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Today we’ll show you a very simple mod we’ve come up with to make your regular MOLLE mag pouch into a fast mag pouch with tension.
Looking for this mod on double and triple mags? Click here!
THE PROBLEM
The modification we’ll be talking about came from a problem we faced ourselves for doing our training and events that have to do with airsoft. But this might also be applicable for whatever you do, that has to do with sending rounds at your targets or Tangos.
The problem we faced were the fact that in some cases we need to access our magazines in a matter of milliseconds and also reinsert emptied mags as quickly as possible back into our pouches.
We all know that for this it’s best to have some sort of open pouch with no Velcro or buckled flap or no sort of retention cord.
But as we all know, this comes along with the risk of losing your magazines whenever you’re running, jumping or even hitting the dirt to get low.
We’re sure this is a dilemma a lot of shooters face whether it’s for their job, sport or hobby. In fact, a lot of companies have come up with their own solutions to solve this issue.
Some of them are great, other aren’t and some also have disadvantages that come along with them.
WHAT WE'VE BEEN USING TILL NOW
So, what we’ve been using till now were both fast mag pouches and regular M4 mag pouches which are bungee retained to have a bit of both worlds.
THE SUPPOSED "SOLUTION"
Recently someone on Youtube wrote us about the existence of Kydex inserts you can get to make those regular M4 pouches into an open system and still provide good retention for your mags.
We decided to give it a try and ordered a few of them. But, once received at home we’ve been putting them to the test and they were not really what we expected. What do we mean by that?
OUR FINDINGS WITH KYDEX INSERTS
Well, when inserting our mags, we needed quite a lot of force which certainly didn't make them come out easily but ...
We had some cases where the insert came along together with the mag out of the pouch, while with other pouches we couldn’t even get them out at all using all the force we had.
Sometimes it was even so difficult that we just pulled the Velcro of our plate carriers loose. So, that was not really workable. We know there are some other ways that might make those inserts work, but that’s mostly a lot of hassle to deal with in our eyes.
And like shown above, some pouches might differ from one another due to usage or manufacturing variables. This makes us conclude that those Kydex inserts are not an overall universal solution and the chances for a proper fit without modifications is small.
OUR SOLUTION
So after that disappointment, we’ve put our brains to work and we’ve come up with a solution that’s much easier to apply and just uses some bungee cord.
We honestly don’t know if it has been done before, but we sure couldn’t find any guides of others doing it online. So, if that’s not the case then this is our guide to do it.
HOW TO MOD YOUR POUCHES
To start of with, we’ve actually used the bungee cords that came with our mag pouches itself, so that means it didn’t cost us anything extra.
So, to get this done, we first removed the bungee cord fixation from the pouch and also removed the guider lip.
After that we use the cord and weave it through the back of the pouch MOLLE loops and use the PALS webbing on the front of it to create tension on the pouch.
As for which part to put under tension, we prefer to create the tension on the lowest part of the pouch , so that the mags are easy to insert and are only being held tight on the lowest part of the pouch.
This tension can be adjusted according to your personal liking and can be locked by a simple knot or if you prefer to make it adjustable on the fly you can use blockhole clips as well, but this way it might cost you a few bucks.
IS IT SECURE ENOUGH?
Of course the question that remains is, does it actually hold the mags securely enough in place?
Well, we’ve put that to the test and our findings say they are. Especially if you’re using the blockhole clips, because you can easily pull the pouches just as tight as you need them to be.
SIMILARITY WITH FAST MAG POUCHES
If you take a good look at this, it is actually quite a similar way of how fast mag pouches are being constructed nowadays and that by simply just using the bungee cord in a different way than the factory has provided.
HOW TO MOD DOUBLE & TRIPLE AR BUNGEE MAG POUCHES TO A FAST VARIATION
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
We’ve used the bungee cords that came with our mag pouches itself. That means it didn’t cost us anything extra. Although for this to work, you will need 1 bungee cord more than the amount of pouches.
HOW TO DO IT?
1. CREATE TENSION BETWEEN THE POUCHES
To get tension between the pouches you first need to put your bungee cord in half and get it through the front PALS loops.
Next, you want to weave the bungee cord through the PALS by criss-crossing from one pouch to the other. Then make sure to pull the PALS so it closes the gap between the pouches. The harder you pull, the tighter your mags will sit. You can always adjust this whenever you need to.
Finally you want to put the bungee through the MOLLE on the back and secure it by making a knot.
2. CREATE TENSION On THE OUTSIDES
To create tension on the outward side of the pouches you again start by putting the bungee cord in half. Next, put the bungee cord through all the PALS on the front of the pouch.
Take the other end of the bungee cord and put it through the top MOLLE on the back of the pouch. Then loop it around the bungee cord up front between the top 2 PALS slots. This loop will allow you to make it as tight as you like it to be.
Now, put the bungee cord through the bottom MOLLE on the back. Then loop it around the bungee cord between the front bottom PALS slots and put it through the bottom MOLLE on the back. (The loop will allow you to make it as tight as you like it to be.)
Now you want to take the other end of the bungee cord and put it between the MOLLE closure system up through the bottom MOLLE on the back. Then finish it by making a knot and repeat the proces for the other side.
That’s it for creating tension on the outward sides of your double or triple mag pouch you use. In the end your pouch should look like this and firmly hold your mags.
