A few months ago I was talking to a friend of mine about getting a custom rifle/pistol magazine pouch. What I wanted was a pouch able to carry two rifle mags with four pistol mags on the front of the rifle mags. The reason for this set up is that I wanted to have all the ammo I needed in as small a package as possible. I was told to get in touch with Bagman Tactical inMaryland.
Peter “Bagman” Bagwell owns Bagman Tactical. He’s an outdoorsman and competitive shooter. Over time, he became dissatisfied with the equipment out there that was already available and learned how to make his own gear. What started as a hobby turned in to a business when others started asking him to make them nylon gear. Bagman has a few different categories of kit. They include:
- Special Order - The "standard" Bagman Tactical products. These are designs which already exist, and have been made before. You can find pictures and descriptions of these items on the website, and order them online. Only customizable as far as any standard options offered.
- Custom - Custom items are, as the name implies, designed from the ground up based on your needs. Standard / special order products can also be used as a starting point for a custom project. Custom products will require some back and forth dialogue to develop the design, so please Bagman if you’re interested in ordering.
- Bagman Bargains - In stock items, including samples, prototypes, and used items. All Bagman Bargains are serviceable but, some may have minor issues, like cosmetic flaws and are priced accordingly.
Bagman makes a lot of gear. Some of his nylon products include a hydration system pouch, dump pouches, battle/war belts, water bottle pouches, medical packs, and not to state the obvious, magazine pouches. Don’t forget that he can make custom pouches so, if you don’t see it on the website, send Peter an e-mail and tell him what you’re looking for.
I got in touch with Bagman and told him what I was looking for. He told me it wasn’t a problem; he’d done pouches like these before. It was going to take a few weeks but, he’d get it to me as soon as he could. Bagman Tactical is a small business and lead time is listed on the website.
When the pouch arrived, I started looking it over. The back of the pouch has 5 rows of MOLLE webbing, instead of the usual 2-gap-2. This allows you to mount the pouch normally with a long MALICE clip, or to use a short MALICE clip with 3 different height options. Being able to use a short MALICE clip is useful when mounting the pouch to a battle belt. I don’t wear a battle belt so mine went on to the front of one of my ballistic vests.
Construction of the Bagman Tactical rifle/pistol mag pouch is very tough. It’s made from 1000D nylon. The entire pouch is double, triple, and quadruple stitched to make sure you’re not going to have any issues with seam separation. It’s not hard to tell right away that this pouch is well made and going to be in service for a long time.
You can run your pistol mags facing the center line of the body or you can position them so the rounds face out, away from your body. When running the four pistol mags this close together, the pistol mags are easier to draw if you face the rounds away from you. It will take a little getting used to and although it might sound awkward, once you go to the range a few times, you’ll be doing mag changes with no problem. The pistol mag pouches have a kydex insert and are partially lined with nylon and velcro loop to provide friction retention. This also allows you to install a retention bungee or flap if you want extra security. You could also use the pistol mag pouches to carry a multi-tool or flashlight. I personally don’t do that because I don’t like the idea of going for a pistol mag to do a reload and unintentionally drawing a flashlight. The rifle mag pouches are nylon lined with a kydex insert which gives good friction retention. Rifle mags can be face either way. The kydex inserts hold all of the magazines securely. It can be turned upside down with load mags and they won’t fall out. As with any piece of kit, make sure your vest will be able to support the weight. Two rifle and four pistol mags can add a good bit of weight. Elastic shoulder straps may cause your vest to sag in the front creating the need to tighten the strap up a little. If your vest does not use elastic shoulder straps, you will be fine.
Visit the Bagman Tactical website at: http://www.bagmantactical.com/
About The Author:
Max Schulte is a 17 year veteran of law enforcement with 5 years spent on active duty as a US Army Military Policeman. His duties included patrol, Special Reaction Team, SRT Sniper, & Military Police Investigations. He is currently serving with a large law enforcement agency in Maryland where he has worked patrol, criminal, and fugitive investigations. He is a field armorer for numerous weapon systems and an adjunct firearms instructor for his agency as well as several civilian firearms and tactics training companies.
