The Best Ar15 Magazine Pouches

There are a lot of factors that go in to finding the perfect magazine pouch. What is ideal for one person may not be ideal for another. Carry capacity, attachment options, the method of securing the magazines and quality of construction are just a few of the factors that go in to selecting the ideal magazine pouch for the AR-15.

  1. Army Surplus Three-Magazine Pouch

    • One of the biggest advantages of this type of pouch is the price. It's a common, military issue pouch, which means they're easy to find, and the prices you will typically see reflect this. Being military gear, it is also dependably well made. It also has ALICE (All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment) clips, which are a common, easy-to-use attachment system that will allow you to attach the pouch in a variety of different ways. The pouches also have metal snaps to secure the lid of the pouch. If you are looking for a quality pouch with a low price, the Army surplus pouch is probably the ideal choice.

    BlackHawk Double Mag Pouch

    • Another option is the double magazine pouch offered by BlackHawk. BlackHawk makes a lot of excellent products, and this one is no exception. Unlike the Army surplus pouch, which uses metallic ALICE clips, the offering from BlackHawk uses MOLLE (MOdular Lightweight Load-bearing Equipment) attachments, which are fabric rather than metal. Both are an excellent attachment system. The BlackHawk pouch uses Velcro rather than metal clips to secure the mags in the pouch, and these could be perceived as a disadvantage because of the ripping Velcro sound which, at close range, could give away your position. The pouch has capacity for four magazines, and is well-made, but it is more expensive than the Army surplus pouch.

    Specialty Defense Three-Magazine Pouch

    • One of the most obvious advantages of the Specialty Defense three magazine pouch is the profile. Most pouches store the magazines on edge so that the pouch sticks out away from your body, but the Specialty Defense pouch stores them on their face, so that they conform more to the profile of your body. The Specialty Defense pouch uses a metal button to secure the magazines in the pouch, and MOLLE attachments to attach the pouch to whichever part of your body you choose. One of the advantages of the button system is that it allows for quick access to magazines. In terms of price, this pouch comes in somewhere in between the Army surplus pouch and the BlackHawk pouch.

    Tactical Taylor Triple Mag Panel

    • Like the Specialty Defense pouch, this offering from Tactical Taylor keeps the magazines flat against your body, rather than on edge, which will no doubt appeal to some people. It has a three magazine capacity, and uses what are called MALICE clips, which are similar to MOLLE clips but use a plastic tab to secure themselves. Unlike the other pouches listed, these don't use a fabric cover to secure the magazines in the pouch, but rather use a bungee cord with a tab of fabric attached. The advantage of this system is that it is very quick, but the disadvantage is that there is the potential problem of your magazines being more exposed to dirt and the elements. In terms of price, these are on the more expensive side, in the same range as the BlackHawk pouch.