I guess in today's military, law enforcement or outdoor markets a manufacturer has, to some extent, be a "one stop shopping" source for equipment. 511 Tactical has certainly expanded its line of products in recent years and I've received several different items to test. The one that surprised me most (after the watches) was gun bags. I received a 42" gun case that perfectly fit my Remington 870 shotgun. It was actually quite convenient because I was getting tired of rolling the hard case everywhere I went with it. The hard case also holds my lever action .30-.30 and I didn't need to always be taking it along. The 511 Tactical Gun Case ended up suiting all my needs for a shotgun bag pretty well.
Gun bag reviews are, by and large, easy to write. The question is a simple one: does the bag carry the gun in a secure fashion or not? Yes or no. After answering YES to that question the follow on question is: What else does it do or carry? That's where it can get interesting.
I used my test bag to carry around my Remington 870 as mentioned above. My 870 is equipped with a Knoxx Stock and, as you can see, fit perfectly into the bag. If you look at the 2nd picture though you can see that there are another set of straps inside the bag that would permit another gun to be carried as well. If I had flipped my shotgun over so that the pistol grip pointed the other way I could have put in another shotgun, rifle, etc of appropriate length. The padded triangular shaped "dividers" at either end would serve to keep the weapons from banging against each other as much as possible. Unlike some other manufacturers' bags, that is all there is inside the bag itself - just GUNS. No pockets, widgets, doo-dads or other stuff.
The OUTSIDE is a different story - and that's where many features of this bag are found. Those features include:
- An outside pocket which is lined with MOLLE compatible straps on two platforms. Each platform is the same size and snapped to the bag body inside the pocket. You can put materials behind those platforms and add pouches as necessary to the platforms to customize and increase the versatility of the pocket.
- MOLLE straps on the outside of the bag itself. 511 Tactical attached this two-magazine pouch before sending me the bag for T&E. Any pouch that attaches via the MOLLE system can be attached again increasing your ability to customize the bag to suit your needs.
- A Velcro patch panel at one corner that is perfect for attaching your unit patch or other identifying tool.
The other option you have for identifying the bag as yours is the clear business card (or other) sleeve on the reverse side of the bag. Shown in the 4th photo the clear ID window is on the opposite side of the Velcro patch panel so that identification is consolidated to that corner of the bag.
The last feature (on the outside) that I want to call your attention to is the multiple closing and security systems that 511 Tactical designed in. In the 3rd photo you can see that the zippers have a small hole in them that mate to form a perfect locking point. While none of us want to admit it, there are those among us who will take stuff out of our bag (even if they just mean to "borrow" it) and it disappears into that abyss of misplaced / lost shooting gear. To further secure the bag shut there are two fastex buckles with compression straps to provide a backup means of closure in case the zippers break or part.
So, the simple answer to the question, "Does it carry the gun?" is YES. The features available are what makes you take a second look. On the 511 Tactical website the bag is listed at $99.99, currently also including a free double mag pouch (such as shown above). My typical Google search didn't net me any online available at any less. I didn't expect it to really. $99.99 is a damned good price for a gun bag like this.
Saty Safe!
