Original Item. Only One Available. This is an excellent original U.S. Indian Wars-period Model 1874 Hazen cartridge loop carrier manufactured at Watervliet Arsenal, one of the distinctive pieces of leather ammunition equipment associated with the M1874 Cavalry saber belt. Constructed entirely from blackened leather, the carrier contains 20 individual cartridge loops and retains clear arsenal and inspector markings, including WATERVLIET ARSENAL on the central keeper and A.R. SMITH on the left keeper. A faint DS marking is also present on the opposite end.

These Hazen leather cartridge loops were issued with the Model 1874 Cavalry Saber belt. The front has a leather keeper at each end with a wider keeper at center. This central keeper is flanked by four sewn loops on each side for holding cartridges. There are another eight of these sewn leather loops across the back for a total of twenty.

A soldier was issued two of these for an additional 40 rounds. The rest of the ammunition was carried in the Dyer cartridge box.

This excellent example does have some shrinking of the loops from age, but the keepers on this example are all marked. The central keeper is stamped:

WATERVLIET
ARSENAL

The left keeper is stamped A.R. SMITH, an inspector’s stamp, and the right keeper is faintly stamped DS, likely for another inspector. A.R. Smith is documented as an inspector appearing on other Watervliet Arsenal-produced leather equipment from the Indian Wars period.

The loop set measures 7 ⅜ x 2 x 1”. The leather remains in good overall condition for its age, with some shrinkage to the individual cartridge loops, scattered crazing, and localized rubbing to the blackened finish. The stitched loop structure remains largely intact, and the three marked keepers are all still present.

Hazen carriers are closely associated with the transitional period of U.S. Cavalry accoutrements during the 1870s, when the Army was adapting its equipment to the .45-70 Springfield carbine and experimenting with more practical methods of carrying metallic cartridges.

This is a particularly strong example because the principal identifying features remain intact: the full 20-loop construction, WATERVLIET ARSENAL marking, A.R. SMITH inspector stamp, faint secondary DS marking, and all three leather keepers. The minor shrinkage, crazing, and surface rubbing are the main condition considerations, while the surviving arsenal markings make it an excellent representative piece of early Indian Wars U.S. Cavalry field equipment.