45-70 Govt. Cartridge Belt, 50 Rnds, Span-Am War, Hurlburt Bros. (not Mills) For Sale

45-70 Govt. Cartridge Belt, 50 Rounds, Spanish AmericanWar, Hurlburt Bros. (not Mills) , with “C” type clasp

This is a singlerow, 45-70 Govt. Hulbert Brothers 50 loopcartridge belt with a full loop wire on each of the brass beltends (as opposed to the Mills version with the patent marks and the open brass “C”clasp.) The Hurlburt belts are similar to the Mills belts, but were not markedwith manufacturer or patent dates on the brass belt ends. Most notably theHulbert had sewn loops instead of patented woven integral loops of Mills beltscommonly used to supply Regular Army Regiments in action with “TrapdoorSpringfield” .45-70 Govt. Rifles against Native Americans on the western frontiers during theIndian Wars.

This Hurlburt.45-70 Govt. Cartridge Belt example is contract-dyed blue, and has the threedark blue lines woven into the fabric, but does not have the brass eyelets formounting the steel wire bayonet scabbard attachment or other accoutrements asfound on the Mills Belts. There are two stamped brass keepers with a terracotta colored patina but no corrosion or rot. The only wear marks visible are wherethe brass keepers have moved from handling or during use. The belt has one (1)“C” type clasp which closes the belt around the waist. The belt was originallydesigned to have two (2) “C” clasps in order to secure the US “H” type brassbelt plates. Troops deployed in field conditions quickly discovered that one ofthe “C” closures effectively secured the fully load belt, and frequently theother “C” clasp and the large brass “US” belt plate were simply discarded.

This example is inexcellent condition with only light fraying at the sewn seams and light colorfading (from the wartime contract dye job). Eventually many these blue dye jobswould fade in the harsh tropical sunlight and field conditions to theiroriginal material color of Tan or Khaki. Later belts did away with the blue dyealtogether as the Army transitioned from a Blue woolen field uniform to atropical cotton Tan/Khaki field uniform for use in the humid jungles of theUnited States’ newly acquired colonial empire.

The HurlburtCartridge Belts were issued with the .45-70 Govt. rifles used to equip the USVolunteer Regiments in 1898 that were on their way to Cuba, Puerto Rico and thePhilippines, and that couldn’t be supplied with the modern 30-40 Krag Rifles ofthe US Regular Regiments (and lacking the political clout of units such as the1st US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, 1stUSV – aka “The Rough Riders”). The Hurlburt Bros. contract .45-70 Govt.cartridge belts are a further example of the measures necessary for equippingtroops during a rapid wartime buildup of forces that quickly overwhelmsexisting military contract equipment manufacturers dealing only with the needsof a small regular Army.

The Anson Mills Co.could not supply enough .45-70 Govt. Cartridge Belts keep up with the demand ofthe US Army rapidly expanding with new Volunteer Regiments and quicklyexhausted its existing stocks. Mills also chose to focus its resources onprimarily supplying the Army’s expanded requirements for the modern 30-40 Kragsmokeless cartridge, eventually producing over a thousand belts a day.(Unfortunately the rapid end of the Span Am War and subsequent demobilizationalmost bankrupted the company). Therefore other contractors filled theimmediate equipment needs of the newly recruited and volunteer regiments beingequipped with surplus Black Powder .45-70 Govt. Rifles. .45-70 Govt. cartridgebelt makers had to implement different designs and construction methods so asnot to infringe on the Mills Belt’s patented woven manufacture. Hurlburt’sdesign for the .45-70 Govt. Cartridge was the most effective (after theubiquitous Mills Belt), as is frequently mistaken for a Mills Belt in today’smilitary collector’s market despite the very deliberate design andmanufacturing differences.

Eventually all 50 round belts were upgraded as Volunteer Regiments replaced their surplus BlackPowder 45-70 Govt. Springfield Rifles with the modern smokeless .30-40 KragRifles with the 100 round Mills belts (and eventually the .30-06 M1903 SpringfieldRifle and their accompanying Mills Belts). Having served their need, these.45-70 Govt. Hurlburt Belts ended up as surplus equipment along with the well-worn veteran “Trapdoor\" Springfields in the surplus arms and equipmentmarket, and would be featured for decades in dealer catalogs such as“Bannerman’s Warehouse” and other mail order vendors as inexpensive curios orutilitarian items .

The cartridge beltis offered “Used” and “As Is” with no refunds. The 5 inert dummy .45-70 Govt cartridges are not included in the sale and are only pictured to display the correct cartridge sizefor the belt (.30-40 Krag cartridges would be very loose in this belt!) The belt is a nice addition to aUS Volunteer Spanish American/Philippians Insurrection presentation, display orcollection. Will ship anywhere in the USA (Including AK, HI or APO) that takesstandard USPS Flat Rate Box Shipping. Int’l orders are possible, but extrashipping charges are required. Happyofferding!