Review: The Peacekeeper Belt

First Sergeant (Ret) John Ross & CPT Matthew Moulton

Founders, OKC Tactical

December 20, 2017

As most gun enthusiasts know, the search for good kit can be an endless one.  Not the least of which is the search to find a belt that can strike a balance in rigidity needed to support a full framed gun and comfort of the wearer.  As most avid gun carriers do, we now have a drawer full of belts we hoped would meet this challenge, but fall short in one aspect or another.  Well folks, those days are over now that we have tried the Peacekeeper from Black Beard Belts.

Past Experiences: In our endless search, we have gone through a variety of different belts.  Being veterans, we have tried dozens of variations of the “ole faithful”, riggers belt.  Riggers belts are not designed with the idea of supporting a gun on your hip, but rather keeping you inside whatever mode of transportation you ride into battle via a retention lanyard, therefore, there is little in the way of design to prevent the holster from rolling away from your body, sliding along the belt, or rotating during the draw sequence, you can tighten it to the point of becoming a hip tourniquet, but it still does not keep the holster and pistol in place.

Leather belts, Matt’s favorite, do provide a material thick enough to prevent holster rolling, but adjustment remains an issue, as you can only get the buckle so tight. Matt’s favorite leather belt still allows the holster to slide and rotate which makes the draw sequence less efficient.

Lastly are other “Click” style adjustment belts.  Folks we have tried them all, and while they are convenient, we have found that they are difficult to adjust and have to be so tight that you feel as though an anaconda has your waste in a choke hold.  Even at full tightness they still allow the proverbial “Slip” of the holster.  Holster movement is important enough of an issue that we discuss finding your gun on your belt as the first step of the draw sequence.

Black Beard’s Concept: The design idea for the peacekeeper was born from the frustration that most EDC folks and competitive shooters have experienced.  Lack of adjustability, rollover, stretch, or lack of flexibility in the cold.  The Peacekeeper concept of making a superior belt from a polymer coated nylon material coupled with a ratcheting buckle and ladder strap with ¼ inch adjustability has the potential to solve all the afore mentioned problems with gun belts. The question is, did it get the job done?

The Peacekeeper is made from a polymer material, with a very impressive 4500lb tensile strength, is impervious to liquids, is comfortable like leather yet will not stretch, and maintains its flexibility in all temperature ranges. The ratcheting buckle and ladder strap combination provides an impressive 9 inches of ¼ inch adjustments.  While it is the limiting factor in terms of strength, 500lbs, it still far exceeds any demand most folks will place on it.  The buckle also provides a quick release system for those of us who tend to eat a bit much on our lunch breaks.  Simply lift the buckle and you can breathe again.  When you get back to the range it is as simple as ratcheting the belt back to a comfortable adjustment.  This is also very convenient in and out of vehicles if you drive a lot.

Our Assessment: After a few weeks of testing, multiple pistol and rifle courses, and much scrutiny in the form of “Does this match my shoes” we can honestly say that this has been the most comfortable, and functional EDC belt we have used in our combined 57 years of gun carrying.  It is both comfortable, and functional which do not always fit in the same sentence.  Below are the principal improvements that we found over other belts.

1. Much more comfortable when carrying any pistol. For test purposes we used two holsters:
   2. Full-size M&P with an INFORCE APL light was used with a belt loop holster which weighed in at 2.8lbs. The Peacekeeper virtually eliminated holster slide, rollover, and rotation with this set up.  Unheard of in previous belt systems we have used.
   3. Glock 19 was used with a paddle holster which weighed in at 2.3lbs. The holster made the pistol lean inwards, eliminated slide completely, and there was zero, and I mean zero, travel on the draw.

2. Does not have to be anywhere near as tight to support that weight. Historically to carry a full-size pistol on anything other than a duty belt, John’s belts had to be so tight his toes tingled.  Not the case with the peacekeeper.  This was a welcome surprise and one of its biggest selling points.
3. Does not “Drive Down” when I am establishing my grip, or working retention. Again, without extreme tightness, other belts simply want to slide down your hip, along with your pants, in retention training.  Not the case with the Peacekeeper.
4. Temperature does not impact performance. While we didn’t get into any “extreme” temperature ranges, we did do a lot of training at below freezing temperatures, and there was zero impact to performance. Matt will be taking the Peacekeeper into the artic soon and will put it to the test.
5. Much easier than expected to thread belt and holster loops. At first glance, the ladder system seems like it would be challenging to thread, or at least not as easy as a standard belt.  This was not the case.  Additionally, there is an elastic retention band that neatly keeps the excess ladder close to the belt once you have it where you want it.
6. The polymer material is virtually nonslip. This was important during the draw sequence for multiple reasons.  Our holsters almost seemed to be glued to the belt which was an impressive discovery.  The belt is not “Tacky”, and adjusting your holster position is easy if you are doing it intentionally, but the holster will not move on accident or through your daily routine.
7. The amount of “Pre-travel” of your holster during the draw sequence was substantially reduced. Often, especially with belts of lesser quality, a friction type holster will travel upward, along with the belt and your pants, for an inch or two before the trigger guard breaks loose from the holster.  This was reduced for two reasons.  Lack of stretch in the belt, and grippyness of the belt material
8. Adjustability is phenomenal. In those winter months, it is easy to find yourself adjusting your belt several times throughout the day as you either add or takeaway layers.  This belt is easy to adjust with a simple ratchet of the buckle which makes ¼ inch adjustments.  The ratcheting buckle comes in handy when you just can’t pull yourself in to an acceptable level.

 Summary: It’s a gun belt. To date, we have not found a better more comfortable option for those who choose to carry all day every day.  The combination of comfort, adjustability, and functionality make for a belt that even the biggest critics must concede just works.  In the end, isn’t that what it’s about.  Simplicity coupled with functionality is possibly the best description we can give.

While we searched high and low for reasons to not love this belt, we simply were not able to find any.  I suppose if one had to complain about something, it may be the lack of fashion over function (Matt loves his western buckles). If fashion is an issue for you, Black Beard Belts has a solution for that as well.  Their Romeo, Juliet, Classic, Warlord, and Commander belts are all made of the same material, but are accented with a conventional stainless-steel buckle that has 3/4-inch adjustability. These belts can also accommodate any other traditional buckles you want to attach.

Do yourself a favor and check out this Oklahoma based small business.  The customer service has been top notch, and the quality of their work has been noticeably superior.  If you have reservations, you are always welcome to come catch us at the range.  We can assure you we will be wearing our Peacekeepers.