We first introduced you to the Bulldog Assistant Gunners Kit during SOFIC but now we have lots of details on the kit. It was designed specifically for employment of US issue Machine Guns under fire and includes:
-Lightweight Spare Barrel Bag for the M249 Saw, M240L, Mk46, Mk48
-Lightweight Spare Barrel Mat (Cooling area for the Spare Barrel)
-Custom designed Rapid Access Ammunition Pouch

The BAG Kit is an integrated design with the various components including the ammunition pouches that are designed to hold the prepackaged 7.62 , 100 round and 5.56, 200 rounds ammo boxes; Spare Barrel Bag, Spare Barrel Mat as well as a way to carry the Tripod all working together. All of the components are MOLLE (Modular Light weight Load carrying Equipment) compatible and can be adapted to various pack frames including ALICE and MOLLE.

The Spare Barrel Bag and Mat are 75% lighter than than current issue items (3.25 Lbs weight reduction) and offer improved accessibility and greater security regarding the tripod retention. Additionally, ammunition is readily accessible allowing for rapid reloading of the weapon system it supports as you can see in the video.

Currently the AG, AB and Gunner share the load across three men. With the BAG Kit the AG and Gunner will have the ability to carry all the necessary accessories to support the weapon system reducing the minimum number of personnel from 3 to 2 for employment of this weapon system.

One of the shortcomings with currently issued items is that the AG must be exposed to enemy fire for extended periods of time to gain access to needed weapon accessories before the weapon system is operational. The current Squad and Platoon machine gunners must carry a sling; spare barrel bag (which holds the spare barrel and tripod) as well as ammunition pouches of various sizes. The necessity of exchanging ammunition drums or rapidly linking the additional belts of ammunition to the weapon is paramount since there are only 50 rounds in the CAP. A 100 rd CAP exists but it interferes with the Tripod Mounting System and its use is currently being reviewed by the US Army.

Advantages of the AG BAG Kit include: Soldiers can rapidly reload the machine guns meaning more rounds down range while in contact with the enemy. Soldier movement in restrictive terrain is improved due to a better integration and distribution of weight of the weapon accessories and the AG BAG is designed specifically for use under fire.

Bulldog Equipment has integrated a new (Patent Pending) lighter weight system. Bulldog’s design is 75% lighter than current MOLLE. This was accomplished by using a single layer of 1″ webbing, removal of the plastic stiffener and the permanent mounting of a stamped metal one inch Tri Glide from ITW Nexus. This allows for the webbing to be locked in place preventing accessory movement. The BAG Kit ammunition pouches are designed around the dimensions of the 100 Round Card Board Ammo Box that the 7.62 ammo is supplied in. Therefore depending on your units preference you can choose between 100, 200 and 300 Round pouches which are integrated with a patented ammunition tension feed system. This bracket provides enough tension on the rounds to prevent rounds from falling from the pouch onto the ground regardless of its position, even if inverted. The tension however does not interfere with the feeding of rounds into the weapon. This (Patent Pending) Ammunition Pouch allows the ammunition to be rapidly accessed and linked to the ammunition in the CAP. The current issue CAP holds 50 rounds and it takes more than 20 seconds to link the ammunition together using current issue ammo bags. The Bulldog Ammo Bags allows for expedited and efficient ammunition access. Bulldog Equipment developed the current issue Spare Barrel Bag NSN 1005-01-5369646 in 2003, that Spare Barrel Bag weighs 4.5 Lbs. Bulldog’s Spare Barrel Bag generally has a life span of 3-5 years proving its design exceeds any durability requirement. With the knowledge learned from previous solutions we utilized the same materials for this new Spare Barrel Bag and Spare Barrel Mat. By changing the design they were able to save 3.25 Pounds with this new design. It weighs just 1.25 Pounds. Also the Spare Barrel Mat and Bag are two separate products. This allows replacement of individual components creating a cost savings for the military. The current issue spare barrel bag is not MOLLE compatible, extremely cumbersome as well as having a large foot print that makes carrying and deployment difficult. The ease of use and rapid access of BAG Kits Spare Barrel Bag and Spare Barrel Mat allow for rapid barrel change. A large number of machine guns are being serviced or rebuilt in theater due to damage caused by soldier failure to properly change the barrel.

Finally, the Tripod is secured in the Barrel Mat during movements by using 1 inch Fast Tacks from ITW Nexus mounted on the side of the Ammo Bags. The BAG Kit comes with a variety of spare hardware which will allow for personalized equipment placement and repair in the field of all plastic components.

This is a great time to obligate end of year funds toward these bags. To learn more contact www.bulldogequipment.us.