How to Choose a Gun Belt
A gun belt has one job a regular belt doesn’t: carry the weight of a loaded holster all day without folding, rolling, or sagging. A department-store belt fails at that within an hour — the holster tips away from your body, the grip prints, and you spend the day pushing it back into place.
Here’s how to pick the right one in four steps.
Step 1 — Start with the width
Width is decided by what the belt has to do, not by preference. Get this right first and everything else narrows down fast.
- 1.5″ — everyday carry and concealed carry. The default for daily wear. Fits standard belt loops and virtually every IWB and OWB holster on the market. If you’re carrying a pistol under a shirt, this is your width.
- 1.75″ — Garrison and range. A wider, stiffer platform for range days and open carry, where the belt is doing more work and concealment isn’t the priority.
- 1.75″ MOLLE — battle belt. A dedicated outer belt for mounting pouches, mag carriers and a dump pouch. Worn over a regular belt, not instead of one.
- 2″ and 2.25″ — duty. Built for a full duty rig: holster, cuffs, radio, spare mags. Available in leather, basketweave and nylon to match your department’s requirements.
- 1.5″ — competition. A rigid inner/outer setup for USPSA and IPSC, where draw consistency depends on the belt never shifting.
Step 2 — Pick the material
Every belt below shares the same rigid Power-Core center, so the material choice is about how it looks, how it ages, and what it puts up with — not whether it can hold the gun up.
- Buffalo leather — premium full-grain buffalo with a classic matte finish and a natural, rugged texture. The traditional choice. Like all leather it scuffs, absorbs sweat, and benefits from occasional conditioning.
- ArmorTek — a synthetic-infused composite that looks like leather but is engineered to outlast it. Kore rates it twice as tough as standard leather, and it’s scratch-, sweat- and weather-resistant. Choose this one if you sweat through belts, work outdoors, or live somewhere humid.
- Tactical nylon — the lightest and most utilitarian option, and the easiest to clean. Pairs naturally with a range or work setup.
- Basketweave and Western — classic tooled looks for duty rigs and dress wear, on the same ratcheting platform.
Buffalo or ArmorTek?
This is the most common question we get, because the two look nearly identical on the shelf. They are the same 1.5″ width, the same ratcheting track, the same Power-Core center, and both are rated to carry up to 6 lbs — so capacity is not the difference.
The difference is the outer material. Buffalo is genuine leather and wears like genuine leather: it develops character, and it also scuffs and soaks up sweat. ArmorTek is synthetic and shrugs off sweat, water and scratches. If you’re carrying a holster on it every day, especially in heat or humidity, we’d point you to ArmorTek. If you want real leather and the look that comes with it, buy the Buffalo. See the full ArmorTek vs Buffalo Leather comparison →
Step 3 — Choose your buckle
Every belt uses the same X-series ratcheting buckle system, so the buckle is genuinely a style choice — gunmetal, black, nickel, brass and stainless, in a range of profiles.
What matters is what’s underneath it: a hidden track with over 40 quarter-inch positions instead of the five holes a normal belt gives you. That’s the whole point of a ratcheting belt. You get the exact fit after a big meal, after adding a holster, or when you switch from a tucked shirt to a jacket — no compromise notch, no stretched-out hole.
Step 4 — Get the size right
Two things to know before you order:
Measure where you actually wear the belt — over the clothing you carry in, with the holster in place. Don’t use your pants size. A gun belt sits differently than a dress belt, and the holster takes up room.
Check the range. Our 1.5″ belts come in a standard 24″–44″ size. ArmorTek is the only 1.5″ line that also comes in XL, 44″–54″ — so if you measure over 44″, ArmorTek is the belt to look at.
These belts are cut to fit. You trim the strap to your exact measurement during setup, which is what lets one belt fit precisely instead of approximately. Because a cut belt can’t be resold, cut belts are final sale — so measure twice before you trim.
Still not sure?
The short version: 1.5″ for concealed carry, ArmorTek if you sweat or work outside, Buffalo if you want real leather, and measure over the clothes you carry in.
If you’re between two options, send us a message and tell us what you carry and where you wear it. We’ll tell you which belt we’d put on — and we’ll tell you if the cheaper one is the right answer.