Snake Eater Tactical M4 Burro Magazine Pouch Review

By: Will

I began using the Snake Eater Tactical Rifle Burros over six months ago! In fact, we actually ran a review of the Pistol Burros back in May of this year! I actually feel rather sheepish, no pun intended, as this particular review has taken so long and Chris Calvert, owner of Snake Eater Tactical, has been so gracious about supplying us with toys to play with.  

So, here is the review finally and extended testing window is in no way a reflection of the Rifle Burro’s quality………or is it?  Let me explain…..basically, these guys work so well I almost forgot I had them 🙂

Lets get down to the nitty gritty about what makes these mag pouches special when compared to the other offerings out there!

First off all these Snake Eater Tactical Rifle Burros are rather unique when compared to the competition.  We are all used to seeing the standard mag pouch panels that feature heavy 1000 weight denier cordura.  These pouches typically feature a velcro flap or bungee retention and some molle panels on the outside.  Recently, there have also been some changes to lightweight materials and polymer type mags as well. The Snake Eater Tactical Burro isn’t like any of these and Chris has taken a whole new approach to securing magazines while maintaining longevity and a low profile form factor.  

The Snake Eater Tactical Rifle Burro, like the pistol version, feature a combination of curved Kydex inserts surrounded by a heavy duty elastic to achieve an always open, easy, one handed insertion of your rifle magazine.  In addition to the one handed insertion, the Snake Eater Tactical Rifle Burros provide a sufficient amount of retention for the majority of tactical scenarios that would require their use.  

After removing the magazine, the Snake Eater Tactical Rifle Burros lay relatively flat without closing or making re-insertion difficult.  

In Addition to being low profile, the Snake Eater Tactical Rifle Burros will work with all types of M-4 magazines including the new Gen 3 Magpul PMAGs that feature the over-stop shelf (Read our review here). But wait, thats not all! The Snake Eater Tactical Rifle Burros, much like another product on the market, (read “popular Mexican food”), will also fit AK-47 and .308 magazines without all the complicated bungee cords and the need for plier assisted installation and removal. There is even a version for the SureFire high capacity magazines.

Speaking of installation and removal.  The Snake Eater Tactical Rifle Burros feature MALICE clips that have been a standard in the industry since as long as I can remember! Furthermore, The MALICE clips can be removed and third party belt belt adapters such as the one made by G-Code can be used to mount the Burro on a belt.

So, how did they hold up? Well, I am quite pleased to say that the Snake Eater Tactical Rifle Burros have held up surprisingly well.  After six months of hard use, their snag free design and heavy duty build quality have made them a permanent fixture on my every day kit.  In fact, if you look closely at the photos, (plate carrier ones), you will notice a dark spot where my American Defense Manufacturing ACOG mount was busy trying to wear a hole through the Burros.  Upon closer inspection, you will notice that there is no hole and the total absence of any fraying or signs of material breakdown.  This is a testament to  the durable build quality and materials that go into each one of these hand made mag pouches. Merica!

So did I find any negatives? You bet I did, but they really are not that significant.  First of all, my main complaint to Chris about the Burros was the lack of drain holes in the bottom of the mag pouch.  This, together with the materials that look like they will soak up water like a sponge, concerned me that there may be an added weight faster when dealing in wet or marine environments.  Chris actually took our feedback and re-designed the bottom of the Burros to allow the free flow of water and in general, created a slightly more ascetically pleasing design (Shadow box images show the new version).  The new version is featured in the majority of the images throughout this review and are currently the only version available for purchase at snakeeatertactical.com.

On a final note regarding the increase in weight when water logged.  I just realized while writing this review that, while I’ve definitely had my kit water logged half or dozen times, I never really noticed  that the Snake Eater Tactical Burros were somehow guilty of weighing me down.  So, for the sake of clumsy unscientific truth, I decided to first weigh and then water log a Pistol Burro and then re-weigh it.  Dry, the Pistol Burro (also a v.2) weighed exactly 1oz. Wet, it weighed exactly 1.3 oz.  The experiment was conducted using a postal scale and I believe it proves that the Snake Eater Tactical Burros retain a negligent amount of water and pretty much make my bringing it up a mute point.  

So, where can you get them and what are the options? Well, the Snake Eater Tactical Rifle Burros are currently available in coyote and black and are more economical if you buy them in pairs.  They are well worth the investment as Chris’s workmanship is impeccable! Did I mention they are made in America? Get Sum!

You can get yours today at snakeeatertactical.com and don’t forget to use the coupon code “october” for $10 off any order of $60 dollars or more.

You can follow Snake Eater Tactical on Facebook Youtube and Instagram (Links point to the appropriate pages).

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