Bandoliers for shtf?

[nailknocker]

I have been looking at bandoliers on line and wonder if any of you have any experience with them, pros, cons.

What I'm thinking is if you had to get out of Dodge real quick and travel as light as possible. I like lever guns, and have found bandoliers for rifle and pistol cals. that hold from 50 to 85 rounds .

Lever guns typicaly hold from 8 to fifteen rounds, depending on barrel length, add to that a bandolier with another 85 rounds, plus a hi cap pistol, an XDM, for example, with a couple of spare mags, would give you near 150 rounds. Weight wise you would come in at around fifteen lbs, give or take.

I wouldn't feel undergunned with such a set up, plus I may have to arm family, and friends, and they look like a good way to do that.

I will be interested in your thoughts.

 

[.45 Dave]

Okay, I'll try this again. The connection hickupped and I lost everything I wrote.

I have a bandoleer that I got on Amazon for about $18 for my Marlin 336. It holds about 80 rds of ammo, but I have sacrificed 6 loops and have a Fobus paddle holster over my heart for my XD40.
I have field tested the bandoleer in an 8hr SHTF training session and it works great! It is a black web material, heavy material but even fully loaded is very manageable weight-wise.

I also sling my rifle over my left shoulder butt up ( I think it's called British style? not sure) so that I can swing it up and into action very quickly in one smooth motion and there is no interference with the bandoleer.

I highly recommend getting one.

[Looked up the carrying mode of the rifle and I believe it is called African carry. weak side, muzzle down, lever facing forward, and can be swung up very quickly with your left hand to the right shoulder to firing position. I really recommend practicing with this.]

 

[churchmouse]

Have one for 12 ga.shells. Kind of a pain but it allows me to carry several shells and free's up pocket and pouch space.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

I have used a bandolier for squirrel hunting for years. It really comes in handy if your hunting with several people, then you can trade off carrying it. Only problem I have had, is one year I forgot to unload it and the "spandex" material stretched out and I had to replace it.

 

[Tactical Flannel]

Interesting.
What about leather vs. nylon/web material?
The leather ones I've seen are more expensive, are caliber specific and would seem to hold up longer (probably heavier also). Where the nylon with the spandex loops can be multi caliber but they will stretch out over time.
Thoughts?

Stay safe

 

[teddy12b]

I have bandoliers for SHTF but they are for my AR's. I like these Camouflage M.O.L.L.E. II AR 6 Magazine/Magpul PMAG Pouch | eBay
because I can put both regular GI mags or Pmags in there securely. My bandoliers are for additional ammunition to supplement regular loads, and I think bandoliers have their place.

For a lever action like you're talking about I'm not really sure it's going to make that much of a difference after the gun has been emptied and another 10-15 rounds have been reloaded. I've got a puma 92 44mag that holds 10 rounds and I love it, but if I had some big bandlolier with loops allthe way along it I think I'd only really be able to benefit from the loops in the front. Does that make sense? I just don't think that the loops loaded with rounds that are on my back are going to be as easy to access quickly and under stress as say a pocket/pouch up front with the rounds loosely in there. By the time I'd have unloaded all 10 rounds of my 44mag and had to use up the first 10 - 15 rounds of easily accessable ammo on front I think it'd be time to escape and evade. If you've got a lever action and are using up the ammo then you're really in a bad place at a bad time that merits leaving.