Unknown Mills cartridge belt .45-70 with flaps, experimental?

[agate hunter]

Hi all, 

 

Recently found this cartridge belt. Has a Mills patent stamp on it with other information that is hard to make out. Appears to have yellow borders? Most odd thing is the three flaps (secured by leather loops) on the belt. Maybe an experimental trial belt of some sort? 

If anyone has any idea about it please share!

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jprostak]

The belt is a first contract Mills production 1880 cartridge belt with the branch color edges.  The flaps look like they are made from blanket bag weight material and the buttons are the type used on the blanket bag to keep the flap closed.  

It may be a sample turned in to one of the Equipment Boards during the 1880s.  I'll look through my research and see what I can find. 

Really neat.

[FrankT]

Interesting belt. I checked American Military and Naval Belts 1812-1902 and did not come across anything similar. I would guess the yellow could mean cavalry. The patent dates are key if you can get a better pic or decipher it. I would say it was general production due to the stamp, but I am just a novice. It almost looked like the date was 22 meaning 1922? The Mills US company dissolved in 1931. I am sure someone with way more expertise can figure this out. Thanks for posting. 

 

Upon closer checking, I believe that the first patent date is July 31 77

[ludwigh1980]

Very cool. Looks like a sample piece to me and cavalry to boot. Need to find a nice two-piece H plate to finish it off. That is quite a rarity.

[CAC1901]

A very neat piece almost certainly made as a model or example. A specific answer likely lies in ordnance dept records but this has earmarks consistent with the constant experimentation going on in late 1880 through the next couple years with the Mills Orndorff cartridge belts, the majority of which were never adopted. The riveted plain rim buttons are the type on 1880's haversacks and blanket bags. This particular colored edge belt (which were problematic thus many went unissued) lacks the final adopted end rivets. The closely spaced rivet pattern along the bottom edge suggests a response to the major criticism of the early issued belts; the inability of attaching accoutrements. The flap idea to help retain (or protect) cartridges, a feature adopted by the navy, was discussed in correspondance.  The belt to me has shades of the Unger pattern belt (arsenal buttons, duck or canvas elements) that led to the adoption of the Mills belts. 

[45govt]

Here is a patent for Anson Mills showing a similar belt design and the link will take you to the patent search and you can view all that came up,  I am not sure why it didn't show any of his earlier patents.

https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/ppubsbasic.html

I know this is for cartridge pockets but as close/similar as could be found

 

[45govt]

This one may be closer to the one on this thread

 

US-0654475-A_I.pdf