Anyone have much experience with the Redi-mag holders?  Seems like a neat concept, and I certainly like the concept of having a rifle with 60 rds in it ready to go, but it seems a little "gamey" to me.

I'd like to know if they hold up well, wether they damage the lower, any issues encountered, and other such input.  Also, how well does it retain the extra mag?  Is it a positive lock, or is it a detent of some sort?

Any comments would be great.

I've been using one for a while now. There's a rubber insert that protects your lower from metal to metal contact with the redi mag. I like it because I can have a spare mag when I need it but don't always have to have a second mag on the gun, or two mags clipped together.

Downsides...It adds a small amount of weight and bulk. But overall I like it quite well. I've seen it mentioned on some other boards that when you release your main mag the second mag falls. I think that this would have to be a case of someone being too stupid to have their hand on the second mag ready to make the switch.

The mag is well retained in the unit. I've seen them in use on what is reported to be Naval Spec war guns.

1001001 has some of the best taste in firearms, but I have to disagree with him on this product. it adds bulk and weight, this thing hangs there after a mag change.  I like a cheap, simple and light mag cinch by buffer tech, it will offer an initial double magazine speed but after you spend the two mags, you go to your mag pouch and you don't have the extra metal hanging off your gun snagging your gear.  of course some would say if you need more the 60 rounds of 5.56 in a firefight, you are in some deep dodo.

One draw back of the mag cinch is the exposed round on the top of the spare magazine will tend to work its way loose and can cause a jam when your do a quick reload.  

Personally, I don't like the Redi Mag for the reasons outlined - bulk and snagging in your gear.  Plus it takes up too much room in the safe if it is on the side opposite your Surefire...

I tried the Mag-Cinch as it seemed like a good alternative, but the first time the top round slid forward I scrapped that too.

If you really want and extra mag with the gun, try one of the buttstock mag pouches from Eagle or the like.  Not as fast, but the mag is protected and out of the way (unless you need to go to the off shoulder, of course).  

I finally settled on an Eagle duty mag puch with two mags next to the rifle for when a coyote grabs the cat [;)]

I have one mounted on my preban.I bought it because 1) it was cheap($30 LNIB from a board member) and 2)because I didn't like the stock pouches made for collapsible stocks.I had a CQB solutions stock mag pouch on my postban and really liked that because I always had a magazine ready to go.With the Redi-Mag, I leave a loaded mag in the spare side.My AR is just for self defense and only has a SF M500 on it so the Redi-Mag doesn't get in the way.It doesn't snag on my CQB Solutions magazine chest carrier when using the single-point sling.Not having a vertical grip anymore, I actually like the added bulk because it makes for a better hand grip than just the magwell.It does hold the spare magazine with a positive lock similar to the receiver's mag latch.It's certainly a personal preference thing and I guess you either like it or hate it.Quality-wise it's built very good.

I've been toying with the idea of getting one.  My instructor at Blackwater had one and raved about it.  It cuts down your reloads in half (if you practice enough).  I decided to trust in my own skills in reloading from my pouches 1) no change in hand movements.  No matter what I reach for my pouches.  No chance in screwing up and dropping the loaded mag in the ready mag, because I forgot it was there and I was reaching for my pouch instead. If you think about it, you'll be reloading from your pouches 6, 8, 12+ times more than your redimag (just once)  chance are under presure, your hand will be trained to go to your pouches since you do that more times than go for the redimag.

2) save weight.  even with the Aimpoint, mount, BUIS, RAS, light Vert handle, my weapon is still pretty light.  I'd like to keep it that way.

Having 60 on the rifle at all times is nice.  No special mag pouches is nice. Can't use a betamag with it(if you're into betamags) If you actually spend your days carrying your rifle, the extra weight might not be worth it.

Best practice IMO is to keep the redimag filled after the first reload by re-stuffing it from a mag pouch at the first opportunity(cover).  If at any point you burn 30 rds before you can restuff your redimag, you are probably ETE and need to transition anyway.    

I've used them for about seven years.  Current version with bolt lock/release extension is best.  

I've got a redi-mag on AR#4.  Postban A3 Dissy w/AK brake and an EoTech.  It's my "lay down some rounds at the camp" gun.

LoL...although the bare bones truth is...when I settle in at the camp, I guess I just like to look over and see 60 rounds leaning up against the wall all evil and black looking...makes me smile!

My 'functional' shtf AR...AR#1 of course...is simply a 16" fluted preban A3 with an Aimpoint and M900.

That's the wonderful thing about evil black rifles...can't have too many configurations.  I think the Redi-Mag has it's place...

Most don't like it, but I do, fwiw.

I have enough RediMags to equip all 3 of my AR15s if need be, as it stands now though only 1 of my 3 have a RediMag installed right now.


The thing I like about them is that the spare mag is right there at my hands to reload just like that with a mag cinch but I don't have to worry about magazine length to use the RediMag.    I can use 5, 10, 20, 30s, 40s and be just fine.    Not like if you clip to mags together and have 60 rounds total weight being held in place by the mag catch alone, kinda similar to how a drum mag might stress the mag catch.


I also like the fact that I can carry mags in a standard 3 mag pouch and always refresh the RediMag when given the opportunity.    Something I never liked about mags when clipped together is that you often can't use a standard 3 mag pouch or you reduce it's capacity.


I've never really noticed much of a balance offset with my RediMag while using it, just grown accustomed to it over the years.   Probably somewhat offsets the Surefire 500A dedicated housing anyhow which hangs off the opposite side of the rifle.


What I don't like about the RediMag, they can be noisy.   Aluminum/steel mags held in the RediMag are not held in void that is to as tight as tolerances as that of the magazine well of the rifle.    Inserting a magazine into the rifle itself and there is very little noise of the magazine when locked and loaded.    But the magazines held in the RediMag generally make a bit of a "slap" noise that can throw noise dispipline right out the window if such a thing is of importance.


Also, I have had 1 RediMag that needed a little bit of fine tuning to get it to retain the magazines well enough.    Had one that would drop the spare magazine through the course of firing, wound up that the mag catch was not very thick and wouldn't seat properly into the notch in the  magazine.


On a whole, my casual/general use rifles have had the RediMags stripped off of them to keep things simple.    Have used them quite a bit though and they've worked well for me when I've used them, going on 4+ years now using them for everything from shooting squirrels out in the field to using them in action rifle matches.

ReadiMag comes off most rifles during the first break during intensive trailing courses.....

Folks only wish they could remove their HBAR barrels at the same time, but that has to wait for a day or two.

This is a gimmick that may work well for short duration, such as law enforcement or other plinking.

-- Chuck