Making a USGI Magazine Bandoleer More Useful

In my last article, I discussed the simple steps to making a USGI triple magazine pouch more useful. Today, we’re going to discuss modifying the USGI magazine bandoleer.

I do have to say that I was surprised at how popular the bandoleer became when I added it to my store. In my mind, it was almost completely obsolete – a relic like the pictures from Vietnam of soldiers with the cotton bandoleers slung across their chests. But when I started talking to individuals at gun shows, they gladly shared their current uses for it. In their minds, it is a great way to store extra magazines in their trucks (it’s a pretty rural area, so a lot less vehicle break-ins here) or have spare mags to share with a buddy or relative if needed. One individual said he normally keeps a bandoleer on the passenger headrest of his truck so that he can grab it an go or pass it to someone else.

The Problem

Knowing that people are using the bandoleer, I started to look at it through the lens of “What issues does it have? How can I make it more useful?” The bandoleer is designed to hold 6 30-round AR magazines. But, like much of the surplus I deal with, it doesn’t like polymer mags. The individual bandoleer pouches close with a snap. You can easily snap the flap over 2 metal magazines. You can easily snap the flap over 1 polymer magazine. But if you try to snap it over 2 polymer magazines, it starts to get sassy.

From exercising my Google-fu, I saw a mention of adding an additional snap to the flap. I can’t remember where I saw the initial mention, or who mentioned it, but I think it might have been ARFCOM. So, since I enjoy DIY, I thought I’d take a stab at it. Somewhat literally, as you’ll see below.

The Fix

First, I grabbed some tools. There are two ways that you can approach this. At the very least, you need something to punch a hole in the flap and the snaps and snap-setting tool. I picked up an awl from Amazon and the snap kit from Battle Boards. The snap kit is supposed to be a field repair kit for their products, but since it had the parts I needed for a reasonable price, I grabbed it for my own purposes. I also picked up a hole cutter and snap installation tool from Sailrite. You can make an awl work but the hole cutter is much simpler, as we’ll cover in a moment.

As with any project, “measure twice, stab it with an awl once.” In my extremely scientific measurement method, I shoved 2 PMags in the pouch and folded the flap over, then felt around until I found the center of the snap beneath. Voila, stabby spot. If you want a slightly more measured location, it’s approximately halfway between the center of the current snap and the edge of the flap.

This is where things get complicated. As I said earlier, the awl will work. The problem with the awl is that you aren’t necessarily cutting a hole through the nylon, you’re pushing the nylon fibers out of the way to create the hole. When you do that, the fibers naturally try to close back up. So what you’ll end up having to do is work the awl through the flap and then burn the fibers to “set” the hole.

With the hole punch, this is less of an issue. Just pound the hole punch through and let the cutting edge do the work. It’s much quicker and the hole is much cleaner, as you can see in the video above.

Once you have your hole, push the stem of the button through, set the socket on the other side and use the installation tool and a hammer to set the snap. Finally, check that the cap and socket are tight enough that you can’t turn them and ensure that the flap will now close on your 2 PMags.

That’s it, repeat 2 more times and now you can fit 6 PMags in your bandoleer.

Conclusion

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