Celduin Posted September 11, 2016 Share #1 Posted September 11, 2016 Found this unusual Mills cartridge belt hanging from a peg in a hole-in-the-wall outdoors shop here in town. Early Mills equipment is out of my zone of expertise, but the 40 rounds of shootable ammo tucked into the loops sealed the deal. The best part was the price... 50 bucks! As the picture shows, the belt is in excellent shape for being over 100 years old. There's not even any verdigris on the brass fittings. I have always been very impressed with the quality of Mills webbing, and this piece is no exception. With good care, I am confident that it will last another century. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celduin Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share #2 Posted September 11, 2016 The belt has the SpanAm War-style fastener in the front, which is puzzling because by this time (1907) Mills had since moved to the T-bar latching system on their 1903 and 1907 cartridge belts. I personally quite like the look of the belt. Kinda like cowboy action shooting meets Belle Epoque dreadnoughts. Despite this, I don't know whether this piece of equipment would have been terribly practical for serious fighting. The front third of the belt circumference is empty, the cartridges are exposed to mud and dirt from the bottom, and the rearmost cartridges are more or less unreachable. Plus, there are no brass grommets to loop suspenders, canteens, bayonets, or other pouches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDermut99 Posted September 11, 2016 Share #3 Posted September 11, 2016 Congrats! The ammo looks to be WWII era? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celduin Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share #4 Posted September 11, 2016 I counted 35 M2 ball rounds stamped HXP 77, 3 FA 41 tracers, and 2 softpoints. I'll feed the HXP to my Garand and set aside the old tracers in the collectible pile. I've found that Berdan-primed .30-06 brass makes a great display filler, so that's what I'll put in the loops to keep their shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
world war I nerd Posted September 11, 2016 Share #5 Posted September 11, 2016 That looks like the 1907 Navy Cartridge Belt for the Krag rifle as used by shore parties ... A good score indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 11, 2016 Share #6 Posted September 11, 2016 Outstanding find! Ronnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warguy Posted September 11, 2016 Share #7 Posted September 11, 2016 Yes, a very nice find,and clean too! Congrats, Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celduin Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share #8 Posted September 11, 2016 I didn't know that this belt was originally for the Krag. I've got a few odd rounds of .30-40 knocking around but the loops hold the '06 brass just fine. The sunlight washes it out somewhat, but the belt is stamped "E. L. LARWOOD 41 N. E. SACRAMENTO ST." very prominently both under the rear flap and on the back part of the belt itself, facing towards the wearer's body. Was he the original sailor, or maybe just a surplus dealer? Who knows... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Flage Guy Posted September 12, 2016 Share #9 Posted September 12, 2016 WOW!!!! What a score; that looks like a Marine-style name stencil. Usually the Navy had the surname and then the initials, but as we all know, never say "never". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celduin Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share #10 Posted September 12, 2016 If it's a Marine item, even better. Now I'll have to piece together a Banana Wars display to go with it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted September 12, 2016 Share #11 Posted September 12, 2016 If its Marine it will have Marine type eagle snaps like their cartridge belts. Is there Mills patent dates etc on the belt atjusting tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 13, 2016 Share #12 Posted September 13, 2016 I believe those are Marine Corps snaps Ron. I blew the picture up as best I could. He needs to post a photo of the snaps only. Ronnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted September 13, 2016 Share #13 Posted September 13, 2016 BK just posted a recent find. A good picture of the Marine snap as well http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/275093-usmc-mills-m1903-cartridge-belt-2nd-pattern/&do=findComment&comment=2212893 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celduin Posted September 13, 2016 Author Share #14 Posted September 13, 2016 Here's a shot of the rear snap. The snaps holding down the left and right sides of the big canvas flap have an identical design. The underside of the snap reads "PAT. JULY 30, 1907". Unlike on other Mills designs, this cartridge belt does not reference a specific patent date. The left brass keeper reads "MADE UNDER MILLS PATENTS" and has an engraved Mills bullet alongside the stamped logo seen in the earlier photos. The right reads "MADE BY MILLS WOVEN CARTRIDGE BELT CO. WORCESTER, MASS." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted September 13, 2016 Share #15 Posted September 13, 2016 Navy button Thanks for the picture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 13, 2016 Share #16 Posted September 13, 2016 Yep there is a good picture. Navy button. Great belt. Ronnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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