Item:
ON11264

Original U.S. WWII British-made Garand and Springfield M1923 Ammunition Belt by M.E.Co. - Dated 1944

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice Original US Army issue OD Green / Khaki canvas 10-Pocket ammunition belt for use with both Springfield and Garand Rifles. It does have some wear, and fading, so the US ink stamp is faint. When OD Green #3 wears, it ends up looking khaki, so we cannot tell if this was originally khaki or not.

However, this example was made by the Mills Equipment Company in the UK, which at the time used Khaki, so it's very likely that it is in fact khaki. The belt is faintly marked on the strap that joins the two pouches:

M E Co. 1944
BRITISH MADE

Officially designated the "Belt, Cartridge, Cal .30, Dismounted, M-1923", it was originally adopted when stocks of the M-1910 belt were exhausted after World War I. The belt was designed as part of the infantryman's load carrying system, anchoring the M-1910 haversack and later the M-1928 infantry pack. It has ten pockets for clips of .30-caliber ammunition for the M1903 Springfield, M-1917 Enfield, and later M1 Garand rifle. The M1903 and M1917 rifles using 5 round stripper clips (two per pocket, total of 100 rounds) while the M1 Garand used a single eight shot clip per pocket (total 80 rounds).

This version of the belt has an additional securing strap inside each pocket, which provides additional security for Garand En Bloc clips, or in the case of stripper clips, prevents the second stripper clip from falling out when the first one is removed.

Three part construction, with belt sizing strap in center of back, originals are very hard to find on the market today. This belt saw service late in the war, and possibly post war, but overall is still in very good condition and does no show any major damage, just the usual wear to the fittings and fabric from service and cleaning. All snaps are in functional condition with excellent patina.

  • This product is available for international shipping.
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