M1 Garand Ammo/Pistol Belt Info Needed

I got this from a guy a while back and was told it could have been used in the Philippines but looks unissued or later. Im posting pictures to maybe get some info or ideas from you collectors.

-Jay

Sorry, it looks like a reproduction to me. Good for a user though.

Got some real copper in the snaps from the corrosion showing there. Assuming it's a repro, it's not a bad one. Nicer than my junked out Korean-era belts to be honest.

Thats what threw me off if its a repro.

I hope its not but if it is it wont be the first time this guy lied to me.

I believe it is real. It is one of those made using both khaki and OD material. I can't remember when they were made but I want to say '43/'44 transition.

I've never seen one like it. No pleats at the bottom, no marking on the snap, not even lift the dot. The stitching at the bottom of the pouches is crooked. Are there any markings at all???Maybe it's Greek made. I've seen their Thompson pouches but not their belts.

No markings that I have found on it. I will take more pictures of things to help out. It does have age on it , Jay

expermental for carbine? british made?

The cartridge belt I'm thinking about was from the main suppliers. I'm sure Bill Ricca has the information on it. Yes it does look cheesy and it may not be real but I know there was one made that fits that look.

Are we thinking a fake? Im taking pictures to post as I type this.

Like I said , wont be the 1st time I got duped by the guy who sold it to me. , Jay

Pictures

Any marks on the snaps at all?

Not that I can see. Heres pictures, Jay

Look at the way the adjusting buckles are sewn to the back. That's not correct. They are folded over. The eyelets for the attatchments are too small and the wrong type. The stitching matches belts made by Long for WW1 but the belt's not even close to that by design. There's no gathers at the pouch bottoms. There's no snaps on the inside. It's not the belt designed for the M1 because they had twelve pouches and from what I know, they never were released. There's no date or manufacturer's marks of any kind. The verdigris on the snaps can be acheived by washing it and leaving it out wet. It's not new, but maybe only 20 years old. I would say it's a user. Or maybe a foreign manufacturer for local use. I'm still waiting for the two or three guys that will know for sure that are watching and waiting to wade in here.

Seeing the more detailed photos tends to push me towards reproduction maybe a movie prop but there was a WWII manufacturer that made them in the two colors. Great thread!

Yeah, I think its a good puzzle for us all.

If we can get someone to nail this thing in for sure I will know what I have and a value and we can all learn a little.

Bill Ricca can undoubtedly provide chapter and verse when he gets back from whatever gun show he is doing this weekend.

From the picture, it does not look right. However I think it was produced circa the mid to late 1943 time period, and probably would have been rejected if spotted and not added to storage upon arrival.

I have a few legit BAR belts that are missing the attachments for closing. They got through production that way. They were accepted and naturally never used.

I have seen many items, including gun parts that were accepted on contract and then when discovered to be far out of specification, released as surplus.

Another simple factor is when many items are being produced, it would be almost impossible and highly costly to inspect each one. Thus a percentage of items that do not work get into the system.

My guess is this was released surplus some time ago and never used due to its short comings.

Bill ,
What would you value the belt at?

I agree with Bill. The fittings and material, plus the 'age' looks period to me. I was wondering possibly foreign made using some U.S. stock(?)

Another thing is that most all of the reproductions out there will have nice clear '1943' stamps. Also, the repro fittings are pretty easy to spot and these look correct to me.

Bill may have a better idea of worth, but I wouldn't think of it as overly collectible.
Decent originals aren't that difficult to come by. (JMO)

It took me a while to find these photos on my hard drive, but if this is any help here is a set I sold on Ebay a couple of years ago when I needed fast cash.
(Divorce attorney got the cash) :crying:

Here's another set of photos I just located for comparison if it's any help bulldog_mack13.
(This set belongs to my son)

Yes it's an exellent comparison. There's no comparison. Look at the way the adjuster is sewn on the back. The eyelets. The material. The bottom of the pouches. The stitching. Maybe a movie prop or foreign country. One dip in salt water and there's the aged look. Try it some time. You'll see. Doesn't matter though...

No argument here Jim. The more I look at it the more it looks like it might be old movie prop stuff (?)

There used to be a guy in Dallas who was at about every show and he usually had about six tables of old beat up weird movie props or something. He never spread things out - he just piled the dirty stuff on the tables a foot deep. I hadn't thought of it in a while but years ago I used to ruffle through his stuff and couldn't find a single genuine item (or an item I could ID) -
I'm sure a lot of this stuff has been around long enough to naturally start showing signs of corrosion.

(Hell, I'm showing signs of corrosion myself that wasn't there when I became interested in this stuff!)

I think it would be easier if I could see it in person, but from looking further it does look kind of like the movie stuff did.

~ Harlan

A U.S. based company named At The Front makes some high end replica's of the M1923 cartridge belt and pretty much every other piece of U.S. web gear.. One of their recent offerings was a two toned version using a mixture of Kahki and OD green webbing. They list the mixed color stuff as 'transitional' items. Suitable for the 1943-44 timeframe. I use their stuff for reenactments and don't even take my real gear out for display anymore. It's well made, and they use a lot of NOS buckles,snaps and even material.
This belt looks a whole lot like the ones they were selling last year.

Whats it worth ? Anyone want it ? Im in the market for a real one for my collection of M1 Garand items. Maybe someone could use this for display , Jay