Open top duty mag pouches

[ST911]

I like the Safariland 79 for ~11.00 or ~1:00 carry. For 9:00 or 3:00, conventional bullet forward open tops are a bit more intuitive, and more in line with OD mag carry.

No more flaps.

[Chipster]

After years of conventional Bianchi and Safariland closed magazine pouches I was able to convince the administration to order Blade Tech open top with the Tek-Lok attachment. I've had no complaints in over two years and no lost magazines from our guys.

Yesterday I saw another officer from a different agency carrying magazine pouches on his plate rack vertically in a pull down type method. Anyone else seen this?

[2alpha-down0]

Anyone know if any of the Safariland 75 models will fit M&P 9/40 mags? I'm thinking the Glock and Sigma models would be close but it's not like there are flaps for retention if I'm wrong.

[secondstoryguy]

I've gone through the ringer with choosing mag pouches for my duty belt and settled on the Blade Tech kydex double mag holster. I wear it just to the left of center and they have been working well for me. I switched the Teklok out to the loop style mounting bracket for strength(I've had Tekloks fail) and I have found that a couple of well placed zip ties secure it and keep it very snug on the belt. This magpouch has been run this through some very physically active training including going prone...it's pretty solid. Some might not like that it sticks out a little more than other mag pouches but I find that keeping the mags away from my body keeps them from poking me and my body armor as well as being very easy to get out.

I have tried First Spear's mag pouches(good for MOLLE but doesn't play well with duty belts) and a few others but this is the one I've settled with. I have used the Eagle Industry FB mag pouches in the past and had good luck but the newer stuff from Eagle is of much lesser quality than the old handmade stuff.

[KevinB]

I run BFG 10 speed on my "field" belt - and Raven on my "black" belt - no issues with either setups - even during combatives (I used a mag on a guys face once around the eyesocket to discourage him - the fact it was in a training course was frowned upon, but...)

[secondstoryguy]

Kevin, I have a couple of Raven's double mag pouches lying around but I can't find a way to mount them to my 2.25" duty belt. I've seen guys use zip ties, is that what you do?

[KevinB]

I use a Velocity battle belt and weave the inner belt through them (snake it thru the Split Molle Channels)

That said Raven does have a method to do it to large belts -- I cannot offhand recall what it is called though.

[JonInWA]

After years of conventional Bianchi and Safariland closed magazine pouches I was able to convince the administration to order Blade Tech open top with the Tek-Lok attachment. I've had no complaints in over two years and no lost magazines from our guys.

Yesterday I saw another officer from a different agency carrying magazine pouches on his plate rack vertically in a pull down type method. Anyone else seen this?

For the past 6 months I've been experimenting with upsidedown carry (magazine baseplates facing the ground, magazine tops the sky) using Tactical Tailor's Magna pouches, containing rare earth magnets sewn into the pouches. How well it works/how secure the magazines are is somewhat dependent on both the magazine and the pouch; for example, their double and triple pouches seem to be a bit more retentive than their single mag pouches. The Fight Light double mag pouch, on the other hand, is not as retentive, and is best restricted to traditional carry (magazine top facing ground, baseplate the sky).

Magazines that have worked well using this mode: Glock G21, Beretta 9mm 92, Ruger P89, 1911. Not so well: 9mm Glock

I'd suggest some judicious experimentation in the department gym with a partner to determine if retentiveness is adequate before trying on patrol/concealed carry.

Potentially, the pull-down technique offers some real advantages in expediting reload magazines if the user is wearing a Hawaiian-type shirt or a closed jacket.

I've been using it primarily in IDPA matches, and have been pretty pleased to date.

Best, Jon

[Coyotesfan97]

I'd been thinking about going to the 775 previously and thanks to this thread I purchased them with Amazon Prime. The package came today and I've been practicing. I really like the system. The magazine's position gives me fast acquisition and they are locked into the pouch. I might need to tighten it up a bit but so far so good.

[Whiskey_Bravo]

I have noticed many officers carrying the triple open top magazine pouches lately. A neighboring PD allows their officers to carry Sig P220s and the CT State Police just went from the 229 in .40 to the 220 as well. They all carry their magazine pouches just to the side of their buckle on their weapon side, just in front of their duty weapon. What are your guys thoughts on this position?

I am issued a Glock 21 with a traditional flapped double magazine pouch. Thinking back to that article about the Socal officer involved in the shootout with the robbery suspect, I am thinking a third magazine would be nice to have.