British Cotton bandoliers

[jake1993]

Hello, I’m quite new to this forum so hope I’m getting this right! I’m in the process of putting together a living history impression of a Kitchener volunteer on the 1st July 1916. 
 

I’d quite like to produce my own cotton bandoliers, is there definitive set of dimensions for them? 
 

I’d be very great full for any help! 
 

Jake 

[Raster Scanning]

I have an original set at home. Unfortunately I am away for a couple of months. If you still need then let me know.

[4thGordons]

The bandoliers remained virtually unchanged for their existence - to the extent that I have several with both WWI and WWII issue dates on them.

Their service life starts when ammunition was first issued in chargers (with the introduction of the SHtLE) and ended when No4s were replaced by L1A1(SLRs). I would think it would be much easier to pick up a surplus one than make your own! I have a number of them and can dig them out to measure if you really want to go that route but I think a quick search of eBay or the like would probably produce examples cheaply (and there are several makers of reproductions)

A search of eBay using ".303 cotton bandolier" throws up lots.

As I say if you really want the measurements I can dig one our for you

Chris

[MrEd]

It’s also possible to find unstamped post war ones pretty cheaply that you could then stamp up yourself. Or just buy the cheap reproductions from SOF or someone like that

https://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/ww1-enfield-cotton-bandolier.html

Edited 13 September , 2022 by MrEd

[jake1993]

On 13/09/2022 at 19:31, 4thGordons said:

The bandoliers remained virtually unchanged for their existence - to the extent that I have several with both WWI and WWII issue dates on them.

Their service life starts when ammunition was first issued in chargers (with the introduction of the SHtLE) and ended when No4s were replaced by L1A1(SLRs). I would think it would be much easier to pick up a surplus one than make your own! I have a number of them and can dig them out to measure if you really want to go that route but I think a quick search of eBay or the like would probably produce examples cheaply (and there are several makers of reproductions)

A search of eBay using ".303 cotton bandolier" throws up lots.

As I say if you really want the measurements I can dig one our for you

Chris

Thanks Chris, 

I’ll keep my eyes open for one and will work on copying that. I quite enjoy putting my own stuff together wherever I can, allows me to get the real detail in that way! 

thank you everybody for your help, didn’t realise they remained largely unchanged for such a long time! 
 

many thanks 

Jake 

[bigjohn]

As a thought  iirc if you are going to make one,  the older ones had small brass hooks as closures for the pouches the modern ones had press studs,  mind you that was thirty odd years ago   

John 

[Andrew Upton]

3 hours ago, bigjohn said:

As a thought  iirc if you are going to make one,  the older ones had small brass hooks as closures for the pouches the modern ones had press studs,  mind you that was thirty odd years ago   

Brass hooks, press studs and button closure are all WW1 period correct methods for closing the cloth bandoliers, see: