Posted by Michelle Cerino aka Princess Gunslinger - Womens Outdoor News on 16th Aug 2018
SENTRY Hexmags and how I organize them
In this guest post, competition shooter Reanna Kadic details how she uses SENTRY Products Group’s Hexmags and color codes them for various shooting disciplines. Kadic is on the pro team for SENTRY and has a bit of a reputation of being very OCD, about keeping her gear organized. ~The editors
Sponsored by SENTRY
In my opinion, SENTRY’s Hexmag AR magazines are the best AR magazines on the market today. Their design delivers proven reliability, superior strength and exceptional value. Featuring a proprietary PolyHex2™ Advanced composite and heat-treated stainless-steel springs. SENTRY offers 2 of the most rugged and best AR magazines for the modern sporting rifle market — the indestructible Series 2 AR-15 and heavy-duty AR-10/.308 magazines. Both designs feature the industry-recognized Hexture™ design pattern for maximum grip, durability and performance. AR-10 magazines are available in 10- and 20-round capacity and come in black, FDE, and limited edition red/white/blue colors. Prices range from $18.99 to $20.99. SENTRY’s AR-15 magazines are available in 10,15 and 30 round capacity and come in black, FDE, OD green and gray color, and are priced from $14.99 to $16.99. The magazines can handle these popular calibers: .223, .300AAC Blackout, .458 SOCOM and .50 Beowulf. Rifles that are compatible include AR-15, SCAR16, IWI Tavor, CZ Bren, Beretta ARX 100 and more. You can check them out here.
SENTRY also makes tactical grip tape. During hot summer months, when sweaty hands are an issue, Hexture pattern grip tape provides superior grip because of added advanced texture. One package contains 46 pre-cut hexagons that cover both sides of a Hexmag. The tape is compatible with most Hexmag products. Just peel and stick. The tape is available in black, gray and clear colors and run $7.99 per package. Visit this link for more information.
How I organize the Hexmags
Finally, I have been using the HexID color identification system since it first became available to the market several years ago. The color system is easy to install and doesn’t require any tools. It takes less than a minute to install by exchanging the follower and latch plate with the color you like that identifies the type of ammo you will be using. No more paint or tape needed to identify your magazines.
It made sense for me to implement the HexID system since we tend to go between long-range and short-range ammo a lot in 3-Gun competitions.
The way I do it (and I’m religious about it) is the red-colored follower and latch plate represent .223 hotter (red) long-range ammo, while the blue-colored follower and latch plate represent short-range, hoser-style .223 ammo. Sometimes it can get stressful while I’m at a big major match getting ready and memorizing the stage plans. The HexID system makes sense, so I don’t have to worry about my ammo and magazines being all mixed up.
On the hunting side, my dad built me an AR in .300 Blackout for pig/deer hunting and I have implemented a yellow-colored follower and latch plate for those Hexmags. This made it so there is no confusion between .223 and .300 Blackout for me. Safety is always first in our household and as those 2 calibers are very similar in size and weight, they could easily be mistaken for each other. HexID comes in 2- and 4-packs and are available in 7 colors: green, FDE, red, blue, black, pink and yellow. Price ranges from $8.50 for a 2-pack to $11.99 for 4-pack. Do yourself a favor and follow this link to check it out. Or, you can have your magazines at time of purchase custom assembled from the factory with your choice of HexID for a small upcharge.
I also do a few special things to some of my Hexmag’s to make them more user friendly. I like to use a coupler to connect 2 Hexmags together for use in the long-range shooting, especially if I’m going prone. It helps me stabilize my gun so that I can be more accurate. I install extended base pads on some of my Hexmags that adds +5 capacity, which makes a total round count of 35. This really helps me on some higher round count rifle stages.
Using the HexID color identification system has made my life 10x easier when it comes to sorting out my ammo and mags!