This year at the Pro Am Steel Match, Cliff Walsh from Top Shot Season 3 (and 10-8 Performance sponsored shooter) introduced me to the Brass Monkey Performance (BMP) Competition Belt. For years I have been using various “tactical” belts for training and competition, such as the excellent Instructor Belt from The Wilderness. But when a seasoned competitor like Cliff makes a suggestion, I tend to listen.
BMP’s competition belt uses the same concept as a duty belt system used by cops everywhere. An inner belt goes through the pant loops and then an outer belt with all the gear is secured to the inner belt. Traditional “Sam Brown” belts in law enforcement use small fasteners known as “keepers” to secure the outer belt to the inner one. BMP’s competition belt uses hook and loop velcro to secure the two belts together. BMP uses some sticky grade velcro as the belts will not come apart from each other until you absolutely want them to.
The inner belt and outer belt are secured to each other with hook and loop fasteners. They will not move or come apart until you want them to.
The outer belt itself is made of nylon webbing with a stiffener to ensure it is sturdy enough to hold your competition gear. The buckle is the COBRA buckle made by AustriAlpin, an Austrian company specializing in rugged mountaineering equipment. The COBRA buckle is load bearing and machined from 7075 aluminum alloy. Is it overkill for a competition belt? Probably, but it ensures the belt won’t come undone until you want it to, and makes donning and doffing the belt a piece of cake.
A stiffener is added to the outer belt to maintain rigidity and support your holsters and magazine pouches.
As luck would have had it, my trip to the prize table resulted in a free BMP shirt and belt. I contacted Chris at BMP, and I had a belt system made to order. They are available in a variety of colors, and I chose basic black nylon with silver buckle at Chris’ suggestion.
Unfortunately, I had ACL reconstruction surgery on my knee shortly after the belt arrived, so I haven’t had the opportunity to run it in any matches. However, I am back on the range and was able to run BMP’s belt each time. I immediately noticed how stable my gear was. Despite moving between positions, my holster and magazine pouches felt like they were floating in their exact relative space around me. The system was comfortable, and at the end of each session, all my range gear came off simply by releasing the buckle.
Will this system replace my Wilderness belt or other daily carry belts? No. However, for matches and match preparation, it is now my preferred setup.
Brass Monkey Performance also offers a full line of gear and accessories for the competitive shooter. Visit their site and I’m sure you’ll find something to make your range time more enjoyable.
Source: http://www.brassmonkeyperformance.com
Anyone besides Tim received their belt yet? I ordered one each for my wife and I mid-December, and still waiting for it.
I have waited almost 5 1/2 months for my Brass Monkey belt. They don’t return calls or emails. I contacted my credit card company and cancelled my order.
I called Talon Tactcial and Mike answered the phone and was very helpful with questions. He said all my items will be shipping out within 1-2 weeks!!!
Thank you Mike at Talon Tactical!
Give em an email. They are a two man shop and have a very heavy travel schedule. It took mine about eight weeks to get. It was worth the wait.
Glad you like it! According to the last email I got, the belts have been “in production” since the end of December, which I assume is equivalent code to when the 1911 shop says “it is on the bench!”
Multiple requests for an update by phone and email since early February, and I can’t get a response from them. Hope others are having better luck. Anyone received a belt in 2013?
Just heard from them, a few days ago updating status, and again today that belts are on the way.
Having been using this belt just over a week, and really like it. It is supportive as a Safariland ELS belt, but much lower profile.
Tim was right — an excellent product!
For David: He came to the US last October, met Chris from Brass Monkey and ordered one of their rigs. He contacted me today and told me that he has heard nothing via e/mails he has written them inquiring about his order. It’s April 23rd….Sounds like they better stay home and start producing. David sez if this the way they do business…it sucks!!!
Based on Tim’s review I ordered one of these belts. This isn’t my first time ordering custom gear and a wait is to be expected. However, after long exceeding the estimated delivery time and their patent refusal to respond to either phone or email, I can only conclude that these guys are not to be trusted. Similar products are available from other sources.
Yes, I have heard many complaints and apparently one of the owners is suffering from the Big C so they have been struggling. That said, they should still have better comms with their customers. At this point, while I think it is a great product, I can’t recommend that people buy from them as it is unknown when the product will ship. It’s really too bad.