[SurviveNthrive]

Instead of using conventional bandoleers, I'm going with small shoulder bags filled with loaded M16 magazines.

Here's my thinking on this:

1. I'm not half assing this. Extra magazines are cheap enough to buy and load and it's silly to mess with stripper clips and chargers. That's a pain in the rump even on the range using a table! So why bother? If they're ready rounds, they're ready to be used.

2. Magazine spring fatigue is a silly myth. I've used magazines that were loaded for I don't know how long. As a scientist dude explained to me and I have to convert it to my own terms, modern springs do what they're supposed to do.



Unnessary further information:

As I prep for many options, I've considered the notion that I'd rather have a bunch of ready ammo that I'm never going to use than wish for such if I ever need it.

So, bandoleers exist among my supplies. In my case, as I'm 5.56 mm M16 magazine based for the primary group firearms that means it was ready made stripper clip and charger bandoleers, mostly American but also with some neat, tough vinyl foreign ones.

HOWEVER, as I rethought swapping MOLLE gear (I'm not in the military and don't have to use it) and moved toward Active Shooter Response bags (I'm not a COP but the concept is great for getting away too, sort of like a tactical bug out bag.) this concept took hold.

 

[azurevirus]

bandolier

I have a Norinco 12 ga trench gun and I just bought a 50 round bandolier through Amazon.com..just because shotgun ammo is so heavy I didnt want it "hanging off me"..I like it to be honest..but with a rifle with magazines I prob would go your route..or maybe one of those vests Amazon carrys with the ammo pouches and a built in cross draw holster for a pistol..no right/wrong way about carrying ammo..just personal preference I think

 

[HardenedPrepper]

My kids and I each have Maxpeditions Fatboy shoulder bags, murse(man purse). They hold quite a few 30rd ar15 mags and alot of other stuff and are water proof. As for loaded mags I don't think the springs go bad on the newer ones, on some cheap mags if left fully loaded the feed lips can stretch or bend from the pressure and could cause malfunctions..thats why on Magpuls they come with a snap cap that not only keeps dirt and dust out but also takes the pressure off the feed lips.

 

[azurevirus]

I was looking at those shoulder bags through Amazon.com
How do you like them..are they big enough for you?

 

[HardenedPrepper]

The Fatboys are awesome, can fit alot of differnet stuff in them and they have alot of pockets very durable, the next size up the Jumbo I think is also nice my buddy has one, the jumbo might be better for a tactical bug out bag, but for everyday carry the fatboy is perfect...not a bad price either

 

[SurviveNthrive]

Replacing the MOLLE or ALICE or LBV gear, I'd go with a bag as well because it's great grab and go.

I have the Maxpedition stuff, but I opted for actual active shooter bags...

ironically, after I bought a few specifically with that title, I found a less expensive one that seems to fit the bill for me better-no external magazine pouches, lower profile but still readily accessible.

The name is funny though..."Zombie Hunter Bag"...why they call it that is beyond me.

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/policestuff_2136_117392280

I'm going to replace the hardware for the straps.

But for the bandoleer replacement, a resupply or additional ammunition, with just magazines:

These are LAPolicegear Junior bail out bags, they come with a nice strap and they're just big enough and durable enough to carry several loaded magazines and cheap enough at under $12 to buy several.

 

[GatorDude]

Wooo doggie! Here's a Survival Tip: If you ever really need that much ammo, just run and hide! :sssh:

"There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at without result." - Winston Churchill.

 

[SurviveNthrive]

The odds are tremendous against it, and avoiding conflict is the plan...but if you ever need that much ammo, YOU NEED THAT MUCH AMMO!

So why not have it?

One might argue expense.

An old style bandoleer for a .223 Remington/5.56 mm NATO, M16 magazine using round included rounds in stripper clips, a clip guide and a cloth or even vinyl carrier. It's a pain to fumble with individual rounds, and it's a pain to get that charger on a magazine, insert a clip and load magazines. Why not have the magazine loaded advance? We know that the spring wear thing is something believed by those sorts who don't know because a spring is supposed to do the properties they're supposed to do and compressing them doesn't harm them, but stretching them is what screws them up.

This is pricy, the ammo is ammo, cost runs the same, but the magazines are where you get hit.

High end:

1 Light bag, canvas with strap. Roughly $13.50 for item with shipping.
7 MagPul P magazines run $14.95 plus approximately 10% for shipping or sales tax for me, roughly $115.50 total.
210 rounds, roughly $73 for ammunition including shipping or tax.

About $202 each.

Low end:

1 Light bag, canvas with strap. Roughly $13.50 for item with shipping.
7 Used issue magazines, not black followers, current gray or brown bodied. $70 straight across.
210 rounds, crap ammo, Wolf, Bear, or whatever, $42.00 with shipping

About $125.50 each.

But if a person has the inclination and the money, why not?

 

[HardenedPrepper]

Those are nice bags for the price SNt, I agree with the amount of ammo to have close by...I have a loaded up beta mag ready to go... If your shooting wolf ammo, watch out very dirty especially the ones with the steel case, if I were you I would google it, here's one The Box O' Truth - Educational Zone #18 - Shooting Wolf steel-cased Ammo in an AR15

 

[SurviveNthrive]

I'd not shoot Wolf, Bear, or any other such Ammo in .223/5.56 mm unless there was no other choice. I put aside a few spam cans of the stuff but I'm going with brass or PMC 'bronze'...my .223/5.56 mm firearms are expensive stuff and I take care of them. (I do have an old Ruger Mini 14 GB which I might be inclined to feed with cheap ammunition, but I don't shoot it much as it is and it has fired Wolf and it does get sticky.)

But with 7.62 X 39 and 5.45 X 39 mm, no problem, I'll shoot anything that fits in the chamber.

 

[spacestuff4me]

Forget the Strippers

The only strippers I like are on brass poles, but that's another story.

I've had loaded USGI 20 & 30rd mags for up to 20 years and when I take one out to test, I've never had failure to feed because of spring fatigue. I used to store my 223 ammo on stripper clips, but in a real emergency, they're a major pain to use. I decided many years ago to go with 2 ways of carrying my loaded mags. I use the typical USGI web belts with mag pouches that carry 3 30rd mags, so I can easily carry up to 500rds without an issue.

That said, do you really want to carry around 500rds.......no, but it's the easiest and fastest way to carry your mags and besides my ammo belt with the mag pouches attached to it, I also have a mag carrier I wear on my chest that holds 10 30rd mags flat, so they don't get in my way when I'm prone.

The issue I have with carrying a bag in a combat situation is it can become separated from you when the SHTF and if you lose it or can't get to it, you're seriously f*&ked.

The statement by the guy who posted "if you need that much ammo, get out of the area", sometimes it's not an option. From that mindset, you're not serious about protecting your life or that of your family and if you're caught in an emergency, you'll be one of the first victims. How many times have we read or heard about one guy holding off a much larger force because they had the ability to return fire. The 2 Delta snipers in Mogadishu come to mind, they killed & wounded many dozens of bad guys and had they brought more ammo with them, they could have held off attacks of hundreds with just the 2 of them.

I had a good friend who owned a business in the middle of the LA riots. I begged him to have a Glock 22 with a few hundred rounds of ammo, just in case, but he would only carry a S&W 36 with no extra ammo. After he went through his 6 rounds, the gang attacking his store overwhelmed him and murdered him, then threw his body in his office. After the scumbags looted his store, they burned the building with him in it. I'm guessing he & his family wished he had extra ammo.

If you're not of the mindset to take the fight to the bad guys and make they pay dearly when they attack you or your family, then you'll be another victim who was in denial. Having been there & done that, you can't have too much ammo.

 

[SurviveNthrive]

good post, good discussion...

The only strippers I like are on brass poles, but that's another story.

I've had loaded USGI 20 & 30rd mags for up to 20 years and when I take one out to test, I've never had failure to feed because of spring fatigue. I used to store my 223 ammo on stripper clips, but in a real emergency, they're a major pain to use. I decided many years ago to go with 2 ways of carrying my loaded mags. I use the typical USGI web belts with mag pouches that carry 3 30rd mags, so I can easily carry up to 500rds without an issue.

I came across the same realization solidly when we found some ancient, loaded 20 round Colt magazines left under a tarp out in the Desert. They still worked without problems.

That said, do you really want to carry around 500rds.......no, but it's the easiest and fastest way to carry your mags and besides my ammo belt with the mag pouches attached to it, I also have a mag carrier I wear on my chest that holds 10 30rd mags flat, so they don't get in my way when I'm prone.

This is part of what I'm thinking. So, in the go bag there are 6-30 round magazines, plus one in the weapon 210 rounds (actually 189 rounds, I underload my magazines). In my bandoleer there is the same 7-30 round magazines. I'd grab the bandoleer if I felt I needed it.

The issue I have with carrying a bag in a combat situation is it can become separated from you when the SHTF and if you lose it or can't get to it, you're seriously f*&ked.

It'd be like losing a real bandoleer, you won't unless you put it down.

The statement by the guy who posted "if you need that much ammo, get out of the area", sometimes it's not an option.

Great advice from the guy with that quote, but that mindset doesn't show anything but linear thinking and reality has many variables.

From that mindset, you're not serious about protecting your life or that of your family and if you're caught in an emergency...

So would that person simply bail in every situation? I don't think so.

How many times have we read or heard about one guy holding off a much larger force because they had the ability to return fire. The 2 Delta snipers in Mogadishu come to mind, they killed & wounded many dozens of bad guys and had they brought more ammo with them, they could have held off attacks of hundreds with just the 2 of them.

As they had M4's or access to more, a bandoleer as I described would have been tremendous help to them.

I had a good friend who owned a business in the middle of the LA riots. I begged him to have a Glock 22 with a few hundred rounds of ammo, just in case, but he would only carry a S&W 36 with no extra ammo. After he went through his 6 rounds, the gang attacking his store overwhelmed him and murdered him, then threw his body in his office. After the scumbags looted his store, they burned the building with him in it. I'm guessing he & his family wished he had extra ammo.

I've wondered about such mindsets. Then we have the other one in a fire fight "don't waste your ammo" WTF? You're in a fire fight, use the rounds now, what are you saving them for, going to the range at some later date? I'm planning on having a lot of ammo.

If you're not of the mindset to take the fight to the bad guys and make they pay dearly when they attack you or your family, then you'll be another victim who was in denial. Having been there & done that, you can't have too much ammo.

We're fortunate in that we've never been in some of the SHTF scenarios we can imagine, but being killed because someone ran out of ammo too quickly is an avoidable way to die. Heck, some of those Korean Merchant Association guys ran out of their Glock ammo too and the looters kept coming. Too bad they weren't doing much more than warning shots!