Higher Purpose Training has no affiliation with any of these companies and receives no compensation from any companies for endorsing their products. We have simply had good experiences with these companies’ products and desire for our students to have the best experiences training in class and invest only in quality gear. 

 

Magazines

We recommend that you only run factory (OEM) magazines in your handguns. OEM magazines are the most reliable to run on the range and for daily concealed carry. We have seen many aftermarket magazines fail. The perceived savings will cost you in reliability. For 1911 magazines, we recommend that you run Wilson Combat and Metgar magazines. 

 

We recommend that you keep a dedicated concealed carry “duty” magazines that stay loaded with defensive ammunition all the time. Set aside training magazines that you take to the range to train with.  

 

Magazine pouches

We recommend hard plastic magazine pouches fit for your gun’s magazines. Most manufacturers produce both double-stack magazine and single-stack magazine pouches. A double magazine pouch or a couple single magazine pouches should suffice for training on the range. For most double-stack and single magazines we recommend the Blackhawk Double Mag Pouch or the BladeTech Signature Double Magazine Pouch.

If you are running a micro-compact gun with “stack and a half” magazines such as the Sig P365 or Springfield Hellcat, you may need to purchase custom made magazine pouches. Angelo carries spare magazines for his Sig P365 XL in a Tier 1 Concealed Double Magazine Carrier. 

If you are running an AIWB “sidecar-style” holster with an attached magazine pouch such as a T-Rex Arms Sidecar or a Tier 1 Concealed Axis Elite, you can practice reloading out of the attached magazine pouch and cycling magazines out of your pocket. 

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Maglula 

Loading magazines by hand can be done, but a Maglula magazine loader makes loading easy and quick. We recommend showing up to the range with magazines pre-loaded so you can spend more time shooting and less time loading. Pre-load your magazines before you get to the range. 

 

Belts 

The most popular holster options for defensive handgun carry are on the beltline. Unless you choose a beltless option like a Phlster Enigma, you will need a quality gun belt to support the weight of your gun and holster. This belt should be rigid so it doesn’t sag, flop and wear down where the holstered sits. These belts can be made of nylon or leather. Many are reinforced with metal inside.