Gear
A recent commenter asked, in essence:
Where do folks get the quality gear they will be needing for the upcoming North American war games?
Here's a few suggestions; as with all WRSA vendor recommendations, there's nothing being received from anyone in order to generate the plug.
1. Charley's Surplus: A long-time advertiser in Shotgun News, Charley's also has a website and has been reliable in my dealings. A few key items:
-- New LC-style load-bearing equipment components, including H-style suspenders;
-- New LC mag pouches capable of holding 4 30-rd M16 mags or 3 30-cal M14/FAL mags;
-- New LC mag pouches capable of holding 3 30-rd AK mags;
-- New butt packs for attaching to your pistol belt/suspenders/2 canteens plus covers/two mag pouches combat harness
While you're at it, go read this post on the issue of load-bearing equipment and its sequel.
2. Coleman's Military Surplus: Another quality dealer in my experience; its offerings range from:
-- Current-issue USGI sleep system; used in good condition at $149/ea;
to
-- M35A2 Cargo Trucks, 2½ Ton "Deuce and a half".
3. Major Surplus & Survival: All kinds of gear; check out their affiliate Voodoo Tactical as well.
4. Sportsmen's Guide: Soup to nuts, including ammo deals.
5. Cheaper Than Dirt: Another classic for gear and ammo, but watch the shipping charges.
6. Tactical Tailor: High-quality bags and related items; you'll pay for it, but it will last.
7. Raven's Wood Enterprises [distributors of the III and Threeper flag patches] advises as follows:
Raven's Wood can also provide Condor brand field gear...much less expensive than, say, Tactical Tailor, and every bit as good.
An entire modular vest set up with about 8 or 9 different pouches that can be moved anywhere on the vest in standard OD runs about $150 or so.
And the gear takes a beating...use this this web site to see what you're after and then send a note to ravenswoodent@sbcglobal.net for a price.
I'm betting RWE can provide a decent price for decent gear.
Finally, don't forget Ranger Joe's, a full-service outfitter as befits its location near the main gate at Fort Benning.
PS: If you want more equipment advice, just click here to go to Sipsey Street's "Praxis" columns.
That'll give you enough quality input to keep you usefully busy for quite a while.
Tempus fugit.
posted by Concerned American | 5:12 AM
6 Comments:
Coleman's is a GREAT place to get this stuff! They are down the road from me and I actually just helped pour a floor for their new 80 by 200 ft. warehouse.The business sits on several dozen acres along the river.
CIII
Raven's Wood can also provide Condor brand field gear...much less expensive than, say, Tactical Tailor, and every bit as good.
An entire modular vest set up with about 8 or 9 different pouches that can be moved anywhere on the vest in standard OD runs about $150 or so.
And the gear takes a beating...use this web site to see what you're after and then send a note to ravenswoodent@sbcglobal.net for a price.
I'm betting RWE can provide a decent price for decent gear.
Thanks!
Dang...here's the web site: http://www.condoroutdoor.com
Haven't had any coffee yet....sorry.
At Cheaper than Dirt, you can get a good sevicable vest with lots of pockets and pouches for about $25. It's in the catalog and the warehouse. Got my people hooked up with them, they wear well.
!!WARNING!!
Sportsman's Guide admitted to me that they list items as "in stock" even if they don't actually have any as long as they think they will get them in fairly soon. In my case "fairly soon" meant over three months before I finally gave up and canceled the order. During that time it went from "in stock" to "on backorder" to "in stock" and then back to "on backorder" without ever shipping.
The clerk told me that the only way to be sure they really did have the items was to phone the order in and insist that the drone on the other end check each and every item as you order it to verify if it was literally sitting in their warehouse ready to ship in sufficient quantities to fill your order. You can't just ask if it's "in stock" because of how they define that term.
Just a little caveat emptor for everyone.
Over my past experience I have found that the "butt pack" was nice to have but operationally unsound. In order to get to it and into it you have to take off your harness. This is most dangerous to do in a hostile environment. You never want to be caught unready. Most "friends" put box- or pouch-removable first aid kits in that spot, extra magazines loaded, or tied-off long blades. In other words, we placed things there that were needed, but not of absolute up front necessity. Things that would normally go in a butt pack were carried in the ALICE Medium Pack in the outside pockets. That pack was naturally detached upon "contact" so we could cut down to a movable fighting load.
Magazine "Draw pouches" for both rifle and pistol should be put on the belt on the support hand side, in front, and the magazines faced down and in the direction that the normal grab from the support side hand will feed it immediately into the weapon (either type), with the bullets facing in the right direction -- in other words toward the chamber. The other pouches that feed the system, I placed on the support hand side, on the sides and to the back. All bullets should be pointing in the same direction on each side. Since each man should be shooting from both right and left hand sides in accordance with the situation and the available cover, it will be necessary to be able to reload from both the support hand and the firing hand. So, bullets will be pointing the appropriate direction from each side as they are reloaded. As a result, I load the magazines that I carry with the appropriate types of ammo, facing my bullets toward the centerline of my body. That way, if I load from the support hand side, the magazines facing to the right go right into the gun without a problem. If I have to change to the left hand side am shooting from there and reloading with the right, my magazines are facing left and go immediately into the gun without a problem. Left-handing it takes a lot more practice for us right-handers, but it is a necessity and a great skill to have, especially when needed.
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