Like Qtip said, they work good for raising the cheekpiece, but if you fill them, they through the balance off . I have one set up my bolt rifle but never carry cartridges in it. I carry my extra shells in a home made pouch on my belt. I took a compact bino carry case and inserted the holder [cut to fit] , from a box of shells. With a handy rag under it , the bullets are at the right height to grab quickly. My model 94 holds enough rounds that I hardly need to carry any more, but you never know.