Where do you put your empty mags ?
 

Hi,

I've been under the impression that dump pouches were the most effective way of dealing with empty mags. However, I find it to be very cumbersome when running a gbbr. Having 5 heavy mags rattling around in a pouch and worrying that they may fall out really takes me away from the playing experience.

I've tried placing the empty mags back into the standard Velcro pouches rather than running a dump pouch, but its very hard and takes a long time to do with a single hand. For this reason, I've been stuck with the heavy dump pouch.

Recently I've thought of trying out a fast mag/kydex setup or maybe the retension taco pouches as an alternative to the dump pouch. I'm looking for some insight from anybody whose tried these. I'm not looking for draw speed but rather the single hand re-insertion of empty mags.

What do you do with your empty mags ?
What's your experience with these pouches ?
Will I see any benefits to changing to these pouches ?

Thank you ! :D

Not a fan of dump pouches either (also using GBBRs)

HSGI taco work for me; back in there they go
It’s a matter of timing and getting in cover to do your reload I guess. I’m no Chris Costa or other 1337 something someguy that train for the fastest tactical reload thing either though.

I find teamwork and communication about when you need to change mags and “sync” (or being out of, in that case) with your team mates to change mag trumps a quick tactical reload. At least, it works for me.

Do the tacos make cool sounds when reinserting ? When I run gbbr I don't only want the enemies to know when I'm shooting. I NEED them to hear the "CHH-CKK" noise of me reloading. This is important since I'll be losing the cowbell strapped to my waist.

I run fast mag pouches and it can be a little difficult to fish the mags back in because you have to open them slightly but doable with one hand.

On the occasion where you gotta reload in the open I find the magpuls help since I'll do a reload and dangle the empty mag on my support hand index/middle finger until it is safe to put the mags back into the pouch.

Esstac Kwyi's are great if you have m4 mags. Easy draw and easy to re-index. If you have multiple kinds of mag types then I would recommend HSGI Taco's but they are going to be more expensive.

As for dealing with empties I have several "techniques" that I use depending on the situation.

1) If I'm under duress I will throw the mag in the dump pouch and reload as quick as possible. After the firefight is over or there is a lull, I will take a few moments to organize everything. I'll move empties back to the mag pouches, whatever they may be, and I'll usually move mags around depending on where I prefer to draw mags first.

2) If I'm just doing a tactical reload I'll take the time to swap a mag from the last place I usually draw mags from with the use mag.

All this being said at the end of the day take everything with a grain of salt and see what works for you.

Dump pouches are temporary storage. You dump mags in there during heavy action and when things calm down you put the mags back in your mag pouches. You are not supposed to be running around with tons of mags in them.

I run a chicom rig for my AK, and it stays rigid enough that I can just drop the empty mag right back in. I think you might have to pad the bottom of the pouches for AR mags though.

Why in gods name would you be running around with 5 mags in your dump pouch?

If you have more than 1 or 2 in there, you're doing something wrong. Either you're playing speedball with a gbbr (aka, being useless) or you don't understand that it's temporary storage and once you've gained some time you are supposed to redistribute your mags on your rig.

Practice placing mags back in their pouches with one hand. Also if you have the flappy velcro pouches, get rid of them. More shit that's just in the way.

+1 for just re-inserting your mags into their pouches.
Maybe I'm about to commit heresy here, but if push comes to shove, I just keep the empty in my hand. I use Tasmanian Tiger retention pouches which I can reinsert mags into with one hand, but there have been times where I just held my empty and shot who I needed to shoot.

Hmmm....am I the only one who just lets their mag drop and then keep shooting after reloading until I'm safe to pick it up and put it away?

It's situationally dependent. If I'm in an active firefight without many teammates and I have to get as many rounds on target as I possibly can right that moment, I just drop that empty mag and reload until either the firefight subsides or I'm dead before I retrieve it. Most of the time though, you should be able to peel off and have a teammate take up that position to continue laying down fire giving you time and space to reload and re-index your mags.

I really don't like most dump pouches; they're big and clunky and have a bad habit of snagging on things. Some are nice and compact, but you're already reaching around and using time and somewhat fine motor skills to locate the pouch; it's faster to just re-index the mags* or even stuff them in your pants pockets until you have a bit of time and space to re-index.

*This is with open top mag pouches, preferably with kydex inserts. Velcro flaps slow you way down; just stuff the empty mag in your pants pockets.

I put them back into my mag pouches backwards so I know they're empty

I would'nt be doing that with $90 KWA MP7 mags

-cries in gbb mags-

I put it in my dump pouch because I like the feeling of the mags slapping my butt.