It seems that, despite my best intention not to, I gravitate toward purchasing items that will help me either carry a pistol as covertly as possible or purchasing items that help me carry ammunition in the same manner.
If I stay with it, my magazine carrier count will exceed the holsters that I have. When I run across something that caters to the senses, I just have to try it out. A magazine holder from Cook’s Holsters was on order and I received it yesterday; it was time to let you know what I think of it.
The holder is made entirely of Kydex and is a compact affair for carrying a single magazine of single-stack or double stack configuration. The unit is an exercise in Kydex Origami, as it is folded from one piece of Kydex. This makes for a very durable unit.
The front of the unit (I’ll call it the “Tension Panel” for lack of a better description) provides spring tension against an inserted magazine and hold it firmly in place. The “pocket” (again, for lack of a better term), is directional. You can only insert the mag in one way, as the Kydex is formed around the magazine. By design, the bottom of the pocket has a minor slant to it so that when the magazine is properly inserted, the top of the first round lies against the base, which is curved upward to cradle the the first round of the magazine.
The rear belt clip is integral to the carrier. I ordered this unit with a 1.75″ belt loop. Units with 1.5″ and dress belt sizes are also available when ordering. The belt clip bottom is curved upward to allow for positive locking onto the belt. It simply slides over the belt and you remove it by pulling the clip outward with a finger or two. The tension is adequate to hold the carrier firmly on the belt but allows for easy removal from the belt.
The unit that I ordered for evaluation (and for future carry) is set up for a left-handed shooter – I am right-handed. Let me explain.
Even though I am a right-handed handgun operator, I prefer my ammunition supply in the right-side appendix position. When I drop a magazine from the pistol, my left hand is already in a position to simply drop down and retrieve a spare magazine; I don’t have to reach around to my weak side, wasting time in the process, to grab a spare magazine and make the trip all the way back to the pistol. Whether IWB or OWB, pistols or revolver, I prefer my spare ammunition in the right-side appendix position.
Normally, the magazine carrier is made in such a way that the bullets face forward so that when the magazine is retrieved, the magazine is automatically aligned with the pistol’s magazine well for fast insertion. In the IWB manner in which I carry, the bullets need to face rearward since the carrier is on my strong side. I ordered the carrier with the intention of IWB carry. Therefore, I had to order the carrier for a left-handed shooter in order to place the bullets rearward when worn IWB.
At the present time, the pouch is available in any color as long as it is black. Cook’s holster offers holster in various color and patterns but as of right now, their magazine carriers are black Kydex.
For magazine carry, I don’t care if the carrier is Kydex or leather. For IWB carry of ammunition; however, I prefer Kydex because it is not adversely affected by moisture from the body. In the hot and humid Georgia summers, there is plenty of body moisture to go around.
My only complaint about the magazine carrier was the lack of finishing on the cut edges; the edges that were cut to make the pattern. A little rounding off would have been nice and would have added only about five minutes to the process of making the carrier. I demonstrated that to myself when I rounded the edges with some #220 sandpaper. In this respect, rounding out the edges would be compared to doing the same with a leather carrier to finish the edging of the leather. Maybe I’m just being persnickety, but I like a finished product. (When I received the second magazine carrier, so that I can carry two spares, and after after dropping a note to Bob Cook, the edges were better finished. This tells me that Bob listens to his customers)
The magazine carrier is a fine product and it does what it is supposed to do without taking up a lot of real estate in the process (I take up enough real estate myself).
The magazine carrier is $19.95. Cook’s Holsters had a three-day turnaround on all their products (Kydex holsters, mag carriers, and accessories). That has moved out to four to five days; more demand for their products will do that. Cook’s Holsters supports the USPS and I received mine in fours days after ordering.
If you are looking for an inexpensive means to carry a spare magazine or two, you might want to consider Cook’s Holsters Magazine Carrier.
UPDATE:
since reviewing this magazine carrier, I ordered a second one. With the second one, the tension panel (the outer panel) was bent inward a little too much – to the point where you could not insert a magazine without a little effort. Once I inserted a magazine (empty, of course), I took a hair dryer to the Kydex. Once the Kydex was warm, I simply twisted the magazine outward slightly to force the tension panel outward. Once cooled, the tension panel was much, much better and I could insert a magazine into the carrier even while it was being worn IWB.
The picture shows the tandem concealed carry of the magazine carriers. They are most comfortable when carried IWB and I am able to place the magazines exactly where I need them. In fact, I could add one more if need be. (Yes, that is a Perry suspender peeking out from under my shirt to the left of the magazine – a necessity for me when carrying IWB anymore, especially when carrying a Gub’t model 1911-based pistol and two spare magazines of ammunition on the “Bat Belt.”)
I have since ordered two magazine carriers from Cook’s Holsters for the Glock G30/G21, which will be a another test for comfort and concealment of these carriers due to the thickness of the magazines for these two pistols. I am hoping to adapt these carriers for the Springfield XD45 magazines as well as other staggered .45 acp magazines, if need be.
View all of the Cook’s Holsters products @ http://www.cooksholsters.com/.
2 Responses to Magazine Carriers