I am looking into purchasing a chest rig. And roamed here for the past few days searching other posts.
What is the general opinion ATS, Tactical Taylor or Eagle?
How many M4 single magazine holders on the front? 3, 4 or 6? Looking at only using it at the range and several classes(LAV, Howe, Cooley or Awerbuck). Are more than 3 needed for drills?
Mag. holders Bungee, Snap or Side-Release Buckle? Looking for secure magazine holders then speed/ease for reloading.
MOLLE or PAL- What is the difference?
Best 1911 mag. holders- Most on-line surfing has revealed all are for double column mags.
Best 1911 magazines- McCormick, Wilson or … ?
Range bag- 5.11 or Galati Super range bag?
Best dump pouch for empty magazines?
Are snap caps all there hyped to be for firing pin protection? If so what type?
Gun cleaner- I have been using Simple Green. Is there anything better? Had a British Colour Sgt. from 2 Para who used shampoo with extreme effectivness on our M16A2’s. Just want to hear back on what most here use.
I’ll likely be in a minority, (which is okay), but I’m a huge fan of the Arktis 1624, (now M173 I believe). I tried several rig combos from several makers until I found the Arktis after reading this article from J. Boyette. Some subsequent correspondence with him had me purchasing my first Arktis and I’m about to buy a second. It’s at least something to look into. This rig works exceptionally well for the needs you describe, has plenty of room and utility and can be expanded. It also works better than anything I’ve tried in the prone. Hope this helps…If not, it was good typing practice.
Eagle M4 FB chest rig. For a non-warfighter there’s little reason to choose anything else. It holds 3 mags. With that, plus one on the belt plus one in the gun I’ve never run out of ammo.
They also have FB mag pouches for the 1911 mags which work very well.
Rob_s,
I have seen your M4 rig when researching and it looks perfect for my needs. But how do the magazines stay in the holder without bungees or snap covers?
MassMark,
I will research said brand for comparability to the Eagle.
My recommendation for a first time chest rig purchase is the Eagle CP.223. It’s a really basic rig, but I find it more than suitable for most users. There is no MOLLE - you won’t be customizing this rig, but I find four M4 magazines and two additional pistol magazines more than enough for my purposes. If you’re looking for security in your retention device, you can’t go wrong with good old fashioned flaps. Personally, I don’t find the flaps much slower than other supposedly faster retention devices. The CP.223 is also lightweight and comfortable to wear. I find that it does not interfere with a belt holster or magazine pouch - with some chest rigs, I need to use a thigh drop holster.
It is also very reasonably priced - I found mine for under $60 without looking too hard. Eagle makes quality kit - you can’t go wrong with any Eagle gear.
I don’t recommend spending too much on a fancy modular chest rig until you’ve experimented with load bearing gear for a while. Start out with something basic, see what works for you and then move on. Even though I have some MOLLE gear in my kit bag, I often reach for this rig.
IMO, SKD’s Eagle Universal AR chest rig is great. It has pistol mag options on the front of the rifle /M4 mag pouches,some molle for stuff added later on, and you can even get a thumbreak from them,SKD, to carry a pistol in one of the rifle mag pouchs. I have one to go with my Blackwater Gear plate carrier,also good stuff.
I’d suggest getting an Eagle/SKD Universal Chest Rig if you’re not sure what you want yet. Its the most common set up I see at classes and seems to work well across the board regardless of what you’re wearing. I’ve worn it with 4 mags and 8 and it still works although it does get front heavy when fully loaded. I can bring mine down in a few weeks when I go to the Dumfries class and try to meet up with you.
My preference for mag retention would be bungees, velcro, snaps and then QR. I don’t do anything dynamic that requires that much retention.
I tried the Tactical Tailor MAV set up and didn’t care for it, no experience with the ATS rigs.
You can’t go wrong with Eagle, their SAS dump pouch works well as do their FB mag pouches as Rob_S and eggroll have said.
You’d be hard-pressed to disregard Rob’s advice. For training, matches and practice, the Eagle M4 is a simple, slim-down rig that would probably be the most comfortable/utilitarian.
The Eagle SKD Universal chest rig is an excellent choice and with MOLLE rows it allows some customability. If you have a full-load however it can be a little front-heavy.
I also like the TT MAV rig, but it’s way more than you “need”. I use it primarily with my FAL as the other rigs don’t really take 7.62 mags so that may be another consideration.
Treehopr,
Thanks for the reply. If you can make it out my way, great. You are always welcome in our home. That rig looks good. Well it is a toss up of either the Eagle/SKD Universal or the Eagle M4 rig. I should order both, 1 for the Colt 6920 and the other for the Mini-14.
eggroll,
Thanks you saved me about $120.00, I will get a bag from the big orange box.
This weekend my cousin and I are heading to the range(indoor) and shoot. I will fire my Colt for the first time and try his S&W MP15. He has know put about 3,000 rds. through it and has no failures.
I get to test my new Sordins’ with the mesh tops. And the PMAGs’. And the M2. Still have not received my BUIS(spring loaded folding A2 style).
I didn’t like the straps that came with it, they always seemed to get twisted up as I put it on and off.
Plus once I had mag pouches installed on the MAV it was very front heavy. The PALS columns toward the sides ended up wrapping around past my hips so I wasn’t able to really use those for much either.
It works for a lot of other folks, I just couldn’t make it work for me.
I have the Eagle/SKD Universal and the Eagle M4 FB. Both are great, inexpensive rigs, but I prefer the M4 FB.
I like the simpler, unpadded shoulder straps on the M4 FB. I find the padded shoulder straps on the Universal to be overkill, and they can get in the way when shouldering the weapon. I like the flatter profile of the M4 FB rig, and I also like the simplicity of the FB style of open-top pouch with kydex insert. Add a double FB pistol mag pouch on one side and you’re set.
+1 on the shoulder straps. I’ve owned both of these rigs as well, and found the padded straps on the Universal way too bulky. The M4FB straps are much better.
One of my complaints about the Universal is the retention system. When fully loaded, the elastic band works okay, but once you remove a magazine, there’s little holding the remaining magazine in the pouch. I also find 8 rifle magazines far more capacity than I need, but the retention system makes downloading less than optimal. Supposedly there is a version of the Universal in the works with a different retention system.
I think Eagle could much improve the Universal by a) substituting the M4FB shoulder straps for the bulky padded ones and b) adding bungee retainers to the pouches to increase retention.
I know I’m in the minority here, but I wasn’t too crazy about the retention system used by the FB chest rig. I found it held onto my PMAGs with a deathgrip (I have absolutely no fears that the open top FB can retain the mags). I found myself no faster with the FB than with a traditional flap pouch, and so stuck with my KISS CP.223. Perhaps I had a poor sample as I do like the FB pistol pouches and use one with a plate carrier.
I highly recommend Eagle gear, and I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the Eagle products recommended in this thread.
