1879 Fort Abraham Lincoln 45/70 trials belt

[enterprise man]

I am trying to make an 1879 trial belt out of an original 1876 belt, and would like to know the outside diameter of the three brass rings riveted and sewed to the bottom of the belt. Thanks, John

[CAC1901]

Why? An unaltered 1876 belt is vastly rarer and goes for much more than one of the 1878 Watervliet arsenal modified belts with 3 rings - which is the most commonly available belt of the 1876 pattern by the way.  Modifying a very rare belt to make a common model - and a collector fantasy belt  - is not a good move at all. Few of the original ones survive as it is.

 

Incidentally, the 3 ring modified belts had absolutely nothing to do with Ft. Abraham Lincoln, that myth started from an amatuer mis-interpretation of a later 1882 report that got into a book. This mistake is covered in detail in one of Douglas McChristains authoritative books on the subject.