Krag 100 Mills Bandolier

[Mike4MSU]

No association, but looks real and reasonable to me at $100.

https://www.gunboards.com/threads/wts-e ... t-11102581

[Culpeper]

That looks like a regular ol' two row Mills belt to me. I saw a pic of a bandoleer back around '05 that was single row and had a semi-complex fastening setup. Wish I had downloaded a pic of it.

edit: found a pic

https://www.cowanauctions.com/lot/rare- ... ifle-81308

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[Doubly Reincarnated]

Depends on what you want to do with one, but S&S used to sell both the single and double-row Mills belts, repros of course, and repros of the maybe appropriate fasteners.

Wouldn't an original be somewhat moldy by now?

[butlersrangers]

Condition of Mills gear will vary drastically with use, care, and storage.

The replicas lack the stamped maker and patent information.
(Note - Original belts, made by Hurlburt, also lacked stamped markings).

The posted 100 round Mills belt certainly looks original, to me. I believe it sold quickly.

[Knute1]

Here is a Mill's ad from the Army and Navy Journal in 1901.

Mills.png (20.8 KiB) Viewed 718 times

As a Captain in the Army, Anson Mills saw the drawbacks of the leather cartridge belt and designed a woven type. He received a patent for the woven belt in 1880 and also for the loom which it was manufactured on. Thomas Orndorff was the 2nd manufacturer of the belt under Mills direction and was also a brother in law to Mills. Mills retired as a Brigadier General. His business took off during the Spanish American War.

[butlersrangers]

The British were quite receptive to Mills web gear during WW-1 & WW-2. (So was the U.S. military).

The British canvas Mills rifle-sling worked very well, whereas, the similar U.S. (SAW period) 'tropical-sling' failed to function without curling, IMHO, due to the narrow dimensions used for the brass end-hooks.