Did my mag pouch shrink?

[CrossedCannons]

A few weeks ago I found what appeared to be a Type 1 magazine pouch for my carbine. It was marked U.S. and CHARLOTTE TENT & AWNING CO. 1943:



It was dirty so I threw it in the washing machine and air dried it. BUT I found a problem - it doesn't fit my stock!



It's rough measurements (5"H x 4.5"W) are a somewhat smaller than those listed by Riesch (5.50"x4.75" 5ed p. 147).

I can't conceive anything GI would shrink. Perhaps this pouch was not meant for 30 carbine. The 15rd mags fit fine so as a belt pouch this still works. Just not on the stock. Were similar strapless belt pouches used for other frequently carried calibers? It's definitely too short for genuine (dad's) WW2 USGI 45ACP mags.

Anybody ever encounter, reassess, or fix a "tight" stock pouch?

Information

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[tjl]

Not to be smart, but did you put it on from barrel end of the stock?

[CrossedCannons]

Yes, from the muzzle end 8Q. The pouch won't go over stock/slide handle/trigger gaurd. Removing the action, pouch fits only as far as the narrowest postion of the buttstock.

Maybe when you wash these things you need to leave them on the stock to dry. I might cut a 2x4 surrogate stock and use that to try to stretch it wet and let it dry tonight to see if that helps.

[dnikkor]

Were you able to slip it over the stock, but then discovered that the mags don't fit in it? If so, that is really normal. You have to really stretch the pouch quite a bit to get the mags to fit. I only have one of my carbines wearing a pouch. I just leave it empty since I really didn't want to stretch out a pouch and was concerned about damaging the stock by forcing the issue.

[CrossedCannons]

I tried to fit the pouch empty and wouldn't slide further down the bare stock than just past the pistol grip.

I soaked the pouch and hammered as many sticks as would fit into the belt loop to "stretch" it.



Didn't know this but wet canvas stretches quite a bit. Circumference is about 10 inches now, about the same as the end of the butt stock, so I hope this will be sufficient - probably too much. I'll let it dry tonight and see in the morning.

[jmoore]

Might as well finish removing the snap fitting...

[Harlan (Deceased)]

CrossedCannons,

Sadly, lesson learned the hard way.

Yes, it was an earlier design magazine belt pouch some GI's put on their carbines in WWII. They weren't designed to be used on stocks, but some GI's improvised and put them on stocks.
(Yes, it's the right style pouch, original, and it would have fit your stock, if not washed in a washing machine)

Sadly, you ruined it in the by putting it in a washing machine.
I can see from the last photo the 65 year old fabric color is faded now, along with original ink stamps, and creases caused from washing it are even more prominent and bleached out. It will never look right again.

I collected vintage WWII web gear for years and used it for WWII impressions and displays. The material is very old and you just cannot put it in a washing machine. It's better to leave it as it is. I've restored a couple of items that were seriously soiled so much they looked unusable for display. Use Woolite in cold water in a container and carefully soak it and wash it with you hands. Even doing it this way, you might lose some of the ink markings and 65 year old fabric color.

I can tell from the last photo, the flap is out of shape from the washing machine and it'll never really recover either. The pouch might have shrunk a little, but the reason you had trouble trying to install it on your stock is it's been pulled out of shape and 'puckered up' like the flap did. If you left it on your stock and had been patient, you could have probably pulled it into place a little at a time and it would have eventually moved into place. The creases from washing it will always be there.

The bleached out creases and color missing from the washing machine will still look bad regardless.

[CrossedCannons]

Oh well, I certainly will keep all this in mind the next time I buy some dirty old piece of canvas. Previous owner could have shrunk it or I could have. Cost me $12 at the gunshow last month with most of Life's scars shown so fortunately it wasn't an expensive lesson. Live and learn I guess. But this pouch did stretch for me last night and now makes a perfectly functional addition to my CMP rat gun:



Maybe I'll try to restore it. Can't hurt. Learn some more too. Creases I hope will work out with use and maybe some sun might fade the color to uniformity. Hopefully the snap won't scratch my stock. NOT. Don't know what I can do about the ball point pen ink though. Easiest just to leave it. Probably from some sweet heart's present during the mop up days after the war (bayonet not shown) ...

OK I'm outta here. Third problem resolved. Thanks and take care.

[tjl]

Glad you got it on, you can put a piece of duct tape over the inside of the snap so it wont scratch your stock

[DaveHH]

made sure I put on the duct tape and had a devil of a time fitting the mags. This on an original Winchester. I found that it just made the balance all messed up, made a light handy weapon into an ill handling heavy club. Since I worried constantly about what it was doing to my stock and I'm not using it in a war, I took it off and won't repeat that mistake again.