Observations in training and gear Pt 3
Along with some of the other things stated in the previous blog entry is that anything not held down, will come loose. We are aware of that when we mount our optics and tighten things down so they won’t come loose and we also use things like loctite to bond it even more. This is something will really make a difference at the range, the folks that don’t use loctite and put 1000rds through a gun in a weekend may find out the hard way. We’ve talked a little about firearm retention, but the next common thing to think about is magazine retention.
Chest rights and tactical vests are great ways to carry spare mags. Practice using them so you know how to release and close the pockets or flaps. I see guys using their CCW gear on ranges and that is not always the best option. We hope that the gear we use for daily carry is good enough, but when we have to think about running and jumping under cover, our bodies are doing movement and so is our gear. I could probable open up a small gun shop for the amount of gear I’ve seen dumped on live fire training sessions and it would probable be a lot of pistol mags being sold. Blackhawk holsters makes a cqc magazine holder that gives you a level of retention without using a flap or lockdown holder. I hightly recommend these.
When I was at this range and watching students, I saw the gun industry very well represented, everything from Blackhawk, Safariland, Uncle Mikes, military surplus, East German gear, holsters, chest rigs, speed loaders on the students. The military surplus stuff all work and was simple to use, but it wasn’t as fast to use and much of it wasn’t too pretty and very much for the weekend warriors. For serious gear, do some research before you buy and try and find a gun shop or gun show where you can actually feel and wear it before you buy. Many firearms owners have a pile of holsters in their closet for all the ones that really weren’t that comfortable, and blowing a bunch of money on chest rigs and mag holsters, tactical vest ect. that really don’t feel right is going to cost more than many holsters.
The are many ways of concealing a firearm, but when it comes to carrying backup mags, there are far fewer options. I know plenty of people that carry spare mags around in pockets, but I’ve seen too many times that the top round of a loaded mag will eventually pop loose or be out of place which could cause a malfunction. I’d recommend carrying spare ammo along the belt line for 85% of CCW. There are some tactical jackets that are designed for holding magazines, but I also recommend close the pockets and not leaving them open. Elastic retention will help hold a mag from side to side movement, but when it comes to up and down movement, those mags will probable hit the ground when you may be reaching for them.