is threaded through.
There is a second, smaller plate, that the other end of the belt is threaded through.
The U.S. Plate neatly hooks on to this smaller plate.

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butlersrangers wrote on Jun 26^th, 2020 at 12:11am:

Is your reproduction Mills Belt like this original one?

Yes just like this...  WPG claims it is an adjustable belt that fold over etc...

The images shown with that wire buckle would allow it to ride over the shoulder but still have a loose wire square not doing anything...

As a belt you can adjust it....one end with the loop and folding stop, is adjusted to one end and the folding stop kinda cams to the loop and stays there...one against the waist it can't fold out

The other end when adjusted has the half peg opening,the fits perfectly into a shell hole and when the larger rectangular wire stop slides direct to the end...prevents the end from pulling out of the shell holder...

This is i think it works...but i have no verifiable data that it is right other than it seems to work.....  lol

Some pics

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butlersrangers wrote on Jun 26^th, 2020 at 4:21am:

What Price Glory offers both tan and blue reproduction (.30-40) Mills Belts (100 Rd) and Bandoliers (100 Rd).

Do you have a link ?

Need more crap for your tent? Culpeper ... you lazy!

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This all explains your penchant for the Winchester-Lee:

Straight-Pull Bolt, Cartridges in Clips, Suspenders on Ammo-Belt, Small-Bore, Little Cartridges .... Less Work

LAZY LINK provided  8-) I am such an enabler.

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Nickjc ... too Hi Tech for me!

It looks like you are doing fine and destined to become the KCA: "Bandoleer Balladeer".

I bet you can connect two of those bandoleers together. A blue one with a khaki would look nice!   ;D

(In all honesty, this complicated bandoleer & buckle-device looks like the kind of thing that fell by the wayside. Possibly, made redundant by the handy and disposable light cloth & safety-pin bandoleers ammo came 'packed in' from the arsenals)?

The ubiquitous (cheap & disposable) cloth bandoleers seem to have been around from Krag to M-14. 

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Ha !

Once you figure it out - and I still am not sure that *is* figured out, but it works, there is no easy on/off....

It is kinda an over the head thing and finagle to adjust etc...not like my 1903 or M1 belts...

But it will be fun at the range popping rounds off the belt - slamming steel and place the brass back - while the AR mag dump guy just look like i am nuts.... :D :D

'Njckjc' - I am sure your bandoleer and Krag will impress!

(That is a very attractively priced piece of equipment from WPG).

FWIW - I have been unable to find out any more information on that type of bandoleer. I don't recall ever seeing one at a gun show. I've never handled one, just seen pictures.

Stephen Dorsey's book, "American Military Belts And Related Equipments", does not have an example of this piece of gear.

Mallory, "The Krag Rifle Story", 2nd edition, shows a picture of your type of bandoleer (page 159) and a photo of (Filipino) Macabebe Scouts with bandoleers (page 160).

Mallory wrote: "Woven bandoliers with complicated wire closures are also illustrated here, but no records have been found on these", (page 155).

This is the non-lazy link...


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or maybe this one

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Or here I am in a movie asking if my pa was going to feed me.

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