I am thinking of getting a Blue force gear RackMinus I want something slim but my dilemma is I need to carry six magazines. I would also like to be able to place the magazines back in the mag pouches quickly so I could eliminate the need for a dump pouch. I am new to all this so suggestions are great. I see Esstac makes kydex wedge inserts that retain mags so that a strap is not necessary.

If this isnt going to be possible I may go with something like the Blue force gear ten speed chest rig and throw the kydex inserts in that. However that rig hoses 4 M4 mags so Ill be two short. The plus to that setup is its very slim. I know some will mention running two three packs side by side but will that be two bulky on the sides?

Basically I cant loose the mags, I need 7 mags and the system has to function fast and be minimal. A dump pouch can be used but if its eliminated it reduces movement noise and and nothing is hanging loose off my backside. In my head the best I can come up with for minimal bulk and maximum movement is 4 in the center with two in the center of the 4. That way there isnt a lot of bulk on the side and the bulk in the front is minimized.

Does it have to be a chest rig?

preferably but I am open to suggestions.

Minimalist chest rig of some sort (like an HSGI molle panel) with 3x X2R Taco pouches. That gets you 6 mags, easier draw/insertion. It's still pretty low-profile.





Are you trying to conceal it for some reason? Or going prone a lot?





NO offers for sale/trade out of EE forums.  Next time I see this, sanctions will be imposed, as it is a well-known rule.  raf



EDIT: Sorry boss, my bad. Corrected my post.


 

For mobility and to go prone. No need to conceal. Its really for mag fed paintball but all this has me really looking at making a plate carrier for the AR as well. Id probably have a similar minimalist setup with the plate carrier. 3 mag pouch, med pouch, front and back plates with some soft side plates maybe. Either way I have to iron out the PB gear first and I can learn and work off of that.

Unless you have single mag kydex type pouches , there is no " speed re-Insertion" especially one handed   The dump pouch is great for this and not as noisy as you think.  I don't play paintball/ airsoft, but whatever noise is made from mags in the pouch should be irrelevant compared to the noise you make while moving around ( causing any noise of the mags moving around in pouch)

Very good info. I think I've figured out my starting setup for now. BFG Rackminus with two single stack magazine pouches on each side and probably either the Esstac triple single stack on the front or something similar with the ability to slam magazines back in. So I'll mainly run 3-4 magazines and when I run more I can use a dump pouch saving the side magazines as a last resort to minimize the use of the dump pouch.

I didn't want to go with magazines that wrapped around but the trade off seems better than a six pack all up front considering its a minimalist setup.

Anyone with experience prefer a six pack all up front over single stacks wrapped around the front?

Six packs suck when trying to go prone.

That seems to be the recurring statement. Do you have a preferred method you like?

Is this for work? What other items are you required to carry?

I believe OP stated this was primarily for paintball and he would build his actual PC from running that.

 

4 on the chest in a D3CR or similar rig. 2 on the belt.

While I was required seven I put three on the front and two on each side.

Some may have different experience than myself, but I have seen too many officers in my day try to re-insert empty magazines when performing a reload on the range (they didn't want to drop them or put them in their pocket).  We always trained that a mag pouch was for a full magazine.  Keep it simple type of muscle memory training.  Like I said, my training/instructing experience was primarily handgun based so others with more experience on this front may chime in.  I would still recommend the dump pouch to alleviate mistaking an empty magazine for a full one in the need to reload quickly.
Granted you said this is for paint ball, but play like you want to fight?

cheers!

Why retain empty mags, especially at a range setting? Just let em drop to the ground and pick them up when you're done. Not like you're going to be retaining mags in an actual firefight anyways.

 

Seeing to the facts that your semi-auto is a really clunky and awkward single shot without them, and throwing them in a cargo pocket or dump pouch is a quick affair, why are you training to not retain mags? The situation may dictate dropping a mag, but they should be retained if possible.

Here was my solution; flapped double pouches. Can run 2 in each for 6 total  or one in each for 3 total.


Putting mags back in isnt as quick as a kywi pouch but it's way faster than bfg tenspeed.

What i do for quick reload access is always keep a belt worn speed reload.  Emdom iap pouch or esstac kywi.

They're empty, not like you're going to be reloading mags in a fight. If they weren't empty that makes sense and you'd reinsert them into your mag pouches, but an empty one should just be dropped and forgotten. You can always pick up your mags later, and you'll save time while shooting and not develop training scars.


 

ETA: by reloading mags, I meant putting loose rounds into an empty magazine.

OK so the dump pouch is for mags that have not been emptied during a hot reload? I can work with that.

I don't have an endless supply of magazines it better to have the empties to be reloaded rather than leave mags behind and have to acquire new mags. If it gets heated I'll have no issues just dropping the mag and keep going.

Also hook and loop/velcro closures are out of the equation because of the noise they produce when opening them.

So far I like the idea of three on the front and two on each side. Something like the Esstac for the front so that speed is optimized.

The noise of Velcro ripping open being too loud when a reload is needed? How loud was it emptying that mag prior to that ? Any surprise is out the door at that point

I work for a fairly large agency and we have a number of lateral hires come from other agencies with different training doctrines.  Some of those were more rural agencies and they were taught to retain empty magazines so that in the event they completely ran out of ammunition/got back to their cruiser they could reload said magazines.  My argument was to get the weapon reloaded as quickly as possible and not worry about the magazines (except when performing a selective reload with a partial magazine - it would be retained in a pocket since there was ammunition remaining).  If they were out of ammunition and got back to their car - they should either grab the rifle or shotgun - or drive away and get more help, not be under the delusion that in an active encounter they would be able to reload a retained empty magazine from a box of corroded ammunition from a leaking trunk that was who knows where in a cruiser trunk full of gear!!!!!!!

I concur about the concern about Velcro being too loud - if you have just expended 20-30 rounds of rifle ammunition, then you aren't going to hear a Velcro tab!!!!

The retaining of empty mags comes from the Mil concept of loading them later ( when applicable ) from ammo loaded on stripper clips . Think long term sustainment from your pack in the field
In an LE/Civ setting how feasible is that??  Are you getting into multiple sustained gunfights within hours/days with no support?  Aim more , shoot less

As a civilian, the chances that you are going to be able to get more magazines in a time of crisis is going to be less than those in the military. We don't have that extensive logistics operation supporting us. Plan accordingly.

Are we talking a hypothetical escape from LA/ zombie deal here? When you might be running blocks with armed threats all around? Where is the ammo to feed those empty mags?  If you are preparing for the end of the world zombie apocalypse , then yes, retain spent mags- if you have the means to fill them

In all realistic scenarios one might encounter in the US , simply pick the empty up off the porch or the living room floor when all is secure

You're in CONUS, where the hell would you be in full gear that you'd need to worry about mag retention and not be able to police your mags after the fight is over?


If you're topping off behind cover, then you can just as easily place your partial mag in the furthest mag pouch from your weak/reloading hand. If you're loading empty then you've got bigger problems than worrying about resupplying magazines after the fight, assuming you come out alive in the first place.

Off topic, but what the hell...

Emergency reload - drop the mag and get the gun up and running

Tactical reload - only when/if you have time, opportunity and cover, since we don't count our rounds when things get loud, we retain the partial mag

Ok so I empty 15 of the 20 rounds my magazine carriers, your right it was loud but gun fire is coming from all over the place. I decided to move in closer to my target who is held up in a bunker or a house. The window is open they can hear me coming if I am not quite. I get in close and realize I am most likely low on ammo in that particular magazine and decide I want to perform a tactical reload, before attempting to purge the house.

It would have been smarter to perform the reload sooner but its a heated environment I am not a trained individual and this is paintball so while they might have heard where I was shooting from there is a good chance they dont know where I am now. If I have to rip Velcro open to get a magazine out ill get noticed. I am not rambo but I have played paintball and I just dont like Velcro. However, I am new to mag fed paintball. I have a marker that is setup pretty much identical to my AR and I want to have some fun. Ill sign up for some AR classes next year but right now I am focusing on taking pistol courses because more of the fundamentals seem to folllow over to the rifle courses. So the progression seems to be more natural.

So anyway this setup is being designed around close combat for paintball. Ill have the ability to shoot a maximum of 6.5 magazines before the HPA tank runs dry and needs refilled. The tank can be refilled no problem between games so thats not an issue. So I need to retain magazines it doesnt matter how I do it dump pouch or other. Its a closed course so I could go back and get my magazines later but this is all fun and games so retaining magazines just seems like the most reasonable option. If it gets sticky ill let the magazine drop and pick it back up later.

Lol I am not preparing for the apocalypses zombie or other, I am just playing army with a paintball gun and having some fun. Id love to do all this hogans ally style with my AR but thats not very cost efficient and fake targets dont move like the real thing but on the flip side paint ball guns dont shoot like the real thing. Dont confuse what I just said I dont want to shoot real guns at people, hogans ally was a game where you shot at moving targets and you had to determine if the target was a threat or not. Most of you probably know what I am talking about.

Agreed and what better way to do that then threw simulation or paintball.

The gun I am using functions just like my AR but it has no real kick and the magazines hold 20 not 30, Its almost identical to my AR in size and weight. Its slightly heavier and the balance is a bit difference considering the AR has a suppressor and the paintball gun has no suppressor. Length and weight with no suppressor is pretty much the same though.

Sorry I know this isnt a paintball forum but the paintball forum I frequent moves like a snail and none of them know anything about gear or what works and what doesnt. This place is a wealth of knowledge. Funny thing though, if you look up plate carriers and try to find reviews more of the reviews are by people playing airsoft than anyone else.

Train harder and smarter- reload before you move.   Since we are playing what ifs..... You leave cover after emptying half a mag and not doing a reload.   While moving in the open you come under heavy fire. You return fire and run dry- while still in the open.  Maybe shoulda done that reload before you left cover to "sneak up,on a bunker".   Bad tactics.....   The Velcro noise thing is still a non issue.  Many special people have been usimg Velcro flapped mag pouches them and doing sneaky stuff without issues.  You can run the flap over the rear mag and tucked behind the lead mag ( leaving it exposed for quick access) as well if you need it.  You said you needed 6 mags upfront

Maybe I spray a few rounds to keep them from coming out of cover while I'm advancing on their position. I cant put the flap behind the mags because I need to run and I don't want the mags flopping out. Once I'm in position I need to do a hot reload but I'm pretty close to them. Even though they can't see me they could potentially hear me.

There are lots of what ifs I'm just trying to minimize what I can control. Noise bring one of them.

Some mag pouches allow you to tuck the flap and securely hold the exposed mag.   Also, your shooting while advancing, the noise issue is out the window at that point as well.  You are complianing about a self perceived issue, that isn't an issue in the real world.  You don't want Velcro flapped, get bungee too mag pouches and stack them-If you "have to have" all 6 mags in your front workspace

The Velcro covers is one of the most viable options in my opinion.  I have seen and used snap closures and I'm currently using bungee retainers on my personal setup to see how they work and how much I like them.  But my work carrier is equipped with a triple double (3 pouches holding 2 each) pouch using Velcro.   The ripping of Velcro don't mean a thing in the middle of the fight and if you feel you need to move in closer you better have a fresh mag in before making the move.  Dump pouch for empties pockets for partials.