Carrying Rifle Ammo in the Woods?

I don't really like having rounds on the stock when hunting, so I stick to belt pouches such as a single leather or canvas 5-rd pouch on my belt and 5+1 in the gun. The is no loud snap to undo---just grab the cartridge silently. Enough for any scenario I could imagine.

A classic WWII style German Mauser 8mm pouch can carry six 5-round stripper clips of ammo of up to ~57mm case length, and there are a variety of other solutions.
 
When I first started big game hunting (14 yrs old ), I would pack around 20 rounds in a belt carrier, 5 rounds in each back pocket, and 5+1 in my rifle.

Over the last 20 years I came to realize, I may not actually need to carry enough ammo on a deer/elk/antelope hunt to start a small war.

When I hit 20 or so, I went to a 10 round flip down ammo carrier on the belt, only need to use ammo from it on one trip. Used that carrier for 3-4 years, and decided I didn't even need that much extra ammo.

What I carry now depends on the rifle I'm carrying.

My Model 70 in .270, I carry 5+1 in the gun, and probably a couple loose rounds in my pocket.

My Hawkeye in .358 Winchester gets 4+1 in the gun, and 4 in the ammo loops on the sling.

My 1885 in '06 gets 1 in the gun, and 4 in the loops on the sling I borrow from the Hawkeye.

I usually carry a pistol along, a .45Colt/ACP Blackhawk, .41 Mag Blackhawk, or a Ruger GP100. They all get a full cylinder, plus a couple homemade shot shells in the pocket for grouse/squirrels/snakes.
 
Unless a person is hunting a patch of land that is completely known to him, very small, and or covered with trails and easy land marks, he should be packing a center fire pistol and a fart load off ammo for signaling.

An I the only one here that has ever stumbled while hunting? How hunting, tripped on a slick log hidden in the leaves, three of my broad heads spiked my left lei could have broken my ankle instead, or ripped open a vein on a sharp stick or even a hunk of barbed wire.

I never carried extra ammo because I expected to use it on deer, I was worried about being off of the map from my crew, and not being missed until long after dark if I got hurt.

How hunters probably ought to stay within reasonable hiking distances andor carry a blank gun. Seriously, climbing a tree, risking a fall, and no way to summon help but shouting, or shooting three arrows into the air?

My dad always hunted alone. He always went to the same places and never far off trail.
 
Am I the only one here that has ever stumbled while hunting?
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I always carry radio gear to keep in touch with a hunting pardner, it is good for safety, and also for organizing if one of you needs help with a carcass.

A ham radio license is not nearly as hard to get as it used to be, and the radios are much more powerful than the regular stuff. - That's what I use.

If you are around pine trees, use VHF instead of UHF radios. - The pine needles are the same length as a UHF wavelength and will soak up your signals, cut your range way down. Around hardwoods or in the desert, UHF works very well.

There are commercial radios that are pretty good too - just make sure they are VHF instead of UHF if you are going to be in the pines.

In the field, I use a leather ammo carrier on my belt, it holds twenty rounds.
 
Good walkies, or a walkie cell combination can be a wonderful thing, until your moron partner squawks at you just as you are letting off the safety on a ten point.


"Hey, buddy, seen anything? I'm breaking for lunch want to meet back at camp for fried baloney and baked beans?" Yep, there are people who I wouldn't allow on the air anywhere within signal range. Some of them I don't want within rifle range.
 
I don't think walkies generally have a vibrate feature. If I forgot to switch my phone to vibrate, that would clearly be my fault.

That wouldn't keep me from chewing his ears off if we had already discussed that it was only for really important messages.
 
belt of bandoleer

One of the old school cartridge belts, or a over the shoulder " Mex bandit" style bandoleer will carry that much ammo, you can thread other stuff on it like water bottle, sheath knife on it, a drag rope, compass case, etc. You can take the thing off and hang it on a limb, or at camp otherwise. I've got a leather pistol belt with loops that holds 25, that served in the truck and woods walking role for the .357 carbine.

Ebay is a fair place to look for old school leather stuff....depending on what size you need, some are bargains. I bought mine as a factory second, no complaints.

Ammo for hunting. My general rule is the rifle at capacity, and one full reload. I've got one of the shell drop down things like Eastbank described that works for LA cartridges. I hate to hang anything off a pretty wood stock, so the carrier gets used anytime I'm carrying walnut.

I keep elastic butt cuff's on several of my poly stocked rifles. Five in the rifle leaves 4-5 on the cuff, and that doesn't seem to spoil any balance qualities. One trick I use to keep the elastic cuff's in place is to split the seam of the cuff at the bottom, and thread the cuff on the stock to such a point that the sling swivel stud protrudes from the slit. Then I snap the sling and swivel in place and the cuff stays put.
 
I'm not going to war, I'm going hunting. I carry a full mag capacity in my Ruger Mk II and one round in each pocket for signaling in case I break a leg or sprain an ankle. Always take your cell phone. I've not done that and had to crawl out of the woods...no fun !!
 
Well as you are walking all of 50 ft, get 10 magazines, put in a box and pull out the number you are going to use.

We used to do it all the time up here (tended to gravel pits but same idea) good backstop and fine.


Of you could go all tactical and get the strap on vest good for 5 days of combat.

Get reloading boxes and put factory ammo in them, 50 to a box, works fine last long time.
 
When I carried my mauser, I would put my extra 5 or 10 rounds of ammo in stripper clips.
Now that I carry my 30-06, I cut up the plastic containers that come in my Federal ammo box and carry those 5 or 10 extra in 5 round groups.
 
I agree with the stripper clips for carrying rounds in a shirt pocket. I've found a lot of different rounds fit in the standard 5 round 7.62 NATO clips.

On the other hand, for 40 bucks, I'd have at least one extra mag. If you lost or damaged the one, depending on the rifle it could be a pain to single load...

Tony
 
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Thanks for the replies

I found something that works. I bought 2 20 round ammo belts off of midway usa. I clipped them together and with some modification of the belt length it is the perfect size to be used as an across the shoulder bandolier. I also stitched a 9 round rifle side saddle onto the belt. So now I can carry 29 rounds diagonal on the front, 20 rounds diagonal on the back, 4+1 in the gun is a total of 54 rounds without jingling. Thank you to everyone who said "bandolier" which gave me this idea in the first place. My next trip to the woods is gonna be fun!
 
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