mfrits Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 OK, I have gone completely BSC and I've decided to get into 3 gun Tac Ops. I've been shooting USPSA for a bit, I've dusted off of my AR and I just invested in a new 21" M2 with an 8+1 Nordic setup. I've already got good pistol and rifle mag carriers but I need to buy some shot shell caddies. Two questions 1. If I am starting with 9 rounds in the gun, how many should I have on my belt? 2. I am working on my Load 2 skills. Which caddies do I go with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theKenny Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 If you don't miss? Which is what is most important i carry enough to finish the stage without what you have in the gun I have a carbon arms 24 plate, an Invictus 12Q, and a CCW 8 round. I'm partial to the Carbon arms and IP ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iowashooter Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I like my invictus practical 2.8 caddies pretty easy to load 2 or 4 from the same caddy. And like was said I carry enough shells to complete the stage not including what is in the gun at the beep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Tompkins Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 To question 1: I can carry as many at 24 on the belt plus 1-4 on cloth caddy on the forearm. For question 2: I have a mix of a Carbon Arms 8 shell caddy and two Apex 4x4 caddies - allows me to go L2/L4 or traditional weak hand (some times the shooting position makes L2/L4 hard or awkward or slow to do (like when in a SUV or if you have to go prone). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacticalCOWBOY Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I to carry enough to complete the course of fire on my belt and the 9 in the gun are for mistakes. Carbon arms are all I have and love the versatility they provide. Welcome to the great sport of 3Gun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickLee Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I just got the Carbon arms 24 and I am really liking it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Doc Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I have the carbon arms and invictus practical, I prefer carbon arms for load 2 technique the shells are held more secure and if you bump into something they won't brake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankC3803 Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 +1 for Carbon Arms... I use the Load-2 method, and have a 24-round chest rig and 6-round "pinwheels" for my belt (selection depends on round count). I like the flexibility of being able to angle each set to keep a neutral wrist angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinWolv Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 (edited) Invictus Practical is best value and most versatile overall for the money. Carbon Arms has the best molded clips on the market currently. The edges are rounded very nicely and are very durable. The Invictus clips retain well and work well, but are not molded, so breaking the edges with a file is advised. Edited October 23, 2014 by AustinWolv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling White Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 (edited) Invictus Practical is best value and most versatile overall for the money. Carbon Arms has the best molded clips on the market currently. The edges are rounded very nicely and are very durable. The Invictus clips retain well and work well, but are not molded, so breaking the edges with a file is advised. How is it the best value when you have to work on it to finish it and when other caddies serve the same purpose which cost a lot less, ie., Taccom? Edited October 23, 2014 by Sterling White Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinWolv Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 (edited) Invictus Practical is best value and most versatile overall for the money. Carbon Arms has the best molded clips on the market currently. The edges are rounded very nicely and are very durable. The Invictus clips retain well and work well, but are not molded, so breaking the edges with a file is advised. How is it the best value when you have to work on it to finish it and when other caddies serve the same purpose which cost a lot less, ie., Taccom? Better base material. Modular pieces. More adjustability for how you want the shells held. Real hardware instead of threading into plastic. Mounts to TMMS also. Complete angular adjustment. Superior customer service. The only clips I've seen out there that are good to go out of the box are Carbon Arms. All other ones have sharp edges because they are cut material, not molded. How about I define "value" as the most features/pros for the price? Because there is no shell caddy/carrier out there that is perfect out of the box, especially for every person out there given different preferences of features and unconventional shooting positions now and then.. If the Invictus Practical had molded clips though, you'd be hard-pressed to make an argument that anyone had theirs beat. Edited October 23, 2014 by AustinWolv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling White Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 (edited) Mfrits - AP, Carbon Arms, IP, Taccom and Cameleon are the main ones. There are some other builders out there - Otto, Ram, etc. . Couple of things to keep in mind while shopping - the plastics being used to make caddies, despite what some may imply, are not toy plastics and have been constructed out of material that will stand up to our needs in the 3g sport. I was a little surprised to hear that the edges on the IP caddies are sharp and need to be filed. As you do your research you will find that caddie cost vary quite a bit. Before dumping a bunch of money into a system because its the next best thing or its endorsed by a "pro" borrow one or several different types from some shooters in the local area. If that doesn't work out then pick up the phone and call some of the manufactures as they even have equipment loaners that they will send you to try out. Edited October 24, 2014 by Sterling White Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinT Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Sharp edges haven't been a problem on my invictus caddies and I've never thought to deburr them. Taccom and Invictus are my favorite quad load caddies, carbon arms makes good load 2 caddies as well. Bear in mind that there's some preexisting drama regarding this subject and Sterling has chosen a side because, at a minimum, he doesn't like one of the pros. Which is getting a little tiring and kind of weird. If you have 24 rounds on your belt, you'll be in good shape for most matches. 30-50 round shotgun stages are rare but they do happen, check your local requirements and you can always share with squadmates. 44 rounds is the absolute max I've put on my belt in the last few years (32 quad, 12 standard weakhand). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blu46and2 Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 (edited) I'm with AustinT on this one, I can carry 44+ rounds on my belt but rarely need that many in a match. However, every match is different and you may encounter a stage that requires more but it is rare. I use carbon arms for my load two's for stuffing in a couple slug or buckshot when they are mixed in during a stage with bird and I have recently switched over to Invictus for all my quad loads, which would be most of the time nowadays. That being said Invictus has some pretty slick caddies that work for load 2 as well, the 2.6 comes to mind and if you think that you might like to upgrade to the load 4 method in the future the 8ight plate might be a good, scalable solution for you. Edit: Should add that I use Otto carries to carry some extra on the far backside of my belt, or extra slug or buck, should I need them and where load two or four isn't practical. Edited October 23, 2014 by blu46and2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfrits Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 Gentlemen - thanks so much for the advice. I'll be taking a close look at both Carbon Arms and Invictus. It has taken me a bit to gather all the parts and pieces I need for 3G but I am almost there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfrits Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 Forgot to mention that I am running a Safariland belt with ELS clips. It looks like the Invictus gear works well with ELS clips but does anyone know if the Carbon Arms gear does? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmantee Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 I run Carbon Arms on my ELS belt and they have enough holes to attach the clips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prreed10 Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Both easily accept ELS Clips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman489 Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Kevin's customer service at Invictus is worth it alone...Im sure CA is great also but like Austin said, IP's really are a superior value. I would just get a few more than what you were planning, each CoF is different and thus you will need different tools. I have IP's (2)12Q (3) 2.8's (1)2.6 & a standard safari land old school 4 caddy, so I can go to the line w 51 (including my match saver) plus 9 in the gun ....they come in handy when your on a 40 round shotgun jungle run.... trust me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling White Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Austin was being nice! O the stories I could tell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachvu Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 I'm surprised so many recommendations have been made, and price hasn't really come up! Taccoms are about half the price of some of the other competitors, for a product that achieves the same goal. I know some people love AP's stuff, and the Invictus modular idea seems cool, but it's worth noting the price/value difference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinWolv Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 We pay more than the price difference in ammo just in shooting a long stage, so it is overplayed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachvu Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 We pay more than the price difference in ammo just in shooting a long stage, so it is overplayed. Very true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman489 Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 buy once cry once ... cheap isn't better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfrits Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 While price is always a consideration, I subscribe to the "buy once, cry once" philosophy. I try to do a bunch of research, ask a bunch of experts (you guys), and then just commit at whatever price is necessary. That's how I wound up with an STI pistol and a Benelli M2. I haven't been disappointed by that strategy yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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