Mesa Tactical Side Saddles

[badboybeeson]

The mesa side saddle still has the same issue all of them but the velcro units do and that is they will drop shells when ammo is left in for more then a day or 2.
In cold weather the will drop out when fireing after jus ta few hours if being stored.
If you looking to make sure your ammo is allways there whe nyou need it, the velcro system is the only way to go.
In time the high quality velcro units will lose some of there elastic strenght but at $20 or less you can buy 3-4 of them for the price of the mesa
Im not bashing the mesa because i make a very well made velcro unit, its just the truth.
I have been building combat shotguns for 15yrs and ive used evey part you can think of , untill i started to make my own shotgun parts.

As for the GG&G unit, haveing the shells on an angle like that is great is your standing up right but if your in a defencive position the shells need to be stright up and down so they can be had from any angle.
Its a good game gun idea but not for a defence product.

[vmax]

What do you use to remove the large velcro stick on piece from your receiver when you want to put the saddle on another gun or if you sell your gun? Do you sell extra strips of velcro? Would there be any damage to the finish on your gun if it is removed? Did you cut 2 small holes in the velcro pad for trigger pin removal or do you just stick it on above the pins?

[jeffcneal]

vmax:

Always glad to help out a fellow Yamaha rider and shotgunner! And every GG&G part I've ever purchased exceeded my expectations, I'm betting this one will too.

regards,
Jeff

[badboybeeson]

What do you use to remove the large velcro stick on piece from your receiver when you want to put the saddle on another gun or if you sell your gun? Do you sell extra strips of velcro? Would there be any damage to the finish on your gun if it is removed? Did you cut 2 small holes in the velcro pad for trigger pin removal or do you just stick it on above the pins?

we use 3M brand velcro and the sticky side will not damage your finish at all when you pull it off, after a few days you will find that it sticks to the firearms very very well( if its clean and dry to start)
we have painyed a bunch of guns overy the years and then attached the velcro strip to the gun and left it of for a few weeks and then removed it.
allways came off in one peice and no damamge to the finish.
yes spare velcro strips would be avaliable at cost from us.
simon

[Vitaly]

By the way, you can check my review here: http://www.rem870.com/2011/09/06/detach ... -hardware/



I have it on my shotgun and after 5 months of use it is still like new. I have a 4-round S&J Hardware side saddle which is going to be tested by a shooter from Russia to have an alternative point of view.

[vmax]

Thanks for the info guys.

[Vitaly]

What do you use to remove the large velcro stick on piece from your receiver when you want to put the saddle on another gun or if you sell your gun? Do you sell extra strips of velcro? Would there be any damage to the finish on your gun if it is removed? Did you cut 2 small holes in the velcro pad for trigger pin removal or do you just stick it on above the pins?

we use 3M brand velcro and the sticky side will not damage your finish at all when you pull it off, after a few days you will find that it sticks to the firearms very very well( if its clean and dry to start)
we have painyed a bunch of guns overy the years and then attached the velcro strip to the gun and left it of for a few weeks and then removed it.
allways came off in one peice and no damamge to the finish.
yes spare velcro strips would be avaliable at cost from us.
simon

By the way, Simon, holes for the pins and serial number window are some of the possible upgrades of your sidesaddle.

[Code Red]

I purchased a Mesa Tactical side saddle for a "tactical" shotgun class last year.

It was beautiful. Extremely well made. A real work of art. It held the shells securely and I was very confident that I had goo high quality gear. I don't think that the rubber seal holding the shells in would loosen up as fast as other methods, but I didn't have it on long enough to really tell.

Four of the twelve people in the class showed up with the same sidesaddle from Mesa.

Three of the four broke catastrophically before the end of the day.

In all three cases, one of the replacement pins (chicago screws) provided with the Mesa kit broke and the trigger group dropped. Only one fell out of the gun completely, but all three were instantly inoperable.

Perhaps this could be fixed with different pins or screws with a different metalurgy. I don't know. But three out of four was enough to convince me.

What I do know is that I took the Mesa unit off, put the factory pins back in, and went with a velcro style holder. I am completely confident in the velcro unit. It doesn't look as cool, I don't like the "feel" of it as well, and I wouldn't be comfortable storing shells in it because it might stretch, but it can't fail in a way that stops the gun from operating.

Just my 2 cents.

[Vitaly]

I purchased a Mesa Tactical side saddle for a "tactical" shotgun class last year.

It was beautiful. Extremely well made. A real work of art. It held the shells securely and I was very confident that I had goo high quality gear. I don't think that the rubber seal holding the shells in would loosen up as fast as other methods, but I didn't have it on long enough to really tell.

Four of the twelve people in the class showed up with the same sidesaddle from Mesa.

Three of the four broke catastrophically before the end of the day.

In all three cases, one of the replacement pins (chicago screws) provided with the Mesa kit broke and the trigger group dropped. Only one fell out of the gun completely, but all three were instantly inoperable.

Perhaps this could be fixed with different pins or screws with a different metalurgy. I don't know. But three out of four was enough to convince me.

What I do know is that I took the Mesa unit off, put the factory pins back in, and went with a velcro style holder. I am completely confident in the velcro unit. It doesn't look as cool, I don't like the "feel" of it as well, and I wouldn't be comfortable storing shells in it because it might stretch, but it can't fail in a way that stops the gun from operating.

Just my 2 cents.

Code Red, thank you very much for this important information!

[bbull311]

I have been using Velcro on my side saddles for almost 5 years now. I started using it with my Tacstar side saddle but recently upgraded to some of the fabric side saddles. I use the industrial strength Velcro that you can find at Walmart or Lowes. It has held up on my duty gun for about 4 years now. Considering my duty shotgun stays in my trunk through temps from 0 degrees Fahrenheit to 100+ Fahrenheit, I would say it has held up well. Also, it shows no sign of coming off. I did have to strip it off my home shotgun once but I just pulled it off with pliers with no problem. The key to good installation is to clean the side of the receiver with alcohol first. Once it is dry, run a clean rag over it and you are good to go. Just make sure you cut your Velcro to fit before you start the process. As someone else said, you can cut the Velcro so you can get to your pins and see your serial number. Good luck.