Nylon Gun Belts

Ballistic nylon (also called Denier Nylon) is a manmade organic fiber that was originally produced by Dupont ® Chemical Company nearly 40 years ago. It was originally designed for a number of uses, but is best known for it's use in bulletproof vests under the trade name of Kevlar.  Ballistic nylon is reported to be one of the toughest manmade fabrics in the world, and is allegedly, pound for pound, stronger that steel.

Ballistic nylon was first used as a material for belts about 20 years ago. As the material itself was improved upon over the years, so was it's use in gun belts. It's an extremely durable and strong material with a very high tensile strength. I've actually seen a video demonstration from a ballistic nylon gun belt manufacturer where one of their belts was used to hoist the motor out of a vehicle. To produce the same sturdy rigidness found in comparable leather gun belts, ballistic nylon gun belts are actually cross stitched where the nylon threads are interwoven together from different angles.

Besides it's amazing strength to weight ratio, ballistic nylon also has some other neat properties:

• Water resistant - This material is very water resistant.  Notice I said "water resistant", not "waterproof".  Ballistic nylon can be treated so that it's waterproof, but even untreated, it's highly water resistant.  This can be very useful in a gun belt when compared to it's leather counterpart.  Leather is not waterproof and can eventually absorb water or moisture.  If you happen to be working or living in a particularly humid or sub-tropical location, then a ballistic nylon belt might be a good choice.

• Shrink and stretch proof - A properly produced ballistic nylon gun belt won't stretch or shrink like a leather belt possibly can.   If exposed to a significant amount of water and then left to dry naturally, leather can draw up and shrink.  On the other side of the spectrum, leather can also stretch over time and use.  You won't encounter these issues with ballistic nylon gun belts.  

Please note that I made mention of a "properly produced" nylon gun above.  I include this qualifier as there are a number of companies selling different versions of ballistic nylon gun belts on the market, and they are not all created equal.  Some of these manufacturers are offering a very simple nylon gun belt without any reinforcement or cross stitching for support.  Belts of this nature may possibly stretch over time due to their design and quality.  Please don't confuse one of these inferior brands for a true, high quality nylon gun belt that I am specifically referring to here.