Paracord Bandolier

Under certain circumstances I like to bring a rifle and ammo with me when I go into the wilderness. And of course it's always a good idea to bring a length of paracord too. Both items fall into the "could come in handy" category of gear. In the endless persuit to lighten my pack and reduce bulk I've combined the two. Rather than just carrying around paracord on the off chance I might need it here's a way to give it a full time job; holding your ammunition. It allows you to leave the ammo boxes at home and is a step up from just having loose rounds scattered about your pack.

 

Step 1: Uses

Whether you choose to sling it over your shoulder like an ol' bandito, tie it to the buttstock of your rifle, or roll it up and stuff it in your pack like I do, the paracord bandolier is a functional and easy to make piece of equipment. 

Comments

[Hungmaau]

I was experimenting with this the other day. Wanting to see how it worked on .22l Shells. The problem i encountered is the length of the .22 compared to the 30-30 round.
To solve this i started experimenting with other types of knots. I found using the Chain sinnet, you could create a compact/wearable bandoleer that is re-loadable with round.
I will be posting an instructable soon.

[smirnoff04]

That sounds fantastic, I can't wait to see how you did it!

[Medic65]

Silly question... but if there are no rounds in it.. will it come undone?

[smirnoff04]

It will indeed. I'd say that's the biggest limitation of this design. Even so, I do still find it useful for particular applications.

Happy hunting. :)

[~teknoarsonist~]

Out of curiosity, what gun is that? I love the lever action firearms but I've only seen the .44 version

[smirnoff04]

It's the Marlin model 336. Makes a decent enough bush gun. I've enjoyed it :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlin_Model_336

[sokamiwohali]

Is that the W model of the 336? I have the sa,e gun...and its not just a decent bush gun its an excellant one. i shot clear through some think brush that i was encamped into when i was hunting one day when i was younger...didnt turn out well for the deer...but it turned out great for me which is all that matters...lol

[onkel234]

Can you take a round out and put it in again without it unraveling?

but nice job.

[smirnoff04]

The individual loop will indeed unravel when a cartridge is extracted thereby extending the overall length of the bandolier. It is one definite shortcoming of this design.

Your best bet is to always take cartridges from one end or the other as it will be easier to tidy up a loose ends than a loose middle. Also, replacing a cartridge on the end will prove easier to do than trying to reform a loop between the rounds.

Thanks for the question and comment, ICBM :)

[IncrediblyCondensedBlackMatter]

i like the whole idea, but what if you need the full length of paracord? where do you put the rounds?

[smirnoff04]

Keep in mind that if you know for sure that you'll be needing paracord on your trip than you'll be better served just bringing a separate length. My intention is that this paracord only be used "if necessary", in which case you'll have a couple options:

1) You could take the paracord from the second row only. The cartridges will remain secure with just one row. The second row just keeps 'em nice and straight.

2) You could unravel the works and throw throw the loose shells in your pack or leave them at a particular location to be retrieved later.

When the need arises you'll have to improvise a bit. Luckily, as you're a member of this site, that probably comes naturally ;)

[instruct39]

wow! so simple, ilove it!

[Tommi Potx]

A mighty fine use of paracord; keeps the loose rounds from getting lost!
:)

[wilgubeast]

That's awesome. Awesometastic. Love the use of orange paracord for hunting safety, too.

[smirnoff04]

Thanks, wilgubeast :)

You betcha, safety first!