Your Ultimate Guide to Magazine Carriers

Unless you want to carry your gun in your pocket like an amateur, a gun holster is absolutely necessary. It’s no different with your magazines – you need a magazine carrier to keep your magazine on your person, always accessible.

Different types of magazine carriers exist for different purposes and you don’t need all of them, so here’s a guide that will answer your question – what magazine carriers do I need?

OWB and IWB Magazine Carriers – What’s the Difference?

OWB is an acronym for ‘outside the waistband’, while IWB stands for ‘inside the waistband’. As you might assume from the names, the biggest difference between the two is where the magazines are.

IWB carriers are popular as a concealed carry for both guns and magazines. Since the magazine is securely tucked inside your pants, nobody’s going to notice it.

If you have a small magazine, it can be completely invisible.

The most obvious fault of an IWB carrier is that some magazines are uncomfortable to carry inside the pants. It’s going to be pressed against your skin, and unless you’re wearing pants that are a size larger, you’re going to feel that magazine on you all the time.

This can’t hurt you in any way, but it’s simply uncomfortable to carry it like that.

Additionally, IWB magazine carriers are more difficult to pull out than OWB carriers – especially if you’re wearing tight pants.

Speaking of OWB carriers – they’re difficult to hide. You have to cover them with a shirt, and even then, the outlines of the magazine and the carrier will be visible.

If you buy a large carrier, it’s still going to be seen when you bend and your shirt slightly lifts.

On a positive note, they’re much more comfortable to carry (especially if you have a big magazine) and they’re easier to pull out.

In this regard, it all depends on what you need. If you want a concealed carry – buy a gun with a small magazine and get yourself an IWB carrier. Here is an article from Gunmade.com that might help you select a concealed carry pistol. 

If you’re not worried about concealing your weapon and the magazine, OWB is the way to go.

Magazine Orientation - Left or Right, Vertical or Horizontal? 

Since you’re always holding your weapon in your dominant hand, your magazines should always be on your non-dominant hip. That way, you can pull it out and load it while releasing your empty mag, and without taking your eyes and your barrel off the target.

So, if you’re right-handed – magazines should be carried on the left side. If you’re left-handed, the right side.

Regarding the vertical versus horizontal magazine orientation, this is a personal preference more than anything. The most efficient way of carrying magazines is vertically, upside-down (the first round in the magazine is pointed towards the ground).

That way, when you have to reload, you can simply pull it out and slide it in the gun without having to turn it in your hand.

This article was written and sponsored by our friends at Gun Made