I recently got my new GSII delivered. Earlier this week I spent some time fitting it. To do so I packed the rifle than filled in all my typical range gear. My purpose was to fit the pack so I didn't play with removing inserting the rifle at the time.
Today I packed it up for use. This time I loaded my range gear than went to the safe and got the rifle out. I set the base of the Intex frame on a chair so the foot of the rifle scabbard would be free and I put my LMT CQB with Atlas muzzle down in the pack. I was surprised it would only go partially into the rifle sleeve. The compression straps were not run through the webbing to compress the rifle scabbard but I thought the compression straps were pushing my gear into the rifle scabbard preventing the rifle from entering anyway. I loosened the compression straps and with some effort got the rifle seated in the sleeve.
Packing up from the range encountered the same problem. I released the compression straps and tried to insert the rifle, no good. I removed the Atlas thinking the rubber feet or its protrusion was the problem, still no go. I said screw it loosened the top cover so it would fit over the partially inserted rifle and threw the pack in my car backseat and left.
Tonight looking at the pack I came to the conclusion the horizontal cross member of the Intex frame interferes with the verticality of the rifle scabbard. I could see where the frame pushes the foot of the scabbard out of line and it was at a point where the rail of my rifle was getting hung up.
So I decided to own the pack. I cut the little strap keeper that is sewn on the strap that holds the frame into its pocket and removed the Intex frame. I like those sewn on strap keepers but I found it weird that they put one on the Intex securing strap because with it you cant feed the strap back through its nylon lock. A little quick surgery and some flame to seal the cut nylon solved that problem and I removed the frame. The strap is still useable if I want to put the frame back in. I was under the impression that either using or removing the tube frame was a design consideration with this pack.
All well and good with out the frame the scabbard is a straight column from top to bottom but....the rifle scabbard is now a formless entity that is separate from the load part of the pack. When the pack is carried by a side handle as I am likely to do taking this back and forth from the car the scabbard is not a shaped square rifle receptacle it sags and becomes a rhombus or parallelogram. The load section of the pack remains pretty solid because of the compression straps but it gets no support attached to the rifle scabbard and becomes a swinging weight attached to my rhombus/parallelogram rifle scabbard.
As noted I don't have the compression straps routed through the rifle scabbard. I imagine if I do so the scabbard and pack will again become one and stable...but if I compress the rifle scabbard with the straps the rifle wont be coming out of the scabbard unless I release compression. I was under the impression that the rifle could be "drawn" from the scabbard on the go.
Giving it further thought if the Intex frame is that much in the way just trying to load the rifle Im kind of concerned about the force it would apply to my rifle rail. Either during a hike or from dropping the pack in a less than gentle way you could pressure that bar perpendicular to the rifle rail. Id hope the LMT monorail is tougher than the aluminum tube and would not bend but who knows? Id figure one or the other would have to give and neither outcome is desirable.
Am I screwing something up with how I am using this pack? Ill be sending this question to Eberlestock also for designer advice on how Im botching the use of a pack that so many others have success with.
My earlier review on the pack here
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...ipment/230423-thoughts-new-gunslinger-ii.html
Today I packed it up for use. This time I loaded my range gear than went to the safe and got the rifle out. I set the base of the Intex frame on a chair so the foot of the rifle scabbard would be free and I put my LMT CQB with Atlas muzzle down in the pack. I was surprised it would only go partially into the rifle sleeve. The compression straps were not run through the webbing to compress the rifle scabbard but I thought the compression straps were pushing my gear into the rifle scabbard preventing the rifle from entering anyway. I loosened the compression straps and with some effort got the rifle seated in the sleeve.
Packing up from the range encountered the same problem. I released the compression straps and tried to insert the rifle, no good. I removed the Atlas thinking the rubber feet or its protrusion was the problem, still no go. I said screw it loosened the top cover so it would fit over the partially inserted rifle and threw the pack in my car backseat and left.
Tonight looking at the pack I came to the conclusion the horizontal cross member of the Intex frame interferes with the verticality of the rifle scabbard. I could see where the frame pushes the foot of the scabbard out of line and it was at a point where the rail of my rifle was getting hung up.
So I decided to own the pack. I cut the little strap keeper that is sewn on the strap that holds the frame into its pocket and removed the Intex frame. I like those sewn on strap keepers but I found it weird that they put one on the Intex securing strap because with it you cant feed the strap back through its nylon lock. A little quick surgery and some flame to seal the cut nylon solved that problem and I removed the frame. The strap is still useable if I want to put the frame back in. I was under the impression that either using or removing the tube frame was a design consideration with this pack.
All well and good with out the frame the scabbard is a straight column from top to bottom but....the rifle scabbard is now a formless entity that is separate from the load part of the pack. When the pack is carried by a side handle as I am likely to do taking this back and forth from the car the scabbard is not a shaped square rifle receptacle it sags and becomes a rhombus or parallelogram. The load section of the pack remains pretty solid because of the compression straps but it gets no support attached to the rifle scabbard and becomes a swinging weight attached to my rhombus/parallelogram rifle scabbard.
As noted I don't have the compression straps routed through the rifle scabbard. I imagine if I do so the scabbard and pack will again become one and stable...but if I compress the rifle scabbard with the straps the rifle wont be coming out of the scabbard unless I release compression. I was under the impression that the rifle could be "drawn" from the scabbard on the go.
Giving it further thought if the Intex frame is that much in the way just trying to load the rifle Im kind of concerned about the force it would apply to my rifle rail. Either during a hike or from dropping the pack in a less than gentle way you could pressure that bar perpendicular to the rifle rail. Id hope the LMT monorail is tougher than the aluminum tube and would not bend but who knows? Id figure one or the other would have to give and neither outcome is desirable.
Am I screwing something up with how I am using this pack? Ill be sending this question to Eberlestock also for designer advice on how Im botching the use of a pack that so many others have success with.
My earlier review on the pack here
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...ipment/230423-thoughts-new-gunslinger-ii.html