REVIEW: US Grunt Gear Chest Rig

Next up I’ll be breaking down a AR molle chest rig made by US Grunt Gear (USGG).

I did quite a bit of research while hunting for that perfect chest rig. A lot of the mass produced factory rigs I looked at were going to be too big, bulky, or simply didn’t have the specifics I wanted. That is until I found USGG.

So my specs: I’m 6’3, 185ish, with a long, thin torso. I needed a smaller rig so it didn’t wrap around my body too much and stayed secure when moving. I wanted a lighter setup which was going to be entirely dedicated to rifle mags. (Nothing else has been placed on the rig even after several courses.) I wanted open top rifle mag pouches with molle webbing on the front. This rig has a small admin pouch installed on the body side behind the mags. I also have added the USGG padded shoulder straps. And lastly I wanted multicam, because it’s my favorite color.

Now for my application of this piece of gear: I use this chest rig basically for working on the range and during carbine classes I attend. I like using this set up as it is very similar to the way my SWAT vest is configured as far as spare mag locations.

This is by far one of my favorite pieces of gear. This is basically a custom product built with amazing quality. I love the open top mag pouches and they hold the mag very securely. Now in my view a chest rig is more for ammo storage, and should probably be a secondary source; with your primary being more easily accessible on the support side of a belt. That said, this is still a viable way of carrying ammo and performing reloads.

I’ve worn this attending classes for Haley Strategic, PFC Training, and many others. It looks as new as the day I got it. I think one of the biggest compliments you can give a piece of gear is that it sort of goes without notice. It just works, and doesn’t get in the way of you doing any of the other tasks you normally can do. This can easily be said of my USGG chest rig.

I will say that the bumped edges along the Pmag can sometimes hang up on the pouches. Magpul plays with their design a little bit with different generations of their magazines and my rig may be for the older versions. My solution was to just simply take a Dremel and shave down those sharp edges a little bit on my mags. No more issues. And I know USGG has solved this with their current products. That is literally the only slight issue I’ve ever had with this simple piece of gear.

The people at US grunt gear do great work, and I couldn’t be happier with this product. It fits well, can take a beating, and did I mention multicam?

If you can’t tell, this is one of my favorite pieces of gear I own. I highly recommend US Grunt Gear and I personally plan on ordering more from them soon. They do custom work and can be much create anything you can imagine, so hit them up!

azRambo

Book: The Art of War, Sun Tzu

I enjoy reading books which can educate me on tactics, the warrior mindset, and firearms. I read a little bit of fiction here and there, but those will probably not be discussed here. I will not be writing so much a review of the books, but my thoughts and impressions.

First up in this set of posts is a short book most people have heard about. It is called “The Art of War”, written by a ancient Chinese general known as Sun Tzu. The copy I read is a very old edition given to me by my father and it is translated by a man named Samuel Griffith.

This book is basically a collection of proverbs related to combat, leadership, and war. It is filled with amazing quotes that have really proven to be timeless as they relate to conflict. From what I understand Sun Tzu has been highly influential on Chinese military history and even global warfare.

As a police officer I’m always interested in improving my mental preparations for conflict. This book provided me with many moments of thought and reflection.

“Thus a victorious army wins it’s victories before seeking battle; an army destined to defeat fights in the hope of winning.”
One of my favorite overarching themes in the book is the concept of preparation. Sun Tzu believed that by properly preparing for war you can Not only avoid it, but even win the battle before its fought. It would also follow then, by not preparing, you have already lost. “To rely on rustics and not prepare is the greatest of crimes; to be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues.” As I’ve heard it said before, we do not rise to the occasion, we fall back on our training. I think Sun Tzu would agree.

“Strike the enemy as swiftly as a falcon strikes its target . It surely breaks the back of its pray for the reason that it awaits the right moment to strike. Thus the momentum of one skilled in war is overwhelming and his attack precisely regulated.”
Another bit of wisdom I pulled from the book is very similar to what I’ve been taught in my SWAT training. In SWAT we say our mission is speed, surprise, and violence of action. These things can help give us an advantage in a naturally disadvantageous situation. In this vein Sun Tzu says, “what is the greatest importance in war is extraordinary speed; one cannot afford to neglect opportunity… When the thunder-clap comes, there is no time to cover the ears.” And again, “An attack may lack ingenuity, but it must be delivered with supernatural speed.”

Whether you’re a cop on the street, a servicemember abroad, a guard on the job, or a citizen ready, I find the tenants in this book are invaluable. They’re all quite simply put and yet still provoke self-examination. Am I ready when the fight comes? Did I put in the time to prepare for my moment? Do I know my limitations and did I push myself as far as I possibly could?

I’ll close with one of my favorites, “It is a doctrine of war not to assume the enemy will not come, but rather to rely on one’s readiness to meet him; not to presume that he will not attack but rather to makes one’s self invincible… When the world is at peace a gentleman keeps his sword by his side.”

Know yourself, prepare, act.

azRambo

REVIEW: Oakley SI Tactical Rigger Belt

This was my first purchase with Oakley Standard Issue. I was pretty surprised by the price discount on so many products. I found that they had a very good selection, and it’s a pretty cool program for current and former military members and law-enforcement. It goes way beyond just sunglasses.

I picked up the Oakley SI belt with plans of using it for my battle belt set up. I am usually a 34 inch waist on pants and so I purchased a size medium. This is listed to cover way sizes between 32 and 36 inches, and I would say it was true to size. As sometimes happens with online equipment purchase I did make a mistake on the sizing though. I should have purchased a larger size because the battle belt increases your waist size. Duh! So this belt ended up being used more for daily use EDC and concealed carry.

The belt only comes in coyote tan and uses a Raptor quick release buckle. It’s not extremely stiff or wide which makes it nice for using on a daily basis. It worked well with IWB holsters and is fairly easy to adjust using the Velcro strap. For this purpose the belt fit very well. For a padded war belt or battle belt I would recommend a wider more stiff belt. This was my first experience with this quick release type of buckle and I like it a lot. The only struggle is feeding the buckle through some smaller belt loops and installing a belt loop holster, because you actually have to take the buckle off. But this really isn’t much of a chore, and can be done quite easily.

At $100 plus shipping this belt is expensive for the average public. If you fall under the military service , veteran, or law-enforcement bracket then it only costs $50 plus shipping. SCORE!

I would call this a good product, however by purchasing a more suitable belt for my needs it may eliminate the uses for this belt. I would definitely recommend it to someone who’s just looking for a cobra or quick release style buckle, and at the standard issue price you really can’t go wrong.

I hope this quick review helps, and if anyone out there has had experience with this belt or a similar type, give us your thoughts and recommendations in the comments.

azRambo

Image from oakleysi.com

REVIEW: G Code XST Holster

I purchased this holster as an experiment. I’ve never owned a G code holster before so I didn’t know what to expect. This particular model is the XST for a Glock 17, 22, and 31, mounted by their RTI system to a Mule leg shroud. It’s in multicam because that’s my favorite color.

First off I will say that I don’t think you can find many holster companies who make this quality product. G code does injection molding instead of the sheet and heat mold of common Kydex companies. It is essentially a custom fit for each gun. My Glock fit perfectly in this holster. It has a rotating hood for retention, which upon pressing a button with the primary thumb, pops out of the way for smooth easy draw. It’s a hood that is similar in fashion to the Safariland ALS type, but is defeated automatically by pressing the button.

My purpose for this holster is to use at the range and to have for my molle belt rig. This is not for duty use or for concealed carry.

From a product quality standpoint G Code hit it on the head. This Holsters rugged, functional and looks good. The multicam fabric coating is very well done and looks like it’ll hold up to a beating. The one point where I feel the product was lacking is in the actual button itself . It doesn’t feel as solid as the rest of the holster. It’s also not ideally placed for my high grip. Because my thumbs to be a little misplaced on the draw, however it is not something I have practiced extensively.

This particular holster model just feels a little over secure for my purpose. I think they are attempting to satisfy some shooters requirements of having a hood retention system, but the holster itself is capable of security. Personally I would say after using this holster, the XST hood just gets in my way. There is a definite positive retention with the gun simply resting in the holster and the hood is not truly necessary. I jumped, I rolled, I went from standing to prone, and I never found the holster retention without the hood was inadequate.

So while I like the holster, I’m not a huge fan of the XST system. Again, for my intended purpose that is. I am definitely going to purchase more products from G code but I think I’m going to shy away from the retention systems. I’m not using these holsters for duty use. If that were the case, then yes, I would want the extra retention and the XST would be a good option. Overall this is a good holster and would be a good tool for duty use.

One more thought I wanted to share is that the RTI system is really cool. For my set up I have a belt attachment with the RTI which allows me to move the holster from thigh rig to the belt in a matter of seconds. It also means that you could interchange multiple holsters on the set up. The Mule is pretty cool too. The RTI and Mule get a thumbs up from azRambo.

Anyone have any experience with other G Code holsters? I’m in the process of putting together another order, so more gear to come!

NOTE: I’ve seen a lot of complaints on the web about this company’s product delivery times. I spoke to G code staff yesterday and asked them about the lead out times for their deliveries. He stated that they are around a 10 week delivery point so it’s not something that you’re going to get right away if you make an order. Their reasoning is because each item is custom-made and made in lots, so if the product you order is on the shelf they need to make one for you. And he stressed that there is a long line.

azRambo

Mag Pouches

Ok, LEO’s, security professionals, military service members, armed citizens! What orientation do you keep you magazine pouches and why? Give me a brief run down of your equipment and how it is placed on your body in the comments section. Also chime in on the poll below. My thoughts to follow shortly. Thanks

the why

I go in spurts. I get inspiration and have to find a way to push the thoughts out into a coherent form. So, copperstar.wordpress.com.

Why copperstar? I’m from Arizona, home of the rising copper star (see photo). Also, I’m not above the Cop’er star, as in a police badge. I know, I know, extremely clever.

Why firearms, tac gear, and so on? I’m a police officer currently assigned to patrol. I’m a SWAT operator, firearms instructor (rifle, pistol, shotgun), less-lethal instructor, and above all I am a student. I want to keep learning. I read, I seek out the influence of wise people, and I invest my time in improving.

Why read anything I have to say. Mehuh (shoulder shrug).

the basics

I’m a goal guy. I like to write them down and have a visual check list. I’ll give this a shot.

Over the course of the next few weeks I’d like to produce some posts worth reading for the following:

Gear Reviews – some examples might be 5.11 Tactical equipment, Wilderness Tactical, TYR Tactical, Vertx, US Grunt Gear, G Code, boots, knives, holsters, bags, mags, tools, etc.

Firearms – The norms, Glock, Sig, Colt, Ruger, Mossberg, Remington, S&W, etc. Rifles, pistols, revolvers. Pros/Cons, Likes/Dislikes, News and notes

Concealed carry. Legal response. Tactical insights.

And I’m a reader, so a few book review-ish things. Authors like LtC Dave Grossman, LtC Jeff Cooper, Pat MacNamara, Kyle Lamb, Masaad Ayoob, amd other firearms/tactics/mindset related writings.

Asking “Why” segments. Random thoughts and questions. I try to “think critically” about why we do what we do and hope to spark some thought while reading.

Ok, that’s a start.