Diz, the MVT Gear Designer, sends on the newly released 556 Patrol Rig:
Diz, the MVT Gear designer, sends on the forum:
OK, it’s finally here. This is the rig I was wearing at the VTC for 6 classes, and I can personally tell you, it works. After 6 classes and over 5K rounds, we tweaked the design to what really worked in a dynamic live fire environment. I have received much feedback from my designs over the years, and it was all much appreciated. But I think you have to realize that each situation, and firefight, is unique to that person. What we as armed civilians may face is not exactly like what soldiers or LEOs face. With the MVT rig we attempted to address how exactly would we be fighting, in a WROL situation. Small, unsupported teams in a rural or semi-rural environment. Mobility and accurate fire. To support this, we, as in Max, the OEM, and myself, worked together to design, test, and produce a rig which is optimize for this mission.
GEAR STORE (LINK)
We shit-canned the pull-tabs. Some may wonder why. They work petty good, especially if you prep a mag or two by pulling them to the side. But they are a pain in the ass to reload. Now, depending on your terrain and situation, you may not care. I have had guys tell me that once the firefight was over, there was no need to quickly plus up mags. So they really didn’t care. But for us, I have found that we have a requirement to do so. Remember in class when breaking contact and then rallying up? Being out in the bush, with another contact possible, we have to plus up. It’s not always one and done, with the enemy scattered. They may stick around an attempt to re-engage. So with this in mind, we need a rig that is also quick and easy to reload. It may be simply moving the end mags into the middle slots, or it may be transferring fresh mags from your assault pack. In order to do so, quickly, without a lot of fuss, you need to drop the pull tabs. They do nothing but get in the way, usually forcing you to reload with both hands. What I wanted was a way of doing it with one hand, while I kept the other on the rifle, scanning. Getting rid of them cleared up the “magwell”, allowing you to insert mags, one handed, in low/no light.
We also upgraded the kydex inserts. They are beefier with double the spring retention, so you can pretty much hang upside down without worrying about them falling out. And they provide pouch rigidity, so again, it’s easier to reload, without the pouch trying collapse around the mag (as you fight the pull tab for access). They are available to upgrade your Versa rig.
So bottom line here, we made a rig with mag pouches that not only are very quick to access, they don’t fall out, (leaving a trail of mags behind you as you maneuver), and are very quick to reload as well.
So I hope you guys are seeing the differences between the MVT rig and all the others I’ve seen guys wear and use in class. Yes, they will work, but you can improve on them. And that’s what we’ve done.
You may also notice we dropped the sewn-on pouches. This gives you much more versatility in the way you want to rig your load out. It can be slick for low profile or light weight; or it can be loaded up with all the additional pouches your mission may require. But it is entirely up to you. It will work with any molle-compatible pouch, or you may want to use our tuck-tab, silent closure pouches.
Again some of you may wonder why we don’t use Velcro on these, like the rest of the world. What I wanted was a way to access these pouches, one-handed, at night, and not make a lot of noise. Think back to your CP class. Out in the bush, Velcro is very loud and distinctive. Operating in small teams, with stealth as your primary defense, learning to operate silently is a must. If I need to access a piece of gear, I want to do it one-handed, with the other hand on the rifle and scanning. Velcro is too loud. SR buckles usually take two hands and can also be noisy. Snaps are close but frequently rust out and fail. I wanted something that would be easy to manipulate, one-handed, not make any noise, and still provide good retention. The tuck tabs accomplished this. It will also never rust out, break, or clog with mud or snow.
The shoulder harness has been re-designed a bit. It now features molle webbing across the back for those that want to hang a hydro bladder. It has also been tested to drag your buddy with. There have been issues in the past with some harness damage from doing this. So we are making sure all the new rigs are capable of doing this. In fact, the OEM is doing pull-ups on them to make sure.
Another feature we have added is antennae loops on the bottom of the rig. By using a flexible antennae extension, you can route the antennae(s) down and under the rig. This is especially important for team leaders with dual comms. Keeps that antennae from interfering with your rifle stock. My buddy and I have run our UV-8D’s with this system and it works great. Any similar small team radio will work just as well.
So there you have it.
Diz