Recent photos of some Kiwi SAS troopers in Afghanistan have more than a few folks on the internet perplexed. As reported on The Firearm Blog, all the troopers have a cord attaching their primary magazine to their trigger guard.
I honesty have no idea what the cord is used for, but it appears to me to be an elastic cord. Anyhow, it would be interesting to know why they are using it.
More photos here…
http://www.3news.co.nz/SAS-in-Afghanistan---photos/tabid/423/articleID/144187/Default.aspx
Loss prevention!
Budgets are being tightened. So instead of dropping a mag and leaving it on the ground to get lost or damaged, it just dangles from the rifle. 
im kind of a huge fan of my primary mag wouldnt want to loose it. i trust it.
My guess is… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaC4hrTbwIY
starting at 1:04 - 1:10 
I’ve never seen anything like it…you maybe right!
im gonna buy that dvd just for fun. i have the first one need carbine 2 and handgun and this one just for fun.
My first thoughts were about air ops too, but only CONUS due to some rules about stuff dropping out of a chopper.
But, we need to find the truth since thousands of Airsofter’s social lives are at stake here.
My guess would be either mag retention in land or aerial ops. Maybe the NZ Army hands out NJP for losing mags? 
I know I’m a new guy around here, and it’s been a few years since I retired…but, I ain’t never seen a mag dummy-corded to a weapon. The air ops scenerio makes sense, but…
Yeah, it was just my stab at guessing…
Sounds like a good guess to me, but who knows.
That would be my guess, mag retention. Unless of course the New Zealand goverment forbids select fire weapons and those SAS operators have to use the old “shoe string method” to get rock’n and roll’n…
Interesting none the less, thanks for posting.
Hey, i resemble that remark…er…i mean i resent that!!! 
I have no first hand knowledge of this or any other NZSAS op so this is just my own speculative opinion but one will likely find that this will actually be two mags coupled together that are bungeed on with the short elastic cord. The bungee is not because they have to ‘be accountable to the RQMS for all issued mags’ due to budgetary reasons despite what many may think. (These are SAS troopers after all and not regular squaddies).
Likely the other spare mags carried will not have the elastic lanyard just the first set.
As many have already suggested on a heli borne infil an ejected mag can’t be sucked into the turbine or tail rotor once it’s ejected if they have to return fire from the heli. If it is accidentally ejected while on the ground it also won’t drop and alert an enemy to their presence and if accidentally ejected at night the trooper won’t have to go to his line 2 gear for a replacement and also is less likely to lose it on the ground and possibly alert an enemy to the patrol’s presence in their AO. The white sewing elastic will also break easily if it snags on something so as not to snare up the trooper in an engagement or evasion which is why paracord is not used.
Interestingly it is not always SOP so may be Sabre Squadron/Troop specific…
CAPTION:
…VC recipients don’t need no stinking strings!
Roger that!!..You recognized ol’ Willie then;)
Did his photo/Story/uproar hit the news in the US? I hadn’t seen/heard anything…
Oh yeah I recognized him! Far to many of my countrymen don’t realize the bravery of our Kiwi and Aussie brethern, SE Asia…GWOT. The story was never in the mainstream American media, but I don’t read/listen to that crap anyway. I had to read of it like I do most things, on the internet.
What was the backlash of his photos being published in the newspaper? I heard about it but do not know the extent.
Agreed on the Aussies & Kiwis…Long history of courage under fire there…No question…Hard bastards…everyone of them…
It was a big uproar as it is a big ‘No No’ for any SAS/SBS to be photographed…Much like your DEVGRP or CAG…maybe worse…The Brit SF were even more conscious of it when they operated in Northern Ireland as they often worked alone undercover and to be recognised was a death sentence…They still will take great lengths to not to be identified like covering up faces with Shemags etc…Just look at most publically available pictures of them…This picture made the front page of the paper in NZ…and of course the outcry was what it did for OPSEC and the individual’s PERSEC…There was a time when being publically ‘outed’ would effectively end an SF career…
I only read the citation of his actions, I didn’t know that it was on the front pages of the news papers…but then again this was the first Kiwi to win the VC since WWII so no doubt this was big news in NZ.
Absolutely blows OPSEC to hell.
OT, but…
Are they using Streamlight Sidewinder helmet lights?
I am a big fan of the Surefire helmet light but I am a bigger fan of AA batteries.