Original Item. Only One Available. We are offering a great set of one of the scarcest cartridge belt rigs out there. The Model 1895 Mills Woven Pocketed Cartridge Belt for the Winchester 6mm Lee Straight Pull Navy Rifle was issued for a relatively short period of time, however as described in Dorsey’s American Military and Naval Belts, this belt’s design “cast a long shadow” on the style of future American military rifle cartridge belts and the Mills Woven Cartridge Belt Company for many years to come.

Designed by members of the US Navy Bureau of Ordnance in cooperation with Thomas Orndorff, the manager of the Mills Woven Belt Company facility in Worchester, Massachusetts, the first Model 1895 Belts were not delivered until July of 1896.

This great set would have seen service during the Spanish American War and Boxer Rebellion. All of these belts were manufactured in the dark blue woven material with 12 separate pockets integral to the weave of the belt body.  Each pocket was designed to hold two 5-round clips of 6mm cartridges.  Since Mills had not yet developed the technique of weaving integral pocket flaps which would appear with the Model 1903 Cartridge Belts, the pocket flaps on this belt fashioned of black pebble grained leather, each of which was attached to the back of the belt body with two brass eyelets.  Each pocket is fitted with an iron finial over which the flaps are buttoned.

While these belts were successful during their period of issue, their service life was relatively short, being pulled from service before any deficiencies such as the manner in which the pocket flaps were attached were noted, and changed.  After these belts found their way into the surplus market, poor storage and improper handling led to many specimens being damaged beyond repair.  Most of the belts which survive are missing some, if not all of the pocket flaps and those flaps which remain are often found torn or having pulled free from the eyelets used to attach the flaps. Much of the research information on these belts came from McPheeter’s Antique Militaria. 

This set is in good but repaired condition with all 3 of the 12 original pockets retained, and the other nine have been replaced with new-made examples. The difference in wear to the original 3 is very clear, so this set certainly saw heavy use before being repaired. There is a good bit of verdigris on the metal fittings of this set which is to be expected with its age. There are some repairs to the canvas as shown. This set even retains the original M1895 “Triangle T” Bayonet in its sheath.

The bayonet is stamped on the ricasso with T in a Triangle, the Navy inspector's stamp of Ensign Nathan C Twining. This is a scarce mark to find on these, and it is otherwise unmarked. Collectors theorize that this stamp appears on both the earliest delivered bayonets and scabbards and Janzen has the “types” in the opposite order from Hardin. The blade shows heavy wear with some light chipping, and the grips show heavy wear as well with some minor material loss. 

Besides the flap replacements & repairs, the suspender straps are also not crossed in the back or anchored as these sets often were. The anchoring appears to have broken off as happens often with these. The use of only a single eyelet at this location was a consistent point of failure which was reported during the period of use, and this means of anchoring the crossing point was changed in future models of cartridge belt suspenders.

Overall this set is in good repaired shape for its age, and to find this set in any condition is extremely difficult. It is the second set of its kind we have offered, and the first we have offered with the bayonet. Comes ready for further research and display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 8"
Blade Style: Single Edge with Fuller
Overall length: 12 5/8“
Crossguard: 2 3/4”
Scabbard Length: 8¾” plus belt attachment