Was thinking this Surefire 60 round mag might work for Law Enforcement rather then 2 mags. Some guys use Redi-Mags or attach a spare mag to the buttstock which adds quite a bit of weight and can be cumbersome. This is nearly the same size as a standard mag. It’s got the seal of approval from Larry Vickers.
Some say you don’t need this many rounds for law enforcement work but you never know if you could end up in a Columbine, CA bank shootout or other type situation. Better to have it and not need it then not have it. It is fairly expensive at $129 though.
I would say that is should offer a tactical advantage to you, weather or not you “need” 60 rds or not having that capability is advantageous. It gives the officer twice the capacity saving at least three seconds in that time is life situation. Allowing the weapon to stay on the threat keeping focus on the task at hand.
A good idea, and why I would rather have 2 30s over 1 60. 2 30s also give the option of loading one with barrier ammo and one with reduced penetration for apt complexes and the like. Department policies might eliminate this option.
I dont see these as being very practical for LE use. I would imagine a 30 w/ a Colt/NHMTG 20 in a redi-mag would be a better option. If the Surefire Mag were to go tits up, then you are fucked.
Very clever. I would be proud if I had of thought of that. I’m going to order a couple or four. Not that I need them. More of an investment. And because I can.
I want one, but I haven’t figured out how I would use it in conjunction with my other mags (all PMags) yet. Do I keep it in the rifle as my go to mag for superior sustainability right out of the car? or do I keep it in my chest rig, allowing me to field a lighter weight rifle until I need it?
My inclination would be to keep it, and at least one other spare mag on my chest rig, and keep a standard size mag in the rifle.
more thoughts on that?
Looking forwad to Magpul jumpin on this with some poly mags.
If I were to using one it would be in my rifle. If you have to jump out of your car and go, you’ll have a large number of rounds. If you end up in a a situation where you have more time, like a barricaded suspect where you’re on the perimeter, you can switch it with a 30rd mag for a lighter weight rifle when you have the time to don your chest rig.
I’d say for the majority of L.E. carbine uses; no. I can’t see this thing fitting in most cruiser racks as they are set up. In fact, in many, especially the between the seats racks, a 20 is much more practical than a thirty because of the tight space. Then again, turn the rack a little and hang a cup holder on the end and the Surefire could function as an armrest.
The maneuverability of the 60-round mag might be a little hard. Even 30 round mags can be a bit heavy and bulky to move around with.
LE should have the availability of rounds during rifle deployments, but putting a large amount into a single magazine might not be the best way to do it.
My agency issues two 30rd magazines per Patrol Rifle. The guns are taken out of the armories of the respective units of assignments by those trained and authorized to do so. (Would love to see all officers trained, but currently only about 175 or so, out of 1,100).
Our guns are stored in the trunks, so the length of the Surefire mag as it relates to fitting in a rack is a non issue for us.
We recently (not my idea) bought mag couplers. The two mags are coupled together. The change to the weight and balance of the gun is definitely noticeable. Together with the recently added Surefire M500 fore ends, We took a light weight rifle and made it feel like a brick!
For general patrol rifle usage, I think 60 rds is a nice figure to start with. But I don’t think I would want all 60 rds in the same magazine. If I were to use one for patrol work, it’d be in the gun. But I’d want another 30rd mag on my person as a backup, should I have a magazine malfunction.
The problem for uniform officers tends to be where to carry the spare magazine. We trained to stuff it in a rear pocket. Works ok, until the first time you have to move, climb over an obstacle, ect. and the magazine falls out of said pocket.
For this reason, I feel the idea of the 60 rd Surefire mag has some merit.
But when the Departmental cost of a Pmag is around $12-13 ea. I think it would be kind of a hard sell to most cash strapped Departments to issue a $130 magazine.
As far as gunfights go the more the merrier. In my agency patrol gets 2 mags per rifle. That beats 1 60 rounder for reasons already given. SWAT gets 4 mags per rifle. Some carry a few more but most of us have settled on 3 rifle and 3 pistol on our person. In many cases I think the idea of a bunch of ammo is more applicable to patrol than SWAT. Patrol is always the first responder and could be there for awhile before other patrol units, agencies and or SWAT show up.
The reality for the vast majority of teams today is hazardous search warrants most of the time. I know that many full time teams in places like LA, Miami, Dallas etc. have a ton of actial call outs but they are the exception nation wide. So for the most part SWAT is hitting a known commodity with number of bad guys, floor plans, possibly weapons, already known. When we hit a 1000 square foot residence containing 2 bad guys with an 6-8 man entry team with a medic and perimeter covered as well the extreme loadouts are not necessary in many cases.
But back to patrol. In my AO there might be 4-6 patrol units covering 500 square miles on an average day. Some areas are very rural and we have our fair share of meth labs, bikers, and lately even sovereigns are sahowing up. When I worked patrol I always kept 6 mags in the car. Add a shotgun with 25 rounds of buck and slugs and my pistol and I felt pretty confident that if I didn’t get whacked early on I could hold out till the gang rolled in.
So, to answer your question I think it will find a place but I believe it will be with individual officers who like the cool stuff and are willing to spend thier own dime on it. I don’t see it so much as a need but nice to have. I usually carry a 20 in my rifle and 2 30’s as back up. If I’ve went through my 20 and anti social activities are still ongoing the 60 would be nice to have.
I would never run a SF 60 rounder for duty, for several reasons:
First, gunfights are usually over in a matter of seconds, and the vast majority of them require less than 10 rounds. I have gone to great lengths to lighten up my rifle as much as possible: CTR, LW Barrel, T-1, TRX Extreme, TLR-1 light. I would go so far as to say that I typically carry a 20 round P-Mag as my primary. Even if all of this just makes me 0.5 seconds faster in a fight, it might just be enough to come out on top.
Second, I would never put all of my ammo in one basket, so to speak. We’ve all run across a magazine that starts hiccup. I wouldn’t want all of my ammo tied to it. I now carry a spare rifle mag as part of my normal duty belt. All other ammo is in my raid vest as well as an active shoter bag.
Third, too many guys try to make their rifles into a “Do it all” setup. Bipod, magnifier for distance, optic for CQB, heavy barrel for precision, 500 Lumen light for lighting up an entire block, redi-mag. A light weight rifle quickly becomes a brick. Going back to #1, tenths of a second can win or lose a gun fight. What good is having all that stuff if you get beaten right out of the gate?
Fourth, where or how would you store such a magazine on your body? I suppose you could throw one into a dump pouch or cargo pocket. I’d just as soon have two 30 round magazines.
Would I want a SF 60 rounder? I guess so, but mainly just to have one. If I owned any NFA items I surely would have one. Outside of that, I’d rather spend the money on a BC or Geiselle trigger for just a bit more