The Legacy of the Ranger Belt

The history of the Ranger Belt dates back to the days of the 1840’s, when the west was wild, untamed and every man made his own destiny.  The ease of weapon retrieval was critical for cowboys, Rangers and the U.S. Army alike, whether out on their own traveling the countryside from city to city or engaging in close range combat.  Read on to learn more about the origin of one of the most popular western accessories.

Born Out of Practicality

Right around the late 1840’s the need for repeating pistols was becoming necessary. Shortly after, the industrialist, Samuel Colt joined into negotiations with a young Samuel Walker, Texas Ranger turned U.S. Army man, for the sales of the Colt Paterson revolver. Together in 1847 the duo developed and improved upon the single action Colt, resulting in the revolver known as the Walker Colt.  The finished product resulted in a weighty hand gun substantially heavier than traditional pistols. This created a problem with the customary practice of tucking pistols into waistbands or into sashes worn around the waist.  As a mimic of the saddle scabbard used for hold rifles while riding horseback, gun belts and holsters were born out of practicality. With a wider more durable billet leather behind the buckle strap the life of a ranger belt can easily be prolonged, making this gun belt a useful tool for lawmen and gunslingers both.

Russet Basket Weave Ranger Belt

The Evolution into Vogt Fashion

This style of gun belt was popularized by Texas Rangers after becoming an integral part of their unofficial “uniform” as portrayed in many Hollywood Western movies.  Characteristically, western belts are wider and heavier than most other fashion belts and are often tooled similarly to the patterns tooled on western saddles.   Our belts feature the same high quality standards as a required by a Texas Ranger, with a basket stamped pattern or a fully tooled russet or black option.  From their origin as a gun belt to its present day status as a classic piece of western Americana, Vogt Ranger belts are historically rich platforms for one of our handmade Vogt four piece buckle set.