Re: Custom built sniper chest rig
Looks like a good setup.
Unfortunately for some of us what we wear and how we wear it is dictated to us and we have to make it work for us the best we can. For me, I am required to wear a heavy vest on all of our deployments. I am required to have a ifak, radio, pistol, pistol-ar-rifle mags/ammo, taser, night vision, spike mic, and on occasion, a flash bang and gas. Plus any other items that you personally want on you like a knife, spare batteries, etc. Heck I even have to have a lanyard on my pistol because a member of the team lost his pistol (temporarily) on a stalk. The rest of my stuff is packed in a gunslinger, so I can't put any pouches on my back so they are placed on my front and sides. Is it comfortable? Not really. Ideal to shoot in any position with it on? No. Believe me, I would rather shoot in bdu's or with some sort of small harness on but I can't.
So for some, it becomes a matter of finding something to put required equipment on, then training yourself to shoot while wearing it. I have had to shoot in various configurations of different positions that I would not normally do if I didn't have to wear a vest. And sometimes you can configure the required equipment that you have to wear to assist you in some positions. Since I grab my pistol mags with my left hand to reload I placed them on the front left side of my vest and down low so that in the standing position they provide a great "shelf" to help put my left elbow on so I don't have to muscle up on my heavy bolt rifle as much. In my opinion another important factor of a chest rig is making sure whatever components you place right on the front have approximately the same depth and width, so you maintain as flat as a platform as you can while shooting prone. The chest rig will stick out but as long as it is fairly flat across the front it will work.
For me my heavy vest has become what I wear when I shoot because when I shoot for real that is what I have to wear. So whether I am going to a competition or shooting on my own personal time at the range I drag that vest along and put it on, or else what's the point? I train how I fight.
Like I said, I would rather not wear chest rigs or vests or a ton of different stuff but sometimes we have to and we have to learn to make it work. I assume whoever asked SOT to build this rig did so for the above reasons and they will train to shoot with it on.
