Original Item. Only One Available. Dating from the early Indian Wars period, this is a heavily worn U.S. Army Model 1876 Type 1 Prairie Cartridge Belt manufactured by Watervliet Arsenal for carrying .45-70 Government ammunition for the Springfield Trapdoor rifle and carbine family. The belt retains its leather foundation, webbed ammunition section, single-prong square brass buckle, and corresponding leather adjustment tab with six punched holes. It is faintly but still recognizably stamped WATERVLIET ARSENAL with the inspector's marking A.R. SMITH. The belt is offered strictly as-is due to its extremely fragile, broken, and tattered condition.

The Model 1876 Prairie Belt was adopted as the U.S. Army sought a more practical method of carrying metallic-cartridge ammunition during operations on the western frontier. Early belts of this pattern were constructed around a leather foundation covered with textile material and fitted with separately formed cartridge loops. Production began at Watervliet Arsenal in the latter part of 1876, and surviving first-pattern examples are known with the WATERVLIET ARSENAL and A.R. SMITH markings seen on this belt.

This example is the very rare Type 1 with the extremely rare M1879 Trials adapter brass rings, meant for the attachment of equipment like the 1873 entrenching tool. These are very rare to find on these belts, but the middle ring has broken away with the other two now weak and close to breaking off. There is tearing along most of the belt as shown, evidence of why these early types were replaced with the later M1885 woven prairie belt. These early belts were built around a leather foundation which can be seen under the tears. There are still two .45-70 cartridges in the loops.

The shortcomings of early Prairie Belts were not simply a matter of durability. The original design was primarily intended to carry ammunition and provided little convenient means of suspending holsters, bayonet scabbards, entrenching tools, and other field equipment. Soldiers found wearing a separate equipment belt cumbersome, which led to a series of arsenal and field alterations during the late 1870s and early 1880s. The surviving three-ring modifications on belts such as this represent that transitional period in U.S. Army equipment development.

Later woven belts associated with Anson Mills incorporated improved manufacturing techniques in which the cartridge loops formed part of the woven belt structure itself. These designs ultimately proved lighter, more flexible, and more durable than the leather-backed Model 1876 pattern and helped establish the woven cartridge belt as a standard feature of U.S. military field equipment.

This is unquestionably a rough, as-is example and should be treated primarily as a representative historical artifact rather than a belt suitable for handling or wear. The extensive tears, heavily cracked leather, weakened webbing, missing center ring, unstable surviving rings, and remaining cartridges all require extreme care. At the same time, the exposed leather foundation, surviving Watervliet Arsenal / A.R. Smith markings, original Type 1 construction, and scarce three-ring prairie alteration make it a particularly instructive example of the U.S. Army's experimentation with ammunition and equipment carriage during the Indian Wars period.

Totally inert, cannot be converted to an explosive device, not available for export. This item is completely legal within the USA. International Military Antiques, Inc observes all Federal, State and Local laws. Everything for sale on ima-usa.com is completely legal to own, trade, transport and sell within the United States of America.

All deactivated ordnance sold by IMA, Inc is engineered to be inoperable according to guidelines provided by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF).