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Posted: 10/22/2010 3:19:36 PM EDT
| Anyone besides Magpul make magazine loops? I'd like to buy some but the cheapest I've found them is $3.14 each and that seems a little much. |
| cheapest way is make your own from 550 cord or something equiviilant. when I was in that is what we did, to make it easier to pull mags from the pouch.. you just take the floorplate off, insert each end the cord in the drain hole, knot them , then put the flootplate back in the mag |
Plus I liked the way the rubber gave some impact protection.
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I suggest you go ahead and buy 3 of them to try out - only if you've never actually tried the MagPul loops before. I bought 3, liked it for a while, but when I began putting my USGI mags w/loops into MOLLE dual mag pouches on an LBV vest, the mag loops gave me issues. The extra space it takes when closing the mag pouch flap cover was one issue. The loops also made it a LOT harder to squeeze in two mags into any MOLLE dual mag pouch I had. The rubbery loops require a wider pouch opening in order to slide two mags into the pouch. When you pull one mag out, the other one tends to come with it because the rubbery loops grab one another. Next, the black loops heat up pretty fast if you forget about them for a couple minutes in the hot TX sun. I just can't see how SpecOps used these on any mags, and their MOLLE dual mag pouches on LBV vests. I think that's why MagPul came up with the baseplate version, which are sweet but also pricey. If you haven't tried them, I suggest just getting a handful. Right now, I'm planning to improvise with my own solution, but haven't spent time researching them yet. Eventually, I'll be putting my 3 loops up for sale in the EE. |
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Quoted:
Anyone besides Magpul make magazine loops? I'd like to buy some but the cheapest I've found them is $3.14 each and that seems a little much. The Magpul loop is patented so there are no current direct competitors. That being said, as AR15 accessories go $3.14 is pretty cheap. |
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Quoted:
I suggest you go ahead and buy 3 of them to try out - only if you've never actually tried the MagPul loops before. I bought 3, liked it for a while, but when I began putting my USGI mags w/loops into MOLLE dual mag pouches on an LBV vest, the mag loops gave me issues. The extra space it takes when closing the mag pouch flap cover was one issue. The loops also made it a LOT harder to squeeze in two mags into any MOLLE dual mag pouch I had. The rubbery loops require a wider pouch opening in order to slide two mags into the pouch. When you pull one mag out, the other one tends to come with it because the rubbery loops grab one another. Next, the black loops heat up pretty fast if you forget about them for a couple minutes in the hot TX sun. I just can't see how SpecOps used these on any mags, and their MOLLE dual mag pouches on LBV vests. I think that's why MagPul came up with the baseplate version, which are sweet but also pricey. If you haven't tried them, I suggest just getting a handful. Right now, I'm planning to improvise with my own solution, but haven't spent time researching them yet. Eventually, I'll be putting my 3 loops up for sale in the EE. The Magpul predates MOLLE and was originally designed to work with the USGI Magazine pouch. The trick with MOLLE pouches is to only put the Magpul on one mag in the pouch. Once you pull that mag using the Magpul the other is easy to grap as it is sitting on it's own. I cannot help you on the heat question other than to say the Magpul material should stay far cooler to the touch than the metal mag it is on in direct sunlight. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I suggest you go ahead and buy 3 of them to try out - only if you've never actually tried the MagPul loops before. I bought 3, liked it for a while, but when I began putting my USGI mags w/loops into MOLLE dual mag pouches on an LBV vest, the mag loops gave me issues. The extra space it takes when closing the mag pouch flap cover was one issue. The loops also made it a LOT harder to squeeze in two mags into any MOLLE dual mag pouch I had. The rubbery loops require a wider pouch opening in order to slide two mags into the pouch. When you pull one mag out, the other one tends to come with it because the rubbery loops grab one another. Next, the black loops heat up pretty fast if you forget about them for a couple minutes in the hot TX sun. I just can't see how SpecOps used these on any mags, and their MOLLE dual mag pouches on LBV vests. I think that's why MagPul came up with the baseplate version, which are sweet but also pricey. If you haven't tried them, I suggest just getting a handful. Right now, I'm planning to improvise with my own solution, but haven't spent time researching them yet. Eventually, I'll be putting my 3 loops up for sale in the EE. The Magpul predates MOLLE and was originally designed to work with the USGI Magazine pouch. The trick with MOLLE pouches is to only put the Magpul on one mag in the pouch. Once you pull that mag using the Magpul the other is easy to grap as it is sitting on it's own. I cannot help you on the heat question other than to say the Magpul material should stay far cooler to the touch than the metal mag it is on in direct sunlight. Yes...that is a good point, and one that I knew about. That's why your newer version that replaces the nameplates are kickass. And I have done that - used the loops on just one mag. It just didn't happen for me for some reason is all. I'd rather replace all the baseplates on my USGI's with the MagPul Ranger Plates, but then again those aren't "cheap". Well, like you said, $3ea for an original MagPul and $3ea for Ranger Plates isn't that bad really. But I've got 656 USGI's, and I'm not about to spend $1968 on Ranger Plates. $300 yes, but not $1968. Being US Military trained, I'm cool with the way I handled USGI mags like the rest of my battalion mates. And with 656 USGI mags - the vast majority of which are C-Products - yes, during an EOTWAWKI SHTF, mags will become expendable, just like what the US Military taught me. As for the heat - you are right - the MagPul loops are cooler to the touch than the metal portion of the USGI mag that still has its finish intact. But both are still pretty hot ot the touch - I simply remind myself, like in the Navy, not to leave them out in the sun. PS. TO THE OP - I MORE STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU TRY THE MAGPUL RANGER PLATES. YOU MIGHT LIKE THEM MUCH MORE. IF YOU'RE GOINGTO "INVEST" $3EA, I'D GO WITH THE RANGER PLATES. Otherwise, you'll have to improvise like some of us. |
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I'm not a HSLD operator by anyone's definition, but I have found at carbine classes that I only need the Magpul Ranger Plates/Loops on the center mag in the pouch. Once I pull that one out of the pouch (it always gets pulled first) the other two mags are much easier to grab.
These are the Ranger Plates/Loops that I use in class: 
I don't have that many since only one in three mags get one. |
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As already posted about putting 550 cord through the drain hole, I do mine differently. I take about a 6" length of 550, tie a knot on each end, and then take off the baseplate and slide it back on with the knots to the sides of the base plate. It take a little effort to get the base plate back on, but the loop then stays open as opposed to both ends coming out of the drain hole where it can collapse.
I've also seen loops made with 100 mile-per-hour tape (Duct tape) used to make a loop and then another length of tape run around the bottom of the mag to keep it on. It works very effectively, but if you want to take it off or refinish the mags later it leaves a lot of residue. Best of luck. |
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Quoted: Quoted: CProducts makes their own little version of polymer loops that go on USGI mags. Link?? http://www.cdnninvestments.com/artafilonewc.html |
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