In the mid 1800s, the Texas Rangers developed the Ranger Belt. It was designed so that they could carry a large, heavy sidearm, usually the Colt Walker, which had a holster that required a wide belt.
Texas Ranger Cpl. J. Walter Durbin (at right) said he had some 15 good men in Company D, though a few could be a “little fussy and dangerous” when drinking. Private Wood Saunders (at left) measured up splendidly—on both counts. This is one of my favorite photos because it shows how both Rangers carried their six-shooter Colts just forward of the hip, butt to the front, easily permitting a strong-hand cross draw. Courtesy Nita Stewart Haley Memorial Library & J. Evetts Haley History Center and True West Magazine
Prior to this, the Rangers carried long guns and belts were not commonly used.
From True West Magazine: “The six-gun’s heft made impractical the common practice of stuffing a pistol into the waistband of the bearer’s pants, or into a cloth sash tied around the waist or hips meant to secure pistols, knives and other means of self-defense. Belts were not in common use at the time as pants were high-waisted and tightened with a cinch at the back, or supported with suspenders over the wearer’s shoulders. Thus, these Colts were carried in holsters mounted on saddles.”
By making a wide stiff belt but with narrower, more flexible billet straps in the front, the holster and heavy gun would be supported but the fastening of the belt would be easier. Because of the wide belt underneath the billets, the belt could be tightened without pinching because of the protective underlayer.
The belt design employed the same technique used for tightening horse cinches without pinching.
There is an underlayer of heavy leather under each ring that the latigo passes through, therefore no pinching when cinching up !
A modern ranger belt ready to dress up with a Native American buckle set.
A more modern variation of the Ranger Belt is the Tapered Belt that starts with a standard belt and tapers the buckle end and the tip end to a narrower width, usually 3/4″
The Ranger Belt or Tapered Belt will allow easy change if they come with 3 sets of snaps, one to attach the buckle and one each for the two keepers.
Tapered belt with 3 sets of snaps for Ranger Buckle Set
Kingman Inlay Ranger Buckle set by Zuni artist Stanford Coochi – shown on a Tapered Belt
To set the tip, simply punch a hole in the leather in alignment with the position of the peg in the tip and slip the leather in, lock it in place. The 1-3 series below uses the scrap leather than comes with the set to show how it is done. Photo #4 below shows a finished belt tip.
1 – The backside of the tip showing the peg
2 – Punch a hole in the same position as the peg
3 – Slip the Leather tip into the sterling tip, locking the hole onto the peg
4 – Finished belt tip for the belt below, back side
Sterling Silver Ranger Buckle set by Navajo artist Lee Charley – shown on a Tapered Belt
Paula
Native American Jewelry Tips 