but what does it really add (other than weight and $$$) that a velcro attached card doesn't?
The ability to retain ammunition when the weapon bangs off the squad's door, when you are running with it, when the weapon clatters down a flight of stairs because you are dicking with your radio and your teammate opens the door and knocks it out of your hands, when the weapon bangs against the door frame of a warehouse when you slip on the black ice on a bitter cold January night and the pain is magnified because it is 2 above zero.
You hold those replacement side saddles in an M16 mag vest pocket (assuming you are set up that way).
so...in reality... Nothing?
Because I don't have a squad car, because my shotgun will be a HD weapon and not something I'd "run with",
I have no stairs,
I don't have any kind of radio system to dick with
I don't have a teammate to get in the way..
I'd buy it because I WANTED it
Some self adhesive Velcro for the side of the receiver and sew some Velcro to any rig, pouch, or where ever you want and use these carriers from HSG. Just as quick, no metal, possibly lighter..
Accessory | Swat Tactical Gear
We've all used velcro cards.
It wasn't necessarily directed at anyone in particular. There aren't a lot of trouble free options out there for side saddles. Tac Stars strip out, I've seen a few Mesa Tactical's with broken pins and as I mentioned I don't like velcro and elastic. I like the looks of the QD-C, it appears to resolve a few issues at the expense of added weight. May not work for everyone, it might not work for me, time will tell.
Can I rub your velcro cards in some dirt or snow or, hell, lint and cat fur? And then stick one of them on the side of the gun in a hurry at a fifteen degree angle and time your reloads to see if that affects it?
We've all used velcro cards. I have, you have, the guy that invented the Q-DC has. He just was looking for something that solves some of the problems that can crop up with the velcro cards while still having most of their advantages over a fixed sidesaddle and so he invented it. The one downside is that it costs money. If you don't want to spend the money, there's nothing wrong with continuing to roll with the old-school solution. Just understand its shortcomings.
You SOB, for just a brief moment I was trying to recall the historical moment you were referring too.If you need to prepare for the sort of fight where you will exhaust the ammo in your magazine, on the side saddle of the receiver, and on the side saddle of the stock (maybe a total of 17 rounds), and perhaps what's in your backup pistol; where you will have a chance to put on some sort of vest carrying ammo; where you'll have a lull in a fight to replenish the side saddle-- I would like to put you in touch with a crack commando unit that was sent to prison by a military court in 1972 for a crime they didn't commit.
You SOB, for just a brief moment I was trying to recall the historical moment you were referring too.