[mucker]

For the first time today, I ran a cloth belt through one of my 1919s. It ran 250 rds. with one pull of the trigger without a hitch. It was a used belt from 50 BMG and I was pretty impressed. My question is: What kind of life span could I expect with these cloth belts? I realize it's easier on the trunion than the links, but what are the other advantages/disadvantages?

"MUCKER"

 

[BruceA4]

Cloth belts are a pain to load especially if it's a .308! The cloth belt loaders are way overpriced too. Links are easy, can be loaded by hand if need be, and all you need is a cloth sheet under your gun to pick them up afterwards! Just my opinion...... As far as trunnion wear, get a trunion protector for about $15 and your good to go............

 

[ScottD]

Cloth belts suck. Period. End of story.

Links can be hand loaded, the rounds dont fall out like they do with cloth, and, yeah, cloth belts suck.

I hand loaded ONE cloth belt in my life.........NEVER again....

 

[mikey250r]

Cloth belts are more traditional. The GIs in WWII used cloth belts. Although my gun is built from an 80% RSP and a demilled Izzy kit (.308) I still like the look of the original cloth belts!
mikey250r

 

[BAinMO]

The only bad side of cloth belt is that 250 max burst! If ya get your loader up and running correctly you can load belts (even in 308) as fast as you can crank the handle, or even faster with "more power". With the belt you only pick up belts and brass and don't need that magnet on a stick.
Len should have his repo belt loader up and going soon.
BAinMO

 

[L999here]

.....I like 'em...

Cloth belts are like the Jaguar,Harley or Indian of the beltloaders quest. Yes...it takes some type of mechanical loader to load 'em up....but it seperates the men from the boys....the just plain shooters from the 'pureists' of the hobby. Re-enactors want them,shooters enjoy them and they are one of the most sought after accessories for a 1919/1917 and even .50 BMG guns. Look great in static displays,especially with the 1917 water cooled guns. Anyone can load/shoot steel links. They are easy to use,inexpensive, available and can be loaded by hand. But they get dirty quickly,attract dust and rust unless cared for....and score the trunion w/o a trunion protector. Some guns like cloth belts and operate better with them. Its a personal preference......

 

[mucker]

How many times can you reload a cloth belt before problems occur? Stretching etc. ?

 

[woodsman]

Love my cloth belts

Just couldn't resist. I shoot only cloth. The links suck!!! They tear up the trunion and the protector is usless as it just deforms and dings the trunion anyway. That is not to mention that the protector wreaks havoc with feeding in my Delta gun. I switched to cloth only and threw away my trunion protector. I lightly cover my belts with transmission fluid. This helps you load as it is slippery and increases the life of the belt. As for the loader I made one for $60.00 from a pen press that I got at a woodworking supply house. I cut a nut in half and welded threaded rod to both pieces. One half is imbeded in the base and the other is on the swing clamp. I load about 20 rounds of 30-06 or 308 and then One, two, three, I seat all of them in seconds. There is another benefit of using belts. You can leave all the top cover parts alone and shoot 30-06 or 308 with only feed spacer/barrel and booster change. Try that with links! Iron creations has 100 round belts don't get the longer ones unless you are going to war. On the range your buddies will empty the 250's as fast as the 100's so smaller helps conserve ammo. Been shooting my 1919's for 5 years now and have come to this through a lot of trial and error. A lot of this info came from this site and all the great folks that post here. These things work! Dump the links and have peace today and in the future. Your trunion will thank you.!!!! LOL P.S. Could'nt resist being a smart a-s either!!!

 

[woodsman]

5 years

Been using the same ones for 5 years and very little wear. The transmission fluid works. I apply it after loading a new belt about the third time.

 

[L999here]

....cloth belt longevity...

Been useing belts from WW2. They are like an old pair of jeans.....get streched out,just throw 'em in the washing machine. Put about 5 lb. weight on the end and hang to dry. Will last longer than I can shoot 'em....maybe 25-30 fireings. Thats why I have several dozen and usuallly don't load the same belt twice in a year or so. Have 30/06,.308,8MM and 7.65 Argentine in cloth belts.

 

[xdevildog]

No idea how long they last. Had mine for about five years and swap them around so I don't always use the same one.

One point to consider. My 1919a4 is real particular about which belts it likes. No idea why, but the USGI white (actually kind of a light beige) belts are the only ones it will feed reliably. Had a couple of the green belts from somewhere - maybe IMA - and they snag in the gun. Anyway, before you buy a boatload of belts get examples of two or three different types and try them out on your gun. Nothing is quite as useless as a belt that won't feed more than four or five rounds.

Oh, I forgot to add that my gun is a .308. A .30-06 or 8mm may not have the same problem due to the longer case length.

 

[iRIGHTi]

For the first time today, I ran a cloth belt through one of my 1919s. It ran 250 rds. with one pull of the trigger without a hitch."MUCKER"

damn i gotta move....
just imagine the twins...

God Bless beltfed brother! Sounds like you got a X-runner on ur hands!

 

[Shattered]

Interesting to see so many semi auto owners responding to full auto questions.

I've been shooting the same belts for over 18 years now. I've been trying to save most of my new belts (200+ belts in all) by just using the same ones over and over again to the point of failure. Well, it ain't working. The same old belts have been reloaded hundreds upon hundreds of times and are still functional.

They are almost black from oil and carbon but still hold rounds like no tomorrow. The only way you can really kill a belt is a maladjusted belter or broken/worn needles. A few passes THROUGH the sides of a belt will wipe it in short order. However, I still use the damaged belts without any failure. I just mark the damaged pocket and when it comes up, just assist the round through the pocket with a mini screwdriver. It still holds the round great even though you can plainly see most of the material missing.

Transmission fluid is just about the worst thing you could do to a cloth belt. It doesn't preserve the belt at all and actually helps break down the thread that separates the pockets, besides giving the belts a decidedly gay pink color.

I did wash some at one time, but it's really a waste of time, didn't affect functionality much. They did come out a lot lighter, but the ol' lady figured she'd help and threw in some conditioner. Ever try to stuff ammo into a "cottony soft" belt? You'd get better results trying to bang a bimbo after downing a five gallon jug of Tequila. It ain't gonna happen. Threw them back in the warsher (thought I'd throw in an "Ohio" term there) and over-killed on whitener and starch. That worked. Even pressed them. They were so damn hard I thought they'd break. Actually made them a bit HARD to load. They turned out ok, but really no better than the black ones I also use.

They whole key to belt longevity is a proper, well adjusted belting machine (preferably an original 1918) with a good supply of needles. I bought a dozen belters from Numrich back in 1990 for $50 a pop with the storage boxes. They weighed a ton and when opened they were almost a solid block of cosmoline. I sold almost all of them with 1919's for $75 bucks (big markup, eh? Woo hoo!)

Yeah, they cost big numbers now, but if ya wanna play...

 

[Conch1]

I too have switched to cloth belts. Trunion protectors are a PIA to keep in place and the links wear divots in the trunion and protector. The cloth belts are only a pain the first time they're ever loaded. After that, the mechanical loaders work fine when properly adjusted. I have 8mm Mauser, .30-06 and 7.65 Argy in cloth belts now.

 

[57Strat]

I'll post from my experience and break it down by category:

Cost:

-Quality USGI 250 rd belts will run you about: $40-50 each.
-Links will run you about $20 per 250 rounds

Loading links/belts:

-Using a 1918 loader, I can load a 250 rd cloth belt of 30-06 in about 10 minutes. The 1918 loader was designed to load 30-06 and 30-06 works perfectly in the 1918 loader. I have never been able to get .308 to work reliably enough in the 1918 loader.

-I can load a 250 rd. linked belt in about 25 minutes using a push/pull linker machine.

-I use links for .308 and belts for 30-06. I would personally use belts for .308 if the 1918 loader was reliable with .308.

-Hand-loading belts or using a single stage manual belt loader is far too time consuming (1-2 hours for a 250 rd belt)

-Hand-loading links is only for those that love to endure pain.


Shooting reliability:

-In the two 1919s that I own, I have found links and cloth belts to be equally reliable. One note of caution is when using a trunnion protector, it reduces the clearance in the feed-way, and with some guns the clearance is too tight for links to feed reliably.


Wear:

-There is no doubt that using links will subject the feed mechanism to more wear than if cloth belts were used.

Longevity:

-Both will last dozens of loadings.

Retrieving links/belts after shooting:

-A belt can be picked up in a few seconds.

-Picking up links takes a while

Maintenance:

-For belts, just throw them in the washing machine and let air dry. Do not use bleach, it will deteriorate the cotton.

-For links, when they get dirty from being on the ground after firing, I throw them in a bucket and soak them in water with Dawn detergent. I let them air dry and spray WD40 on them afterward and store them in a plastic bag.


Overall, I prefer belts due to much faster loading w/ the 1918 loader, less wear on the gun, ease of pickup after shooting, and ease of belt maintenance. If I did not own a 1918 loader, I would use links, as hand-loading belts or using a single stage manual belt loader is far too time consuming.

 

[L999here]

....that says it ALL...!!!

What Strat said. ....totally concur.....!!!