5.56 ammo can repack kits

Status
Not open for further replies.

sota

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
Messages
955
So, i'm contemplating picking up several complete kits to repack my 5.56 ammo ala the way the military does for disbursement. Part of my reasoning is, it'd be easier to deploy for myself it needed as a backup to already loaded mags, and because I have a ton of "loose" ammo from when I had a basement flood and lots of boxes got moistened.

Are there any cons anyone can think of to creating repacks?

Thanks!

https://www.cleanammocans.com/4-pocket-bandolier-kit
 
I keep my .223/5.56 like this:
20x loaded 30 round magazines
2x ammo cans with rounds on stripper clips in bandoliers
The rest is ammo cans with rounds boxed/clipped/loose.

The loaded mags get shot, I reload those from the cans with loose rounds.
I never touch the bandoliers.
 
Bandoliers are easier to sling up out of the can.
But, you are faces with wanting the magazine adapter to best use the stripper clips in the sleeves.

And the bandoliers are simpler than the bags for loaded magazines.
 
Why not just load a bunch of mags (or stripper clips too I suppose) and store full mags in either a bandolier or small bag? You won’t ruin the spring from long term storage.
 
If you have a ton of loose ammo I think I would buy a plate-loader rather than repack kits. Something like this:

https://rrsspeedloaders.com/collections/ar-15/products/ar-15-speed-loader-5-56-223-300-blackout

About the same money invested and the fastest easiest and most economical way to reload AR magazines.

Not trying to hijack the thread but thanks for that link. :cool:

I like to keep my 5.56 ammo in original boxes stored in ammo cans. I have been looking for a board loader like the one above.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mcb
Con? Spending money towards ammo that isn't ammo. I'm OK with boxes of 20, or storing in magazines I already have.
 
Con? Spending money towards ammo that isn't ammo. I'm OK with boxes of 20, or storing in magazines I already have.
Huh? With that theory you would never need more than one magazine would you?o_O
1. OP wants to be able to easily "deploy" ammunition not already in magazines. As ammunition on stripper clips is faster to reload magazines than loose rounds or rounds in boxes of twenty its a sensible means of being prepared. So sensible the military has been doing exactly that for over a century.
2. OP said he has a "ton of "loose" ammo from when I had a basement flood and lots of boxes got moistened".......loose ammo isn't in magazines or boxes of twenty.
 
A net search will turn up dealers offering stripper clips, the cardboard inserts, loading spoons, and the cloth bandoliers. I bought mine long enough ago now that some of them aren't there now, but new ones have cropped up.

Ebay is where I found most of what I wanted. Depending on your magazine sizes you'll want the 20 or 30 round cardboard inserts then the seven or five(?) pocket bandoliers. I got the big black safety pins that secures the loading spoon to the bandolier as well.
 
Why not just load a bunch of mags (or stripper clips too I suppose) and store full mags in either a bandolier or small bag? You won’t ruin the spring from long term storage.
Pretty sure this is about ready availability more than saving springs.

The cloth bandoliers will hold, after a fashion, twenty round mags. The mags rip the thin cloth up pretty quickly. But, not when stowed in an ammo can.

Nobody--to my knowledge--has come up with a satisfactory cloth bandolier for 30 round magazines. There area couple of three and four pocket mag carriers on a shoulder strap, but they are bulky mag pouches, not very lean or light, or likely to not jump all around when worn.

Which is why the schest rig on a plate carrier has become so popular.
 
I have a ton of "loose" ammo from when I had a basement flood and lots of boxes got moistened.

I think I would be more worried about this part of it. How wet did the ammo get and is it still reliable?

WB
 
I think I would be more worried about this part of it. How wet did the ammo get and is it still reliable?

WB
mostly the boxes got damp. some of the ammo was moist, but I quickly unboxed all of it and dried it with towels. nothing was submerged in water.I loose packed all of it in ammo cans, I left all the cans open while the industrial sized dehumidifiers were doing their thing for a week, and had the exhaust of said blowing over said open ammo cans as well. eventually it was all bagged and canned with dessicant packs in it as well. nothing has exhibited any signs of corrosion or loss of functionality so far.
 
Pull some of the ammo that got wet. If the water got into the powder it will clump and turn acidic. The corrosion will start from the inside. By the time you see the corrosion on the outside the cases will be no good. I learned with a batch of milsurp 223.
 
Most of my loose .223 reloads are in tupperware-style potato salad and cole slaw tubs.
They hold 120 rounds per tub.
I also keep 25 to 30 loaded magazines, with 16 in twin-pack ready pouches, half on an ammo vest and half on a bandoleer.
All of my ammo that isn't in magazines is in sealed ammo cans.
 
Personally, other than esthetics or nostalgia, I see little to no difference to the repack kit in the provided link and loose rounds in an ammo can.
 
Personally, other than esthetics or nostalgia, I see little to no difference to the repack kit in the provided link and loose rounds in an ammo can.
If you have ever wanted to load magazines from stripper clips vs loose you would know the difference.;) That's the repack kit the OP linked to.
Give me 5.56/.223 on stripper clips and a StripLula and I can Ioad a thirty round magazine in less than ten seconds.......can't do that with loose rounds.

Some of those other links are just cardboard boxes without stripper clips.
 
If you have ever wanted to load magazines from stripper clips vs loose you would know the difference.;) That's the repack kit the OP linked to.
Give me 5.56/.223 on stripper clips and a StripLula and I can Ioad a thirty round magazine in less than ten seconds.......can't do that with loose rounds.

Some of those other links are just cardboard boxes without stripper clips.

This is the link I followed. It was the one posted in the OP. In the description, it says you can ADD stripper clips, but they are not included in the kit in the provided link. Basically just a cloth bag and some cardboard boxes......oh and some safety pins. Here is one of the specs.....

Re-pack your ammo to military specification with genuine USGI 4 pocket bandoliers! This kit will provide enough bandoliers to re-pack one M2A1/M2A2 ammo can with 840 rounds of your own 5.56 ammunition. Add M2A1 ammo cans and stripper clips from CleanAmmoCans.com to perform a complete military spec ammo repack. Stripper clips are not included with this bandolier kit.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top