Condor Shotgun Ammo Pouch

​Condor has a couple of pouches specifically designed the carry shotgun ammo on a tactical vest. I know they don’t make all that many different designs for shotgun ammo due to a lack of purchases generally. Most of the market is split between shock ammo sleeves for hunting or side saddles for self-defense, minuteman style. That said, this pouch carries 25 shells in secure loops and folds up conveniently. It is a single point away from perfect, but is quickly remedied with 550 cord. I am going to give you, the reader, a pretty in-depth look at this pouch in hopes that you will appreciate it for what it is.

PURPOSE AND USE

​This pouch is going to fill roles for a narrow group of people. That group would include those who are breachers or those using the shotgun for combat. Hunting, animal defense, and home defense will rarely require more than a stock sleeve or side saddle for the very low likelihood of needing a reload. This pouch allows you to have easy access to about 3-6 full reloads (depending on your magazine capacity) before needing to move to the next ammo source. This pouch favors accessibility of a lot of ammo at speed without sacrificing profile and space on your rig. It is not as fast as a competition rig, but it does offer better retention that is vital in a fight where fast movement while reloading with gloves and weight is the name of the game.

DESIGN FEATURES

​The low profile, roll out design is very convenient.

​The tension of the elastic shell bands is perfect, but risks them having a short wear life in practice and long-term functionality. On the other hand, with most of the weight being under the bands, there is little risk of loose bands resulting in a yard sale of shells during movement once they become loose.

​The Velcro on the sides is the only point of contention that I have since Velcro has a tendency to wear rapidly for the most part. The good news is that you can have a seamstress sew on new patches once they lose their functionality. The sides help keep all the shells stacked and in their proper place as well as offer the best concealment and cover from both view and solid elements. I would personally put in small magnets to ensure an infinite life span once the Velcro wears out. This is quieter and much better for deployment in my opinion.

​The buttons at the top are doubtlessly responsible for the excellent noiseless nature of this high-capacity pouch. There are two male buttons that I believe are meant for securing both 3” and 2¾” shells. My advice for long life is to lube the female top flap buttons with a good grease since the flexible rings inside them lose their tension easily if dryly functioned. If you wish to remove the Velcro for a quitter opening, I recommend only removing the top flap layer since the Velcro on the body is essential for the top flap retaining its position during use.

​Remember that the Velcro is actually helpful when refolding the pouch after being emptied since it is unwise to leave it hanging like a flag as you move. There is a double-edged sword in this case.

CARRYING METHODS

​The pouch has a MOLLE backing that obviates it being designed to attach to a Molle panel. In my experience, it is faster if not attached on a plate carrier, but rather on a battle belt near the hip. This gives you an optimal angle for grabbing shells. I would absolutely discourage putting this on a leg panel unless you want it to flap around and become a knee buster or tripping hazard.

​Another option is to turn the pouch into an ALICE friendly pouch by lacing the MOLLE through in a specific manner and tying it down through the eyelets. This is my preferred way to carry the pouch, though I advise it be off on the hip and out of the way of the leg range of motion.

​The last method is a bit odd but good for expediency. You can take 550 cord and make slings to throw over the shoulder and hang as low or high as desired.

You can set it up with a simple tied knot and have length to hang at belt level and just tie the cordage up if you desire to have it higher under the arm.

For deployment, the pouch strap will need to be forcefully yanked on if the pouch has nothing holding it down. When moving with and using the pouch in this fashion, you may benefit from securing it to the belt with a carabiner if you don’t want it bouncing all over the place. Another option or add-on is to have shoelace or 550 also on the bottom to tie around your torso and keep it against your body. This is a very minimalist approach, but effective.

SHELL/POUCH PREPARATION

​How you load and setup the pouch will decide how easily you can get to the shells and how fast you can load them into the shotgun. First thing I recommend is to take shoelace or 550 cord and make a tight monkey fist, or clump of knots, on the pull tab. This will make it easy to find with gloves and give you nearly guaranteed assurance that the tab will stay in your grasp when you pull upward.

​Do not try to open the top flap just by grabbing it since the buttons will make you have to exert force in an outward twisting motion to defeat them. This is impractical and easily remedies with the monkey fist of knots.

​When loading the shells, just unfold the pouch all the way and load them so all shells are loaded facing down with the brass upward. The one shell that is horizontal should be faced forward for easy extraction, and the reason will be explained.

​When closing the pouch, ensure that the side flaps are perfectly aligned and that you snap down the right buttons. For 2¾” shells, use the bottom buttons. ​I know this is a time-consuming process, but it only really has to be done right once and will ensure a low profile and solid pouch that won’t bounce all over the place. Preparation is key.

SHELL EXTRACTION TECHNIQUE 

​Grabbing and indexing the shells is absolutely essential for reloading, as with any other weapon system or shotgun shell setup. It is best to get a secure and proper hold on the shells right away rather than fumble the reload. With the shotgun, more than any other weapon system, technique is crucial since capacity is limited, obviating the need to replenish the max capacity as soon practicable.

​With these elastic bands, you will find that the most you will probably be able to securely grab is two at a time. This maximizes retention of the shells on the reload, but necessitates you to be quick if you need a full mag really quick. You can also grab one at a time for even greater security and shell retention during the reload, but that is up to you.

​For this pouch, once you open it and the top part folds down, you will work front to back and top to bottom.

​When extracting the outside shells, or shells that have room under the front of them, push your thumb behind the two shells you are extracting and use your middle and index finger to push the shells up through the bands.

​Then you will simply pinch them with all three fingers and pull them out.

​If you fail to get a secure hold, you simply take the front of the shell and push against your body to better seat them.

​If you want to do a single shell extraction and the shell has room under it, simply shove your thumb behind the shell and into the band with it.

​Push the shell up with the index finger and then pinch the shell with your middle finger and extract it while maintaining your index of the shell with your index finger.

​For the single horizontal shell, simply grasp the rear of the rim with the thumb and middle finger while indexing the front of the shell with the index finger.

​Push the front of the shell backwards and then pull straight back to extract the shell, maintaining that index of the shell. You will need to get this shell out first before trying to get to the inside shells since it will interfere with your grip technique.

​For the shells on the inside against the body, place your thumb flat behind the middle two shells with your thumb facing rearward, and then grab the shells with your middle finger and pull up. Push the shells against the body to better seat them if fumbled.

​For a single shell extraction of the shells on either side of the inner elastic bands, simply jam your thumb behind the shell and down into the elastic band. ​Grab the rim with your middle and index finger and pull it out of the band. Again, use your body to secure the shell better if your extraction was a bit sloppy. You can then repeat this process until you have the desired number of shells in your grasp. I stick to two at a time at most.

​Once you empty the top 9 shells, you can grab the front flap and peel the pouch open either partway to expose the next level of shells or all the way to gain better access.

​Once the pouch is empty, simply grab the front flap which hangs the lowest, and use the back of your hand to flip up the top flap. ​Be advised that fully opening the pouch unnecessarily presents a large visible target and also turns the pouch into a big flap for snagging. I like to hold off as long as possible, if I can. 

Once you have emptied the pouch or just want to close it up,​ secure the bottom flap with the top flap Velcro in order to keep the pouch from being this big belligerent flap in your way. If you have the time, buttoning it up with at least one button would be even better.

CONCLUSION

​I will not say that this pouch is the fastest method for reloading, but I will say that it is the lowest visibility, lowest profile, and largest capacity pouch I know of on the market. It is fast and easy to open, but I do not care for Velcro after using Velcro pouches for years. Magnets are my go-to if I have a choice. That said, this pouch keeps the shells quiet and prevents a yardsale well. It also allows you to open it only as much as you feel you need to, which I highly appreciate. The knockoff pouches lack the buttons, but are a good option for just having ammo around, perhaps with a 550 cord sling.

​The choice is yours whether you get one of these pouches, but at $25 in most places, I think it is a bargain with what you are getting. It gets my approval.