M1923 10 POCKET CARTRIDGE BELT

Infantry riflemen shot off the ammunition in their disposable bandoleers before breaking into the supply in their cartridge belts. When using ammo from their belts they were instructed to work from the back to the front whenever possible, leaving the right front pocket, the most easily accessible, for last in case a quick reload was needed.

The M1923 cartridge belt is made of cotton webbing and has ten flapped pockets which close with lift-a-dot fasteners. Each pocket can hold one en-bloc clip of 8 rounds or two five round stripper-clips. The soldier armed with the M1 rifle had 80 rounds (10 clips) of ammunition and the soldier armed with the 1903 Springfield had 100 rounds (20 clips). The belt is adjustable at the back. It is affixed around the waist in the front with an interlocking blackened metal wire buckle. The belt has a series of blackened metal grommets between the pockets along the top and along the bottom edge for attaching equipment and suspenders. The cartridge belt is the central element in the riflemanâs load bearing system. Everything attaches to it or attaches to something else attached to it. To facilitate this attachment, most of the soldiers equipment (i.e. canteen, 1st aid dressing pouch, bayonet, entrenching tool, etc.) has a heavy bent wire hanger mounted on it. The ends of the wire are worked through the belt's grommet holes from the inside out which leaves the points of the hanger away from the body when the equipment is worn.

Color varies from khaki to very light green for early war production belts and dark olive drab (OD #7) for the late war production. Some belts will show a mixture of colors. We prefer the earlier war colors. All belts are marked with the date of manufacture and the name of the contractor, usually on the left front interior surface. Sewn into the bottom of the pockets of belts designed for holding 5 round clips is a thin web strap with a female snap on the end that affixes to a corresponding male snap on the outside of the pocket just above the male part of the lift-a-dot fastener. It cannot be seen with the flap closed. This little strap was secured around the second stripper-clip in the pocket to prevent its loss when the first one was pulled out. When used with the 8 round en-bloc clip the strap is just stuffed in the bottom of the pocket.