Match Ammo Management

In the sport of Long Range Precision Rifle, shooters continuously revisit and refine every aspect of their gear. No detail is too small including the portage of ammunition during a match. There are a number highly refined products available for carrying your precision ammuniton to the firing line – let’s examine some of the more popular options.

TAB Gear Pouch

Many stages require a magazine change, therefore shooters should consider some type of spare magazine pouch. In the winter you can get away with putting a spare magazine in your jacket pocket but the rest of the year calls for a more purpose made solution. TAB gear and Tactical Tailor have two of the more popular magazine pourches that can mount on your belt or molle webbing. The TAB magazine pouch can be configured to accommodate the AI single and double stack magazines. The Tactical Tailor pouch works well with the single stack AI 10 round magazine but is too deep for the double stack AI magazines. This can be resolved by inserting some cut foam in the bottom of the Tactical Tailor pouch or sewing the bottom third of the pouch shut. There are also magazine pouches available that are made out of Kydex such as the one made by Short Action Precision and 3gunstuff.com.

TAB Bullet Binder

Next up are the various cartridge binders and pouches which secure the ammo with some type of elastic loop. These come in various sizes ranging from 20 to 40 rounds and are particularly handy if you are going into the field with a battle belt. TAB has an interesting product which they call their Bullet Binder. The Bullet Binder prevents bullets from touching and has hard plastic sides to further protect the cartridges.

Sage Flats Ammo Pouch

Another option to consider is the Sage Flats ammo pouch. Sizes range from 10,20, 30 and 40 round configurations. The design does an excellent job maximizing the number of cartridges stored in a given space. Triad Tactical, Red Tac and Blackhawk also provide ammo pouches. As illustrated in the video, each design has certain benefits and drawbacks.

Armageddon Gear Bullet Bag

Another option is to forego the purchase of a magazine pouch and use an inexpensive ammo box such as the ones created by Berry’s Manufacturing. While not as glamorous as a purpose made ammo pouch, they get the job done for only a couple of dollars each (Armageddon Gear provides a Bullet Bag for carrying 50 round boxes). One can affix a label to the box to keep track of the number of firings. Most shooters track brass by lots of 100, so two 50 round ammo boxes can get the job done. On the down side they are not very stealthy as the ammunition can rattle, but some foam inserted into the lid can reduce the noise. Being box shaped, they would be a challenge to carry in a battle belt but easily carried in a back pack. For those getting into the sport, you can get by with a simple plastic ammo box and save your money for other essentials.

Steve’s DIY Ammo Pouch

For the DIY crowd, Steve made a 60 round roll-up ammo pouch. The design could easily be modified to hold 70 or more rounds. Two pouches could be used to hold a 100 round lot of ammunition. Steve accomplished this for less than $10 in materials, so something to consider if you have a sewing machine handy.

In conclusion, a well chosen ammunition pouch can help a shooter refine their game. It’s not an essential purchase for somebody just getting into the game, but definitely worth considering once all the basic requirements have been addressed. For additional information, please take a look at our video below: