Magazine Belt Pouches for the AK

[rhino]

Anyone have suggestions for belt pouches for single AK mags?

So far I've found Blade-Tech and Raven Concealment.

I'd prefer something ambidextrous so I can experiment with wearing the mags with bullets forward and bullets to the rear.

[Tinman]

Good luck on the ambi thing, I haven't seen any.

I've got a couple of the prototypes from raven, they are excellent. A friend and training buddy runs one of them all the time with his 74. He says it's the best belt pouch he's ever used, and he's tried quite a few. I run mine with my 47, so with very little effort, I think they can be made to run whichever platform you're using.

Tinman....

[Barry in IN]

What? You mean just dumping them in a Rolly Poly like I do isn't good enough?
I can't imagine.

[bigcraig]

rhino, I would orientate the AK mags the same as your AR mags.

[rhino]

Originally Posted by Tinman

Good luck on the ambi thing, I haven't seen any.

I've got a couple of the prototypes from raven, they are excellent. A friend and training buddy runs one of them all the time with his 74. He says it's the best belt pouch he's ever used, and he's tried quite a few. I run mine with my 47, so with very little effort, I think they can be made to run whichever platform you're using.

Tinman....

That's a lot of running ... you and/or your rifle must get really tired.

So far the closest to an ambi that I like is the Eagle belt pouch. Finding one or two is going to be a challenge though. I will call their factory when I have a chance.

[rhino]

Originally Posted by Barry in IN

What? You mean just dumping them in a Rolly Poly like I do isn't good enough?
I can't imagine.

That's probably what I will do in August, but I'd like to have at least one mounted on my belt if I can.

[rhino]

Originally Posted by bigcraig

rhino, I would orientate the AK mags the same as your AR mags.

That's how I am leaning, but the problem is the AK is a new beast for me. I wear my AR mags the same way I wear pistol mags (opposite of the way Henk recommends ... I tried beer canning when he suggested it and I kept twisting anyway, so the mags ended up backward when they were at the magwell), but the motions for reloading an AK seem to be a bit different. I don't want to order a couple of kydex carriers with bullets facing forward, then realize over three days of using them that I prefer bullets facing to the rear.

For people who shoot ARs, it seems like a at least as many wear their mags like I as do those who have them bullets to the rear. It seems like almost everyone has bullets to the rear for AKs, though, which should be a clue to me.

You're right though. I need to make it work with the way I already do things. If not, sooner or later switching between guns is going to mess me up.

As far as the Kydex goes, I thing the Raven gear is really nice, but it seems to take a lot of belt space. Yeah, yeah, I know ... I have more belt space than any three guys combined, but the belt space I can reach with my left hand (bad shoulder) is limited. I also like the easy on/easy off of the Blade-Tech TekLok (when I get one that works).

[Tinman]

I haven't looked at the final production models yet (guess I'm a bad monkey no doughnut) but the proto's I have use the tekloc. They don't take up much more space than the mag itself. I do like the ability to rock the mag out of the pouch, it's something I haven't seen anywhere else. I should be back in country in another week or so, I'll try and get some pics for you.

As far as bullets back or front, take it from someone who runs multiple platforms, find what works best for you, then do it all the time. You'll be better off in the long run. switching back and forth depending on what system you're running will only lead to a problem. Having said that, I've found the beer can grasp to be the most robust across multiple platforms.

I think the main reason that everyone seems to run bullets back with a beer can grasp on the AK right now is the current fad to knock out the empty mag with the new. I ran and taught that for a while, but after many many iterations, I have gone back to the strip, drop, grasp, and load method. It is more efficent and common to multiple situations. If you want to retain the mag, you simply carry it down and drop it in a pouch. If you don't want to retain, drop on your way to the mag pouch. Then with a clear mag well, you're free to use any grasp you are comfortable with to load the new mag.

Sorry for the thread branch, but I think it's an important point how you run te reload needs to drive the way you carry the mags, but you can make either carry method work with the AK.

I hope that all makes sense. It's been a rough week, and I'm not sure this was all very clear.

Tinman....

[rhino]

Your commentary is both appropriate to the topic and welcome (by me, anyway).

You make good points. And of course I won't know how I prefer to do reloads until I get a chance to try it for a while. That's my motive for wanting ambi pouches.

Heck, I may be so spoiled by the ergonmics of the AR that I won't even want to do any reloads with an AK. I'll just throw it down on the ground when it's empty and transition to my AR.

[rhino]

I ordered a Blade-Tech last week (bullets forward).

What I'd really like is something like what The Wilderness makes for ARs Wilderness Tactical Products, LLC and .308 rifles, but for an AK. I sent them e-mail asking if they could do it, but as usual they did not reply. I know some people have really good results with The Wilderness, but they never respond to my e-mail or phone messages unless I am buying something.