Improved 12 Gauge Loadout: Original SOE

Anyone familiar with LBE knows there are eleventy-five different manufacturers of ammo pouches, mag shingles and other modular accessories for your rifle/carbine/pistol. One thing you don’t see nearly as frequently is an efficient way 12-gauge reloads. There are some shot shell chest rings out there and a few hook-and-loop pouches for your LBE Or war belt but few of them offer an easy way to access the heavy, varied load of 12ga some guys require.

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John Willis of Original Special Operations Equipment (OSOE) - who will need no introduction to many Kit Up! readers - makes modular pieces that address this niche need. The first is the 12a pull-out tray; the second is the 12a pull-out pouch. Both allow quick access to your reloads and both protect the ammunition from the elements and whatever’s around you if you happen to be going prone or taking cover. If you don’t have that much room, they make an 8 round version that fits where one M4 mag does (or you can mount it with PALS).

For those of you who speak in favor of the sidesaddle, speed-feed stock or bandolier, we would respond as follows. Love the sidesaddle, limited reload capability. Some people really groove on the speed-feed stock; our crew has found them to be problematic, and again it’s a very limited reload. Bandolier belts can be difficult to mount to a heavy vest that’s carrying a lot of other equipment and expose the ammunition to the elements (and they tend to come loose or get pushed up as you move or go prone). Bandolier slings are a no-go for our guys for a number of reasons, the first of which is the movement it generates in the weapon, the second is the tendency of rounds to get pushed loose or rattle loose if you have to move with any urgency. Note: we’re not arguing if that’s what you run, we’re just prefacing our subject matter (and we freely admit bandoliers look good in movies).

The pull-out tray is just what it sounds like, a tray carrying 12-gauge rounds that will slide into any mag pouch capable of holding two M4/AR15 magazines (something you probably already have on your LBE). The standard pull-out tray holds 16 rounds, 8 to a side. You can tether it into the carrying pouch with 550 cord though the grommet in your pouch and the loop on the bottom of the tray. The pull-out pouch is the faster of the two for reloads and may be the better choice if you’re running different ammunition types (here’s a video of the 12ga pull out pouch explained its creator).

Lastly, if you don’t have a need for this sort of accessory, they make a hook and loop backed 12ga card in 5- or 6-round version that will slap onto anywhere you have already have Velcro.

One other thing we’ll be covering—an OSOE 12ga micro rig that’s awesome for an LE active shooter or home defense scenario. More on that soon.

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