HSGI TACO Magazine Pouch Review

Review and Photos by MikeG
April 14th, 2010

TACOs Are Tasty:

The High Speed Gear Inc. TACO is a lightweight single magazine pouch that can be adjusted to fit a myriad of different magazines.  This sets it apart from competing products like the ITW Fastmag or Bladetech Kydex Rifle Magazine Pouch.  Each of these systems allow a single rifle mag to be easily inserted and drawn, retained by friction.  The HSGI TACO is the only system that is designed to be adjustable so that it can carry nearly any magazine including all AR-15, AK, and 7.62 NATO mags.  The TACO even fits anything roughly magazine size/shaped that you can stuff into it, including radios, smoke grenades, large cell phones…  I could waste plenty of time listing items that would fit, but by now you should get the idea.

I purchased my TACO pouches in Khaki color at SKDTac.com for $24.95 each plus about $5 shipping.  SKD processed and shipped my order with their usual legendary speed.  I ordered on Monday, and received my package Wednesday.  You really can’t beat that.

Build & Adjustment:

The TACO has three main components:  the crunchy Cordura ‘shell’ with PALS webbing on either side, the delicious Kydex ‘filling’, and the tangy shock cord lacing that provides the pouch’s retention.  Wait… strike those adjectives.

Its size is adjustable via the shock cord ends with cord locker on the lower rear of the pouch.  Simply pull on the cord and readjust the cord locker to tighten the pouch.  To loosen the pouch, just slide the cord lock down the length of shock cord and exercise the rest of the pouch to evenly distribute the extra shock cord.  The design of these pouches is great since the shock-cord can simply be replaced by the user if it ever becomes damaged or worn out.  As I mentioned earlier, I purchased my TACOs in HSGI’s Khaki color which is like dark earth with a touch of green added.  It goes perfectly with Multicam.

Mounting:

The TACO can be mounted to any MOLLE panel or a belt using the two included MALICE clips.  The tough part is getting these MALICE clips installed as the PALS webbing on the rear of the pouch is incredibly tight with the adjustment shock cord running through it.  As usual, it’s recommended to use a screw driver to loosen up these loops before threading the MALICE clips through.

Other pouches and gear can be mounted to the front of the TACO as it features PALS webbing on both sides.  It should be noted, however, that any very heavy gear mounted to the TACO itself could cause the pouch to distort and not perform optimally.  If the user did want to mount extra gear to the front of the TACO, I would recommend lighter items such as small utility pouches, pistol mag pouches, and other TACOs.

Extras:

If the user desires more retention, he can install a length of shock cord and pull tab as shown.  The shock cord is inserted through the loops at either side of the pouch’s mouth.  I discovered this trick by mimicking the method in which magazines are secured on the HSGI Weesatch plate carrier.  Unfortunately, no shock cord or pull tabs are included with the pouch, but one should be able to obtain them by contacting HSGI and asking about “Bungee Magazine Retainers”.

Inside the TACO there are two strips of loop velcro about an inch wide that run down the center of the front and rear faces of the pouch.  I imagine these could find use in the future as further attachments for retention systems for the pouch.   Strips of rubber backed by hook velcro might be useful to anyone who feels the TACO does not retain mags strongly enough.

Performance:

My main reason for buying these pouches was the desire for a lightweight belt rig able to carry enough magazines to get me through a typical short skirmish.  I wear three pouches ’rounds forward’ on my reaction side so that my reaction hand can quickly index magazines when a reload becomes necessary.  I found that these pouches perform extremely well in this setup, allowing me to draw magazines quickly and easily.

Drawing magazines is extremely smooth and quiet and requires no special movements like the ‘twist’ required for the ITW Fastmag.  Re-holstering of partial magazines after a tactical reload is a bit of a chore as the TACO is flexible and will have contracted slightly after a magazine has been removed.  A quick glance down at the pouch while re-holstering is usually helpful.  Re-holstering mags is just as quiet as drawing them, and since the TACO’s outer surface is made primarily of Cordura, any hard objects knocking or scraping against the pouches produces little sound.  The same cannot be said for other hard plastic mag pouches.

Magazine Compatibility

I have so far used my TACO pouches with USGI style AR-15 magazines, AK-74 magazines, and FN FAL magazines.  When inserting larger magazines with protruding catches, one must be careful that the catch rides inside the Kydex strips on either end of the magazine or the catch can hang up on the shock cord that is exposed when the pouch expands.  Fortunately, once properly seated there should be no problems with these catches hanging when the mag is drawn.  For the AK-74 magazine I increased the size of the pouch very slightly and for the FAL magazine, I increased the size of the pouch even further.  It should be noted, that these pouches will accept any magazine without adjustment but retention force and difficulty of holstering will be increased with larger mags.

Conclusion

The HSGI TACO magazine pouch performs extremely well as a high speed reloading solution.  It allows magazines to be drawn instantly and silently, and re-holstered fairly easily.  The TACO can be used with virtually any type of magazine, which saves the user from having to buy a different set of pouches for each weapon system.

Pros:

• Will fit virtually any rifle magazine with minimal adjustment
• Very quiet & smooth magazine draw
• Designed with simple modifications and field repair in mind
• Reasonable price considering the pouch’s versatility and prices of competing products

Cons:

• Re-holstering is not as smooth as other products
• May be lacking in retention for some users
• Should be provided with extra shock cord and pull tab for additional retention