I’m attending my first class in about a month. Pat’s Carbine Operators class. I too have the Eagle M4 Rig and a kydex belt pouch. I’m not used to running a rifle mag on my belt like this. What position are you guys putting it in? This will be my first formal rifle training and I’m still playing with my setup to find what works best. I need a new sling, but will have to run what I have for now.
-RD62
Yancey,
I was refering to Cooley’s org.
IIRC we are in the same org.
Bob
Cutting fingers off my gloves was a joke.
Anyway, I played with mounting the sling o the rear of the stock today, and it does give you more area to work with in the “Work Space”. Will continue to use this for awhile to see if it continues to aid reloading, but it still isn’t optimal for shoulder transitioning. Sometimes we have to pick the lesser of evils.
I think I’m with Rob though…I used my Blade Tech single pouch on the weak side today, with my chest rig, and it’s twice as fast on reloads than going to the chest rig. It’s easier to grip and index the mag tow rads the well.
Tack
Yancey,
I was refering to Cooley’s org.
Oh… man… was I slow on that 
You are on the road to learning toddackerman… its a never ending quest of trying this, moving that, changeing this…
Best of luck in your training in the future.
Yancey
I’m always on the road to learning. As I as told once by a college professor who said…Mr. Ackerman, once you think you’re a finished product…you are!"
I don’t want to be “finished” when the stakes are so high.
Tack
Todd,
you may have been joking, but I’ve seen alot of guys do it, some just cause it looks good. Some just use weightlifting gloves, don’t see the point in that for tactical shooting.
bob
I run 4 single mag pouches (in addition to between 1 and 3 double mag pouches) on my armor but only one of them is really for speed/emergency reloads, and it is because of sling interference and hand/wrist/arm twistiness during stress actions.
The only true speed reload on my vest is offset to the left (I’m a rightie) of center, just past the edge of my plate.
I also run a thigh sub-load with two rifle speed reloads, one pistol speed reload (set to the front of the first rifle speed-reload) and one pistol sustainment magazine. There is zero sling interference, and a more natural draw stroke (to use the term) to me. The first time I tried it out, I did it all wrong, but eventually went to not more than 2 rifle mags, panel very high, rounds down and rearward. I like the Triad Tactical Flop or the Battle Lab single low-cut for this application. It keeps your thighs from getting too wide. I drop it off of a belt, which also carrys my pistol mags, holster, knife, and dump pouch, effectively being “first-line” gear.
I am thinking about using the 45 degree adaptor for my vest speed reload. Need to get on a course to try it out.
YMMV
Of late, Pat Rogers has been running a drill where you expend two rounds from each magazine on your person using a speed reload for each mag. This is done standing, kneeling and prone. It is atrue eye-opener for learning how pouch placement affects the speed of reloading.
QuietShooter is a joy to behold as he burns through twelve to fourteen mags.
That’s a great drill…especially for prone.
I’m going to start playing with re-orienting my mags in their pouches from rounds facing to the strong side (right for right handers, to rounds facing the weak side (left for right handers) to facilitate a better “Beer Can Grip” and see how that works. It makes sense in theory to be able to grab the mag this way with the palm facing my chest instead of trying to wedge my hand between my body and the Mag to perform this type of grip.
I’ve tried repeatedly for several years using the Magpul loop “Social Finger” method and find it’s too unstable for me. The Mag wants to wiggle around too much because of the rubber loop being too flexible. For me, the Beer Can grip is much more solid, and I don’t miss the mag well nearly as often because my hand is more solidly indexing/ orienting the mag towards the well.
Just my thoughts. YMMV
I’m glad you posted this, because it reminded me yesterday to order the two Bulman Gunleather AR mag pouches that I’ve been meaning to. Of course, one in tan, one in black, to match all social situations. 
I did put on my chest rig and sling my rifle yesterday afternoon when I was home, and I found that I do all my manipulations under the sling.
Thanks Rob.
So you are actually raising the front of the rifle high enough to retrieve a Mag from the Chest Rig “Under” the sling? I need to try that. I do insert the Mag into the well under the sling, but maybe I need to lower my chest rig so that I can retrieve the Mag from the pouch under the sling as well.? More like a “Belly Rig” versus a “Chest Rig”.
I guess so. Remember too that my sling is attached at the barrel nut, so it doesn’t stick out as far to the front. I keep my support arm (left arm) under/left of the sling the whole time, never reaching over/right of the sling.
It’s from the wrong side, but here is me shooting with my sling & rig adjusted as I normally do.
I was able to play around a little more with this new rig setup.
Everything that Rob suggested was right on. I tried both the “Retrieve, and Reload” under the sling by raising the platform up enough to easily clear the sling (not that far of a lift), changed my Mag orientation to rounds facing to the weak side for a “Beer Can Grip”, and also moved my MOLLE 1911 Pistol Mag Pouch to the farthest left and lowest position possible away from the M4 Mags. to obtain the best grip on the farthest left (my first mag for speed from the Chest Rig), and it works like a charm! Very solid, and very fast.
I was trying to lower the rifle a little into the “Work Space” instead of raising it slightly to get it out of the way. Once the Mag is snatched from the chest rig pouch, I lower the platform back down parallel to the target line. It works very well!.
So, this is how the new rig looks. Very simple, fast , secure, and a great “Grab and Go” setup. In addition, I have an Eagle MK V drop leg pistol holster (without the drop extension making ride higher on the thigh closer to the belt), a Blade Tech M4 single Mag Kydex pouch, and a GCM Dump Pouch on a “Separate” Eagle heavy nylon 2" duty belt. I like being able to take it all on and off without having to “Undress” on the range. It’s faster to get on as well.
Here are some pics…and before I get “Whacked”…yes, my “Stripped lower” is a BM. That’s all that is BM. Never failed after 8800 rounds, but what could fail on a stripped lower? . The next will be an LMT or Sun Devil lower. The upper is a 16" LMT MRP. 6800 rounds and no failures.
I actually got rid of the pistol mag pouches on my rig. As you can see from the pics, I’m pretty skinny and they kept handing up on my gear and interfering with my movement.
Good to keep in mind. Where did you end up putting them?
Indeed the sling comes near the pistol Mag pouches when mounted this way, but with the Kydex Single M4 pouch, and Dump pouch already on the left side, the only other places to mount the pistol Mag pouch would be on the front of the Chest Rig via MOLLE, or on the right side making it impossible to get to with the weak hand.
I’m going to start playing with them mounted in the center of the Chest Rig, and see what happens. I’d really like to mount it on the belt, on the left side where I USE to be able to smack .4 second reload from, but that was with no slings or other gear on me. Just the Belt, holster and Mag pouch.
Ahhhh…those were the days. Of course we all believed back then that the .45 ACP was the PRIMARY weapon, and all that was needed.
I’m operating under the assumption that I’ll have my CCW on my belt already, which means I’ll have at least one mag for that already on my belt if I needed to grab the carbine. If I’m grabbing the carbine and I’m not already carrying my pistol, I doubt I’m going to take the time to stop and strap on the pistol.
I did just order a single molle pistol pouch to see if that works out on the chest rig, just in case, but I’m really digging the stripped-down setup. If the pistol mag works out on the left, I’m probably going to add a leatherman pouch on the right. Both of which will be mounted as close in to the rifle mags as possible.