![Pancho Villa bandolier crop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Pancho_Villa_bandolier_crop.jpg)
A bandolier or a bandoleer is a pocketed
belt
Belt may refer to:
Apparel
* Belt (clothing), a leather or fabric band worn around the waist
* Championship belt, a type of trophy used primarily in combat sports
* Colored belts, such as a black belt or red belt, worn by martial arts practit ...
for holding either individual
bullets, or
belts of
ammunition. It is usually slung
sash
A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else running around the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, bu ...
-style over the shoulder and chest, with the ammunition pockets across the midriff and chest. Though functionally similar, they are distinct from chest rigs, which are designed to hold
magazines
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...
instead.
History
![Bandelier_met_kruitmaatjes_en_kogelzakje,_NG-1149](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Bandelier_met_kruitmaatjes_en_kogelzakje%2C_NG-1149.jpg)
By the late 15
th century, the earliest viable handheld firearms in Europe were the
arquebus
An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier.
Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...
fitted with a
matchlock
A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Befor ...
mechanism. The user kept his shot in a leather pouch and his powder in a
flask
Flask may refer to:
Container
* Hip flask, a small container used to carry a small amount of liquid
* Laboratory flask, laboratory glassware for holding larger volumes than simple test tubes
** Erlenmeyer flask, a common laboratory flask wit ...
with a volumetric spout. The spout was calibrated to deliver the proper charge for the user's arquebus. With the advent of the
heavy arquebus (later known as a musket) in the early 16
th century, a spout large enough to measure the required powder was impractical. Furthermore, trying to double or triple charge from a flask was time consuming and could create a “missed” charge. A bandolier from whence would hang several little flasks each filled with a dedicated premeasured charge was the solution to this problem. Since these were loaded prior to going into battle, the
musketeer could take the time to accurately measure each charge.
The bandolier was fitted with small wooden bottles called charges. The charges were recommended to be turned from a single piece of wood; a two-piece design (tube with a bottom) could come apart and metal charges make too much noise. The number of charges was determined from the size of the musket, that is, the weight of the ball it fired. Each musketeer was issued a pound of lead from which they would cast their ammunition. For instance, if they had a 1⅓ oz musket, a pound of lead would provide them with 12 balls, hence, 12 charges. A “two-ouncer” would have eight charges. Throughout Europe in the 16
th and 17
th centuries, the number of charges varied between 8 and 16. Additionally, the bandolier would be fitted with a bullet pouch and a priming flask. It might also carry an oil flask for the lock mechanism, a match keeper or other accessories.
The evolution of a sparking type lock mechanism, such as the
flintlock
Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism itself, also know ...
, paved the way for the development of
paper cartridge
A paper cartridge is one of various types of small arms ammunition used before the advent of the metallic cartridge. These cartridges consisted of a paper cylinder or cone containing the bullet, gunpowder, and in some cases, a primer or a lub ...
containing a premeasured powder charge and a lead ball wrapped in paper. The bandolier then became a shoulder strap fitted to a bag or satchel wherein the cartridges could be carried. Eventually, any bag worn in the same style may also be described as a bandolier bag or
possibles bag
A mountain man is an explorer who lives in the wilderness. Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through to the 1880s (with a peak population in the early 1840s). They were instrumental in opening up ...
; similarly, pocketed belts holding ammunition worn around the waist may also be called bandoliers.
![Afghan National Army Soldier with Bandolier Clips](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Afghan_National_Army_Soldier_with_Bandolier_Clips.png)
A somewhat different form of bandolier came into use in the late 19th century that held modern metallic cartridges and
hand grenades
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade ge ...
. Bandoliers are now less common due to the use of detachable
magazines
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...
and
belt-fed
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firearms, though extra ammunition belts are often carried around the body like a bandolier. They are, however, still often used with shotguns, hand grenades, and grenade launchers.
Shotgun shells can easily be stored in traditionally designed bandoliers. In fact, some aftermarket shotgun slings are designed in a fashion similar to traditional bandoliers, albeit with a far more limited capacity.
In
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, bandoliers were issued primarily to
riflemen
A rifleman is an infantry soldier armed with a rifled long gun. Although the rifleman role had its origin with 16th century hand cannoneers and 17th century musketeers, the term originated in the 18th century with the introduction of the ri ...
. They were made of cloth, stitched into pockets which held
clips
CLIPS is a public domain software tool for building expert systems. The name is an acronym for "C Language Integrated Production System." The syntax and name were inspired by Charles Forgy's OPS5. The first versions of CLIPS were developed st ...
of rifle ammunition.
In civilian use, bandoliers are often worn by hunters and recreational shooters using
shotguns.
The
Chetniks of World War II made heavy use of bandoliers, often carrying two over the shoulder and two around the hip, using the latter as a holster for revolvers and daggers.
Another modern use of a bandolier is for the automatic rifleman of a military
fireteam
A fireteam or fire team is a small military sub-subunit of infantry designed to optimize " bounding overwatch" and " fire and movement" tactical doctrine in combat. Depending on mission requirements, a typical fireteam consists of four or f ...
. Since a
squad automatic weapon
A squad automatic weapon (SAW), also known as a section automatic weapon or light support weapon (LSW), is a man-portable automatic firearm attached to infantry squads or sections as a source of rapid direct firepower. Weapons fulfilling th ...
is often
belt-fed
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, an automatic rifleman will carry an extra belt on his person; either in a separate compartment or slung over the chest in bandolier fashion.
The bandolier was used to keep ammunition off a soldier's hips, as carrying too much weight on the hips can constrain movement and cause difficulty in retrieving the ammunition.
In popular culture
Bandoliers made from spent or dummy rounds are sometimes used in fashion.
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
famously wore a bandolier as part of a military-inspired costume during his
Dangerous World Tour
The Dangerous World Tour was the second world concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson to promote his eighth studio album '' Dangerous.'' The tour was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. All profits were donated to various charities including Jack ...
in the early 1990s.
Fictional characters who have worn bandoliers include:
*
Chewbacca from the ''
Star Wars'' franchise (a bandolier is all he wears)
*
Bebop and Rocksteady from the ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...
'' franchise
*
Dinobot from the animated TV series ''
Beast Wars: Transformers'', in the episodes "Coming of the Fuzors" Part 1 and Part 2 (1997)
*
Allan Quatermain
Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''King Solomon's Mines'', its one sequel '' Allan Quatermain'' (1887), twelve prequel novels and four prequel short stories, totalling eighteen works. An English professional ...
from the franchise of ''
King Soloman's Mine''.
*
John Rambo, the title character from the
Rambo franchise
* Animal Mother from ''
Full Metal Jacket'' (1987)
*
Deathstroke, the mercenary from the
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
.
* Sir Roxton on the 1999–2002 TV series ''
The Lost World''
*
The Collector
''The Collector'' is a 1963 thriller novel by English author John Fowles, in his literary debut. Its plot follows a lonely, psychotic young man who kidnaps a female art student in London and holds her captive in the cellar of his rural farmhous ...
from the 2004–2008
Flash
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional aliases
* Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed:
** Flash (Barry Allen)
** Flash (Jay Garrick)
** Wally West, the first Kid F ...
animated series
Atomic Betty
''Atomic Betty'' (retitled ''Atomic Betty: Mission Earth'' for its third and final season) is a Canadian-French Flash animated television series produced by Atomic Cartoons, Breakthrough Entertainment and Tele Images Kids, along with the Mar ...
.
*
Gargomon
''Digimon Tamers'', produced by Toei Animation and written by Chiaki J. Konaka as the third series in the ''Digimon'' franchise, is centered on the Digimon Tamers, a group of children partnered with a wild Digimon. The characters were designed by ...
from the ''
Digimon'' franchise.
* The
War Doctor
The War Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by the English actor John Hurt. Although he precedes Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor in the ...
, played by
John Hurt
Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...
in the ''
Doctor Who'' specials ''
The Night of the Doctor
"The Night of the Doctor" is a mini-episode of the British science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who''. It was made available on BBC iPlayer and YouTube on 14 November 2013, as part of the BBC One lead-up to the show's 50th anniver ...
'' and ''
The Day of the Doctor
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' as well as many audios involving
the Last Great Time War
The Time War, more specifically called the Last Great Time War, is a conflict within the fictional universe of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The war occurs between the events of the 1996 film and the 2005 revi ...
.
* The Heavy from the 2007 video game ''
Team Fortress 2
''Team Fortress 2'' is a 2007 multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation. It is the sequel to the 1996 ''Team Fortress'' mod for '' Quake'' and its 1999 remake, '' Team Fortress Classic''. The game was ...
''
* Poe Dameron on ''
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker''.
*
Ericka on
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.
*
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
on the ''
Primal'' episode ''The Primal Theory''.
*
Arthur Morgan from
Red Dead Redemption 2
''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in 1899 and f ...
See also
*
Baldric
A baldric (also baldrick, bawdrick, bauldrick as well as other rare or obsolete variations) is a belt worn over one shoulder that is typically used to carry a weapon (usually a sword) or other implement such as a bugle or drum. The word ma ...
*
Gazyr
References
{{reflist
Ammunition
Military uniforms
Belts (clothing)