On the Hunt for a New Rig, Sniper Edition

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

In similar situations/carrying similar gear, I've used Chicom chest rig, 56 pattern Chicom water bottle and an el cheapo canvas Highlander rucksack and shoulder bag.  

Canteen one side, shoulder bag the other (with pistol inside on lanyard), sarnies and extra water/clothes etc in the rucksack.   Weight evenly distributed, lots of capacity and costs peanuts.

Modern gear wise an SADF rig either chest or full vest is hard to beat.   

 

[Davegolf]

Ultimately I think the most minimalist setup is individual or mix of the following;

3: All non fighting/evading essentials in backpack.

This can be dumped prior to a forward objective or in the event of an ambush.

2: Operators belt - Velcro inner to rigger outer, supported with a PLCE yoke, this will full support load, sit flush under or over any other gear.

No padded liner - adds bulk and is not necessary when the belt is Velcro’d in place.

Run most of your fighting essentials on this and/or;

2: Low profile plate carrier, FC slick Slickster or similar.

I know you say they restrict your breathing but PCs like these are (I find) extremely comfortable, you don’t have to run training plates, the sides are elasticated so breathing/mobility is easy, the shoulders sit thinly and flush - so comfy under backpack/other gear.

You can also easily from the front slacken the grip for more breathing room on exertion/tabs etc

With no additional pouches you can carry your radio, some mags, tourniquet, other random.

You can slip a flush triple shingle in the front for more or better mag placement/indexing.

Additionally i run a 1.5L Source hydro inside the cummerbund, a med and general pouch at the rear side cummerbund.

And lastly an easy access admin pouch up top/front.

All of the above is so low profile it’s ridiculous.

1: A decent combat smock, should be the base layer, carrying all essential survival and navigational gear.

Good read hopefully ?

Super low pro -

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More mags -

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Hydration -

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[Skara]

Can you hike 20 kilometres on shit terrain with that shit on without dying? kudos to you, because I can't

 

[Davegolf]

Just go naked and gaffer tape on what  you want then.

Options;

Stop being a tart

Grow a longer torso

Carry less gear

 

[Skara]

While I am itching to buy the mayflower gen4, I have scooped arount the internet a little bit to gather more information (on possible alternatives as well).

One horror story I seem to read often is that the magazine pouches on the gen 4 are a really tight fit for anything that's not a GI (standard aluminium) mag. I don't know if I should consider this a bonus because I run metal Lonex Flash Mags for these events. I do have a set of battleaxe epm clones but it's unlikely I'm gonna use them at a tournament (unless required, but this is extremely unlikely as midcaps just are not a thing here). There are also conflicting reports of magazine retention inserts fitting, some say KYWIs don't fit, others say MP-2s fit, others say neither fit, then you have all the fanboys shitting on each other.

In all this there are plenty of pictures of pmags inserted into the rig -.-

Fucking internet really.

Then, talking to my club president, he suggested the esstac boar he uses. the one piece rig is impossibru to find, the split front ones don't seem too bad, especially the "trimmed" version which only holds 4 mags instead of 6/8, I can swap the magazine holder things with ak if needed (also impossibru to find).

Is not swift clip compatible, though, and I'm trying to stay away from MOLLE platforms because they get bulky very quickly. Overall I'm not impressed by it and it's out of stock everywhere -.-

Still leaning towards the mayflower gen 4, I'm giving myself until Monday morning to decide, then I'm clicking "buy".

 

[Lozart]

While I am itching to buy the mayflower gen4, I have scooped arount the internet a little bit to gather more information (on possible alternatives as well).

One horror story I seem to read often is that the magazine pouches on the gen 4 are a really tight fit for anything that's not a GI (standard aluminium) mag. I don't know if I should consider this a bonus because I run metal Lonex Flash Mags for these events. I do have a set of battleaxe epm clones but it's unlikely I'm gonna use them at a tournament (unless required, but this is extremely unlikely as midcaps just are not a thing here). There are also conflicting reports of magazine retention inserts fitting, some say KYWIs don't fit, others say MP-2s fit, others say neither fit, then you have all the fanboys shitting on each other.

In all this there are plenty of pictures of pmags inserted into the rig -.-

Fucking internet really.

Then, talking to my club president, he suggested the esstac boar he uses. the one piece rig is impossibru to find, the split front ones don't seem too bad, especially the "trimmed" version which only holds 4 mags instead of 6/8, I can swap the magazine holder things with ak if needed (also impossibru to find).

Is not swift clip compatible, though, and I'm trying to stay away from MOLLE platforms because they get bulky very quickly. Overall I'm not impressed by it and it's out of stock everywhere -.-

Still leaning towards the mayflower gen 4, I'm giving myself until Monday morning to decide, then I'm clicking "buy".

OK, so the Gen IV I have is an Emerson clone so I can't say for certain if it's true across the board BUT, I have PTS EPMs in Kydex inserts in mine and they're fine. The bigger issue for me is that the mag pouches are really deep so there's not actually much of the mag sticking out to get hold of unless you have Ranger plates or Magpuls.

Not sure of your colour preference but worth checking out this dude on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154388539468?hash=item23f246284c:g:shMAAOSwFpddVIVa he has quite a selection of Mayflower stuff. US based and shipping may make it too pricey but still.

Also - what about someone like WTF? Their stuff is nice, not too pricey and modular too. https://www.wtfidea.com/gear/

 

[Skara]

Shipping is fair, import fees aren't ?

about WTF, can't find chest rigs, only accessories and modifications for existing stuff ?

edit: nvm found the "turnkey" rigs. The smaller mp5 style one looks interesting, might have a closer look at it in the future.

I have PTS EPMs in Kydex inserts in mine and they're fine. The bigger issue for me is that the mag pouches are really deep so there's not actually much of the mag sticking out to get hold of unless you have Ranger plates or Magpuls.

Good. My epm clones have those small rubbery plates, not proper ranger plates though. I was considering running some MP2 inserts, they are supposed to be compatible with MF pouches, if not, KYWIs.

 

[Lozart]

Good. My epm clones have those small rubbery plates, not proper ranger plates though. I was considering running some MP2 inserts, they are supposed to be compatible with MF pouches, if not, KYWIs.

MP2 inserts might be a bit short. I can try mine if you want?

 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

Have you considered this?  

Carries all your kit and no problems with breathability or mag retention being too tight.  Just stick it all in the basket and away you go.  

 

[Skara]

Haha, that could work! Actually, the Velcro jacket idea is something I might do in the future ?

ended up ordering a mayflower gen 4 from the US of A, hopefully it'll be here before July 11th (have a tournament booked, short one but it'll be a good chance to test the rig).

MP2 inserts might be a bit short. I can try mine if you want?

Saw a video of one guy (bb warrior something) who used mp2 inserts in a mf gen 4 rig, I remember him saying they were a hair short too. If you happen to have multiple inserts and you don't mind taking a few pictures, I'd appreciate it!

On a side note, I might replace all the fucking buckles I have on my TMR and Pentagon flatpack clone with ITWs so I have a 100% compatible system where I can interchange harnesses, packs, rigs depending on my needs.

Might also buy a replica of the crye airlite harness (Found one on aliexpress, I know it's not the real thing but good luck sourcing just the harness) to tinker around with.

 

[Davegolf]

Have you considered this?  

Carries all your kit and no problems with breathability or mag retention being too tight.  Just stick it all in the basket and away you go.  

That’s a grenadier load out though

 

[Stratton Oakmont]

That’s a grenadier load out though

Nice shell holder

 

[Davegolf]

Oh dear ??

 

[Lozart]

Saw a video of one guy (bb warrior something) who used mp2 inserts in a mf gen 4 rig, I remember him saying they were a hair short too. If you happen to have multiple inserts and you don't mind taking a few pictures, I'd appreciate it!

On a side note, I might replace all the fucking buckles I have on my TMR and Pentagon flatpack clone with ITWs so I have a 100% compatible system where I can interchange harnesses, packs, rigs depending on my needs.

Might also buy a replica of the crye airlite harness (Found one on aliexpress, I know it's not the real thing but good luck sourcing just the harness) to tinker around with.

Been offline for a bit, but I'll try and get you some pics shortly.

I have the knock off airlite harness and it's rather good. Cheap too so...

 

[Skara]

Been offline for a bit, but I'll try and get you some pics shortly.

I have the knock off airlite harness and it's rather good. Cheap too so...

Oh don't worry, I don't think I'll be getting it anytime soon. Parcel has been bounced between two NY offices 6 times by now, and just found out that after boarding the plane (which it did yesterday at lunch) the tracking becomes useless..

So I might get it in a week, a month, or never.

 

[Skara]

Attended a funeral this morning, but when I came back to the office I found this

Best thing is, my colleague didn't have to pay anything for collection, so nobody looked at the declared value 

 

[Skara]

So, first impression:

It's lightweight, worryingly lightweight!

I think it weighs half as much as the TMR unloaded

Judging by the pictures I found, I was concerned about it being tall (more than 3 molle rows) but in reality it's about as high as a standard GI magazine, which is fantastic as I can wear it high and tight (so it doesn't interfere with my belt).

Magazine pouches:

The 4 rifle pouches are tailored for GI mags, my Lonex Flash Mags fit snugly and I don't think I'll need the bungees nor kydex inserts.

The pistol pouches hold Glock mags just fine but they are too narrow for mk23 mags. They do fit perfectly into the two side mag/torch pouches though.

Can't wait to try it out next Sunday!

 

[Davegolf]

Need a pic of it on, I can only imagine you wearing a bra what with all the ‘need it high’ remarks #gunnerbra ?

Hope it works out for you ?

 

[Skara]

Need a pic of it on, I can only imagine you wearing a bra what with all the ‘need it high’ remarks #gunnerbra ?

Hope it works out for you ?

Manboobs for days

Quick adjustment this morning, ideally it would sit an inch higher. Also for some reason I don't appear as fat as I really am

 

[Lozart]

So I tried the inserts over the weekend:

They're quite a bit shorter than the kydex ones I have (long Esstac ones)

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Basically the MP2 inserts are too short for the mag pouches. The kydex ones fit snugly under the cord loops though.

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