Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.
Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
A friend of mine gave me this some time back and I can't find anything about it on the internet so I thought I would try you folks. The belt belonged to her husband who had passed away many years ago. He was a young kid during many of the range wars that occurred around here. They had a dugout southwest of Fort Sumner and her husband who was way older than her, would tell her stories of when he was a kid, he would see horses without their riders running back from Fort Sumner covered with froth and sweat after a gun battle. She is in her eighties now and she gave me the belt and an old lantern that her husband had.
The belt looks to be for a rifle but I have no idea what kind. It says, "Shelton-Payne Arms Co El Paso, Texas." It has 40 loops and is about a 28" waste. The cartridge with it is a 32winspec for scale. I looked this company up to try and see when they were in business but with no luck. I would think its for a shouldered cartridge because of the short second loop but I really don't know.
I guess it was for a pistol and also used for rifles from time to time. Just going by the wear pattern . .45 colt. go to a known gun store and ask to let you test it for size.
It's looks to be a quality piece. I can't see what Mutt see's referring to the imprint on the leather. I see full length imprints. Wouldn't necessarily have to remain loaded for long to imprint. Don't know anything about the maker. If you don't get some answers fairly soon you might call El Paso Saddlery. They may have some history. I suspect there were a lot of makers out of that area during it's hey day.
Thanks for the replies. I tried some 44wcf and they fit fine so I am guessing that is what it was for. The leather is excellent with no cracks and as soft as can be. It was stored in a trunk for years. Its one of those "money" belts from what I can figure out. I guess your supposed to store your money between the fold of the belt so it don't fall out. I did a google search and the best I can figure out was that the company started in the 1880s and supplied Gen. Patton's pistol as well as bullets for Poncho Villa's raids. Couldn't determine when they closed. If I were to drop about 150lbs, I would probably wear it.
