Chest rig options for a NEWB.

Rate_of_Twist

Rate_of_Twist

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Never owned one, wore one ect...

Decided this year I want to try a few "Tactical" type courses outside of my normal Pistol shooting games (USPSA, pins ect) that I normally do.

I would rather "buy once, cry once" and get a decent piece of gear I won't have to replace but I don't know what the hell I'm looking at. Of additional concern is while I'm loosing weight gaining some muscle, I'm still big. Im siginup up for some courses over this summer and fall, but I don't want to have to replace as I loose weight.

I know there's a bunch of threads, but most seems a few years old.... What the hell am I looking for here?!
 
Get a rigid combat belt first. And then a chest rig for mags, they act like extra Kevlar. Or wait a month and I'll be selling my set of interceptor body armor.
 
If you're near me, North Shore/Greater Boston, you can try out my gear. I'm of slim build but everything is one size and adjustable. I've got a Banshee plate carrier and an Uncle Mike's load bearing belt.
 
Thanks for the help so far guys.... Anything that incorporates a hydration system?

Edit: if you do have something your going to be selling, Id love to hear what you have
 
gearwhore14 said:
OP what's your budget and what are you looking to carry? Mags, first aid, and hydration?
Click to expand...

Mags, hydration are what I want, haven't given and thought last that. I would like to keep Pistol on my belt

I'm not so much clicked into a price. I'd prefer to not have $500 into it, and I guess my gut says $200 ish. But that is based on completely zero knowledge
 
The PIG UCR is a possibility. I have used the Tactical Tailor chest rigs for years and should be in your price range. They have a new harness too capable of a supporting a hydration pouch.
 
Been watching a bunch on YouTube and it seems as though I might be better starting with a belt (I don't own a damn thing remotely "tactical") before diving into other gear.... I could probably fit two extra mags on the belt along with the other basics needed

Thoughts?
 
**DRB** said:
Been watching a bunch on YouTube and it seems as though I might be better starting with a belt (I don't own a damn thing remotely "tactical") before diving into other gear.... I could probably fit two extra mags on the belt along with the other basics needed

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

That's how I started. Just get a load bearing belt and add stuff to it. Figure out how MOLLE, the various mounts and attachments work. Once you're comfortable you can get into chest rigs. You can wear LBE's in concurrence with chest rigs. Maybe you'll even find this stuff isn't what you wanted but you gotta start somewhere.
 
Varmint said:
I asked my brother who's in the Army the same question, and he recommended one from Blue Force Gear. They are one size so it should shrink with you. :)

https://www.blueforcegear.com/ten-speed-m4-chest-rig.html
Click to expand...

I have one of these, it is real handy to have because it doesn't take up much room when it is empty and rolled up. Re-inserting mags can be tough though. You can stuff all sorts of other items into the pouches which is cool, small radio's, med stuff, tools, etc. One thing that kind of sucks is you can't remove the harness to attach it to a plate carrier, although that is not really what it was designed for.

I got quite a bit of training in last year, including a 3 day rifle/pistol class. I shot 90% of that class with 3 pistol taco's and 2 AR Fastmags on my daily worn belt and I carried a third rifle mag in my back pocket. Hanging a bunch of shit off of you is fun and has it's place, but for entry level "tactical" courses you don't really need it. If you are looking at it as a layered approach to augment your belt pouches, a chest rig like the 10Speed or PIG UCR would be a good choice as they are not super expensive.

You could also get an all molle rig like the HSGI AO Small rig and set it up how you see fit. Here is mine.

attachment.php


20150508_085629.jpg
 
If you really want to get in for cheap and try stuff out, I have an old Blackhawk padded Molle Belt and some pouches I could let go for almost nothing if it fits you. PM if interested.
 
I have an Eagle belt and honestly I love my HSGI belt a lot more. The HSGI does allow you to use whatever inner belt you want. I'm using a cobra riggers belt.
 
**DRB** said:
Does the actual belt come out of the webbing so I could use my own inner belt?

I went down to the only remaining army navy store in West Boylston last night and they had a ton of stuff as far as vest and plate carriers go but no belts with molle on them.... It looks like I could gram a used vest and pull it apart for $35
Click to expand...

No, the belt is sewn in. I kind of like that because it doesn't slip. But if you prefer a different style buckle you're out of luck. It's a basic belt that lets you get your feet wet. Come to think of it you might be able to thread your own buckle on, but I'm not sure about that. I've worn it at the range and everything seems to stay put, but I certainly haven't operated in it. If you decide to upgrade, just swap everything over to the new belt.

xtry51 sounds like his setup is much nicer, but also pricier. The cobra rigger's belt probably costs as much as my whole setup, excluding the holster. My setup won't win a beauty contest or be on the cover of Soldier of Fortune, but it holds my pistol, a bunch of mags and some other stuff in place.

Good luck.
 
Voodoo tactical has some nice stuff, I believe as of today there carriers are about 70ish on sale. Best of luck
 
The nice thing about the cobra with the HSGI is that they Velcro together on the inside. It's a b*tch to get the belt in there when you assemble it, but once it's in, it's stable forever. The HSGI also has windows on the bottom of the MOLLE so you can attach things like a KA BAR and holster right to the belt, rather than to the MOLLE.
 
**DRB** said:
Never owned one, wore one ect...

Decided this year I want to try a few "Tactical" type courses outside of my normal Pistol shooting games (USPSA, pins ect) that I normally do.

I would rather "buy once, cry once" and get a decent piece of gear I won't have to replace but I don't know what the hell I'm looking at. Of additional concern is while I'm loosing weight gaining some muscle, I'm still big. Im siginup up for some courses over this summer and fall, but I don't want to have to replace as I loose weight.

I know there's a bunch of threads, but most seems a few years old.... What the hell am I looking for here?!
Click to expand...

It all comes down to preference, but I wanted versatility, simplicity, and quality; everyone seemed to be pointing me to a Blue Force Gear Ten-Speed, so that's where I ended up.

My Ten-Speed does everything I want from a 'chest rig'. It's not what I'd choose for jumping out of a plane, but, hey: chest rig or no chest rig, I'll never be jumping out of any plane anyway.
 

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