View Full Version : To Redi-Mag or Not To Redi-Mag?
Ordered a Redi-Mod lastnight. I like the idea that I can just grab my rifle and have 60 rounds on me.
Belmont31R
05-29-10, 20:11
One quicker mag change at the expense of increased weight, bulkyness, and harder to use controls.
One quicker mag change at the expense of increased weight, bulkyness, and harder to use controls.
How are the controls any harder to use?
much like most accessories for the m4, you cant know till you do it. it adds a pound and half of weight to the weapon, which makes a big difference.
what's the weapon's purpose? is having an extra mag attached to the weapon worth all that extra weight? do you carry the weapon for long periods of time? if it's just a truck gun or home defense weapon, then you'll probably love it.
if you don't like it, you can always sell it
NCPatrolAR
05-29-10, 20:19
That is the question.
What is the purpose of the gun? Thats the real question.
I think it's worth trying for most people. The danger is that you need to keep sight of your real-world end-use when using it in training. I have seen people sacrifice the RM due to a claimed weight concern generated in long training evolutions when their real-world use would be over before they ever noticed the weight.
(I know, rob_s arguing in favor of extra weight. must be a full moon. :p)
Belmont31R
05-29-10, 20:22
How are the controls any harder to use?
Harder to get to, and operate the bolt catch. Thats why they've had to come out with several extra bolt on parts to make it easier but its still not as simple as not having anything there.
I love my redi-mag. Super fast mag changes. I don't mind the extra weight. If you're on patrol or something all day it might suck...maybe not. I can carry mine for quite a while without being uncomfortable.
Throw a BAD lever on there and you're all set. Even without the redi-mag reloads are a bit quicker with the BAD...and malfunctions are a bit easier as well.
In short, I can operate my carbine more efficiently with the RM/BAD combo. Which isn't to say there's something wrong with the rifle without those...
Harder to get to, and operate the bolt catch. Thats why they've had to come out with several extra bolt on parts to make it easier but its still not as simple as not having anything there.
I guess but then I just run mine with a B.A.D.
As far as the weight..... This is my personal weapon which I'm not humping so not really overly worried about the added weight. I would much rather have the rounds with me instead of worried about weight.
not needed.
Two questions.
How do you define "need"?
How do you know what the OP needs?
Belmont31R
05-29-10, 20:31
One thing about adding accessories that change the way the gun works, and the way you work the gun is that you really need to setup all your weapons the same way that you train with. Ive seen first hand people go to do mag changes or some other operation who were used to some part being on their gun, and fumble around for quite a few seconds before they released that part was not there. In a stressful or potentially life threatening situation you obviously don't want to be fumbling around looking for a button thats not there or works differently than you trained with. That is why I rarely ever use the ambi controls on my SR15 because I don't want to pick up a gun that doesn't have those controls, and go to close the bolt only to find there isn't a button there.
Weight is not only an issue if you have to carry the gun but it slows your weapon movement down.
Belmont31R
05-29-10, 20:32
I guess but then I just run mine with a B.A.D.
As far as the weight..... This is my personal weapon which I'm not humping so not really overly worried about the added weight. I would much rather have the rounds with me instead of worried about weight.
Thats certainly up to you.
Thats certainly up to you.
I agree....
Build your rifle on how you are intending to use it and not what others think are needed or not.
Jay Cunningham
05-29-10, 20:34
I personally do not care for the Redi-Mag; I much prefer to emergency reload from a belt pouch.
That said, I installed a Redi-Mod on my 11.5" because I am convinced that I will only have whatever is on my gun when I grab it.
I put one on my patrol carbine because I figured that if I have to bail out quickly, I won't forget a spare mag. I opt to not carry a spare on my belt full time because 99.9% of the time its just unnecessary weight, and is only handy when you're carrying the carbine. With the Redi-Mod, I can grab my gun and the reload all at once, without going right to the AS bag.
Cagemonkey
05-29-10, 20:46
If you want more firepower why not try a magazine coupler.
If you want more firepower why not try a magazine coupler.
Rounds walk forward in the magazine that is outside the weapon
If you want more firepower why not try a magazine coupler.
these usually cause other problems.. the main one being that generally by the time you've gotten to the second mag, the top round has walked out enough that it cant be loaded without correction
I put one on my patrol carbine because I figured that if I have to bail out quickly, I won't forget a spare mag. I opt to not carry a spare on my belt full time because 99.9% of the time its just unnecessary weight, and is only handy when you're carrying the carbine. With the Redi-Mod, I can grab my gun and the reload all at once, without going right to the AS bag.
ever been stuck standing on perimeter with your weapon for long periods of time and regretted the weight?
If you want more firepower why not try a magazine coupler.
Lets think about this. What do you do if you encounter a magazine related malfunction? immediate action, right? Now, if its a bad malfunction, you might have to strip the magazine, right?
If they're coupled, that means that the spare mag gets stripped along with the bad one. Now all I have is a $1500 mil spec club.
What about stripping the magazine and retaining it? Three problems:
1. Coupled mags are hard to stuff in your pocket
2. You're now training to retain a bad mag. If I really need that mag, and I start fishing around, I don't want to pull the bad mag, which could make life worse.
3. If I'm stripping a shit mag during a fight, there are more important things going on in my life than retaining the magazine, and I'd prefer to drop the mag and grab a new one off the redi-mod, right where my support hand was, without taking the time to place the empty or bad one in a pocket somewhere.
ever been stuck standing on perimeter with your weapon for long periods of time and regretted the weight?
Yup, but then I realize that I have a good gun and extra ammo in hand.
In fact, this happened just the other day. Part of it is accepting the nature of the work, and part of it is the comfort in bringing enough gun.
The sling helps, too.
Jay Cunningham
05-29-10, 21:14
ever been stuck standing on perimeter with your weapon for long periods of time and regretted the weight?
Context is everything. What is your mission requirement?
Slinger646
05-29-10, 21:21
....
That said, I installed a Redi-Mod on my 11.5" because I am convinced that I will only have whatever is on my gun when I grab it.
This. I may not have time to grab the rig, war belt and supplementary SAW cans full of mags...Active Shooter is just that, Active.
Context is everything. What is your mission requirement?
Mine, BKB's, or the OP's?
Mine is patrol and tactical perimeter usage. For patrol, the extra weight is barely noticeable. For SWAT operations, I use the same gun for some operations, and a different one for others. Personally, I find that I barely notice the extra weight. If the call or operation goes longer, I usually let it hang for a little while, or go prone or supported. I also have a separate rifle (with bipod), which is more of my go-to SWAT gun. Now, that one's heavy!
Remember, just because it's there doesn't mean you HAVE to use it. How much weight does the redi-mag alone add? What about the Redi-Mod? If it's too heavy leave the other mag somewhere else.
IMO, there's no right answer to this. We can argue about it's usefullness all day long. At the end of the day, it's all about what the user needs for their particular rifle, which will be used in a particular way. I like mine, it suits me for what I use it for. Other people have different needs and expectations, and for them it doesn't work well. so they don't use it.
Jay Cunningham
05-29-10, 21:28
Mine, BKB's, or the OP's?
Everyone's individually.
Judging what someone else needs in the way of guns or gear by laying your own mission requirement template over them is unrealistic.
When you clearly define your mission, your gear usually sorts itself out.
the redimag by itself weighs a half pound.. 8.something ounces. a loaded mag weighs about a pound. not sure what the redimod weighs.
Cagemonkey
05-29-10, 21:29
these usually cause other problems.. the main one being that generally by the time you've gotten to the second mag, the top round has walked out enough that it cant be loaded without correctionGood point. One could say, use Pmags with the feed lip cover. Then one counters by saying, the Pmag covers get in the way and aren't practical. I'm not going to argue the point. I personally don't like either.
I had a Redi-Mod on my M4 during my last rotation in Iraq. I got stuck as a Fobbit, so I didn't really notice much as far as weight was concerned. My main reason in having it was to carry a magazine around as required. In that capacity it worked well. It's currently on my personal AR.
I know that some don't like it, but I have been using a Mag-Cinch mag coupler and I am happy with it.
TwoSqueeze
05-30-10, 07:42
When you clearly define your mission, your gear usually sorts itself out.
That is the best piece of advice I have heard in a long time.
-TS
I put together a lightweight AR for my dad recently, and the intended use was a household SHTF gun. I thought it would be nice to have 2 mags on the rifle ready to go, so I added an old Redi-Mag I had lying around. The concept is nice, but on that particular rifle, the weight is VERY noticeable. The balance of the gun is pretty rotten with it on there.
Pathfinder Ops
05-30-10, 15:39
I love my redi-mag. Super fast mag changes. I don't mind the extra weight. If you're on patrol or something all day it might suck...maybe not. I can carry mine for quite a while without being uncomfortable.
Throw a BAD lever on there and you're all set. Even without the redi-mag reloads are a bit quicker with the BAD...and malfunctions are a bit easier as well.
In short, I can operate my carbine more efficiently with the RM/BAD combo. Which isn't to say there's something wrong with the rifle without those...
This is exactly what I would say.
I like mine and with feel that a BAD is a mandatory addition if you go redi mag.
HOWEVER......... Train with it.
It's not going to be intuitive at first. Especially if you have any serious time/ training with mag changes from a belt or drop leg.
I use a skeletonized version of the RediMag on my work rifle which is an Hbar to begin with. Heavy gun no doubt. It sure does eat up what little recoil the weapon has. :)
Do I mind the added weight of the additional mag? Most of the time no.
Do I always need to run an extra mag on the gun? No, but I have the option.
Does the RediMag hamper the controls of the weapon? Not really with an extended bolt release, but with a BAD lever it is hard to beat the speed of reloads. I am .5 seconds or faster with a reload from the RediMag as opposed to off my kit or belt.
Do I carry the weapon for long periods of time and is the weight an issue? Yes and no. Mostly no. If I am in full kit the extra weight is hardly noticed. If I am not in full kit, the weight of the rifle only is a blessing as I am often in full kit. If I am in some position where I find that I do not like the weight on the rifle, I can remove the mag and place in on my kit / belt. If I am in a prone position, it makes for a more stable base.
Do I ever get confused as to where I need to reload from if I run a different weapon, or if I do not have a spare mag in my RediMag? I haven't ran into that issue, but I must admit I do train quite a bit with and without, so perhaps that helps.
It is definitely not for everyone and I really have no issue if someone does or does not run a RediMag and / or a BAD lever set up. Again personal preference combined with application. The only thing I will say is that you should train enough to be highly proficient with whatever piece of gear or accessory that you run. If you are not going to take the time to train with the RediMag and / or BAD lever combo and it is a personal defense, duty or deployment weapon then don't use them. Simple as that.
BushmasterFanBoy
06-03-10, 23:18
I keep a redi-mod on my HD gun, the reason being, I like having a second mag for any defensive gun (might, might need the ammo, but more than likely its insurance for the 1st mag malf'ing even though that'd be rare) and I'm not going to have time to tuck a spare in my boxers when things go bump. 60 rounds for a gun that's not going to be carried very far isn't too much to ask for, imho. Then again, the same rifle is my SHTF gun, so maybe I'm not exactly predisposed against weight.
When you clearly define your mission, your gear usually sorts itself out.
Pretty much right. I know that if I need to deploy my rifle, it's either in my house or out of a car where I'm unlikely to have an extra (rifle) mag on my person. That makes the extra weight worth MORE than its weight in gold. If I was running around with a rig with mags all over the place, I might remove a my redimod. But it effectively doubles my ammo in place.
N
Pretty much what Bushmasterfanboy said. Mine is on a hd rifle. The extra rounds might be nice but highly unlikely. But the extra mag for a malfunction is where the ready-mag shines for me.Gotta prepare for Mr. Murphy.
I use the same concept on my shotgun with extra rounds on a sidesaddle.
I also believe that a B.A.D. lever is necessary with a ready-mag.Along with training.
John_Wayne777
06-04-10, 14:14
I personally do not care for the Redi-Mag; I much prefer to emergency reload from a belt pouch.
That said, I installed a Redi-Mod on my 11.5" because I am convinced that I will only have whatever is on my gun when I grab it.
For the average civilian and probably most law enforcement officers, that's probably the truth. If I actually have to shoot someone with my carbine it's highly likely that I'm going to be doing so in a pair of boxer shorts.
A redi-mod makes a hell of a lot of sense for that scenario.
For the average civilian and probably most law enforcement officers, that's probably the truth. If I actually have to shoot someone with my carbine it's highly likely that I'm going to be doing so in a pair of boxer shorts.
A redi-mod makes a hell of a lot of sense for that scenario.
My conclusion exactly!
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