Tactical Vest with Holster

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i was thinking about getting a tactical vest for when i go to the range. is that a good idea? well i came across this one



what do you guys think? i could even use it for other things, like fishing or something, as the holster is removable. and if you really wanted to you could also use it to OC. i'm pretty sure you'll get ALOT of stares tho, maybe even the cops called. or i was thinking about just getting a shoulder holster and a thigh holster. need some opinion guys

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Have you checked out cheaperthandirt.com ?They've got a couple that look just like that one for $30 to $50. The 40 dollar one has a removable holster. I ordered one yesterday, should be here next week, I'll let you know howI like it.

Not sure if I'll be doing any grocery shopping with it.

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I didn't get this exact vest but the one from CTD:

MOLLE Assault Entry Vest XL/XX OD Green Ribbed Padded Shoulder

These vests are actually a pretty neat design but as the name says, they're Assault Entry Vests meaning they're meant to carry a few pistol magazines, a few rifle magazines and maybe a bit of extra gear but that's it. Not really that modular, honestly but it was decenty quality and cheaper than it is now. The rifle pouches are a tough fit for AK-47 magazines so be wary of that, and there's only three. The pistol pouch is removable but uses a dumb buckle release which means the pistol is either very secured or not secured at all and not easy to get free in a pinch.

MOLLE Tactical Magazine Chest Rig BLACK Hydration Compatible-Fully Adjustable

This is the carrying rig I ended up with, in OD and at a cheaper price. It's nice and simplistic with plenty of space around the front for adding on pistol magazines or anything else you might like. It fits over other clothing and gear much better than the above and comes with a built in pocket for a hydration bladder. The Assault Entry Vest requires you buy a $20 add on for the back of it... No thanks. AK-47 magazines are not an issue either and it holds six as standard. I took the pistol holster from the above vest and added it to the right side (or left if you prefer) after converting it to a thumb break holster. I also added quick release buckles to the left straps making it much easier to get in and out of while it's loaded. This is nice but not necessary.

Get the Assault Entry Vest if you want something more tacticool, get the Tactical Magazine Chest Rig if you want something mover versatile and add your own goodies. - Schofield

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khmer_gentleman wrote:

i was thinking about getting a tactical vest for when i go to the range. is that a good idea? well i came across this one

what do you guys think? i could even use it for other things, like fishing or something, as the holster is removable. and if you really wanted to you could also use it to OC. i'm pretty sure you'll get ALOT of stares tho, maybe even the cops called. or i was thinking about just getting a shoulder holster and a thigh holster. need some opinion guys

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That is the UTG brand vest, and it's nicer than a lot of the cheap vests. I have that vest and I use it for my AK mags and for my Sig P226 w/mags. It is a great vest, and I highly recommend it. Be cautious of the non-UTG vests, because the holsters may be much lower quality, and permanently attached to a mesh backing. Very unstable. In this case, if I choose to use another holster, I can remove the vest holster and replace it with something else that has a velcro backing, such as a first aid kit. I absolutely love that vest, and I completely recommend it. I have it in the OD green color. It is, in my opinion, the best vest you can get without spending serious money on blackhawk, tactical tailor, etc.

The features of that vest that I like the most are:

- The pouch for a water bladder, such as a camelback, built into the back of the vest.
- The removable holster hasa velcro adjustable muzzle area, so you can either use it with your standard pistol, or you can attach a tactical light, such as an Insight M3.
- You can attach things to the back.
- The pouches will hold 2 AR15 magazines each, or 1 AK47 magazine.
- It's quick to put on, just zip it up and click the buckle.
- It's cheap! The quality is pretty darn good, especially for the price.
- It holds your mags very securely (and comfortably), so you can feel free to run, jump, skip, dance, or swim your way through any terrain.

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I carry a musette bag (military gas mask bag/man-purse) for my gun gear. Got one for $8 on e-bay, and military surplus places usually have them for $15 or so. Not as "cool" as the vest, perhaps, but it's practical and nobody's laughed at me at the range yet (might have something to do with the .30-cal rifle I usually have with me). They're good for putting small game (birds or rabbits)in as well if you're a hunter.

-ljp

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I should point out I was specifically talking about the CTD.com products, not the one in the original post which does look to be of better quality.

Legba: No worries, most of the time I actually use a green canvas satchel from Fox Outdoors (I think) that works really great for my stuff. I could honestly carry all of my magazines in there with extra stuff and a pistol in a normal side holster. My vest I wear all the time, a normal cotton one with lots of pockets, woudl be entirely satisfactory for carrying most things but I prefer to have a ammo carrying rig I can leave the magazines in just in case. Never know when the militia might be called up to fight the Chinese, Russians, or those sneaky Californians. - Schofield

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After seeing this tread, I shopped around and decided to buy this one:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/VEST160-713-1842.html

Last time I went to the range with a long gun (shotty) and two handguns, I had a whole bunch of crap tagging along. The idea of a vest makes perfect sense to me! I like the fact that it comes with a dang pistol belt! I figure I'll spend $50 and either get an awesomeset of gear, or learn my lesson . The only problem I have now is not having that many pistol magazines....oh well, now I have an excuse to buy more!!

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DreQo wrote:

After seeing this tread, I shopped around and decided to buy this one:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/VEST160-713-1842.html

Last time I went to the range with a long gun (shotty) and two handguns, I had a whole bunch of crap tagging along. The idea of a vest makes perfect sense to me! I like the fact that it comes with a dang pistol belt! I figure I'll spend $50 and either get an awesomeset of gear, or learn my lesson . The only problem I have now is not having that many pistol magazines....oh well, now I have an excuse to buy more!!

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Good for you! That's the good one (leapers=utg, same company). The thing I love the most about the vest is it's just one thing to grab in a SHTF schenario. I used to have a setup that included a vest, drop leg holster, drop leg mag pouch, and a bunch of other stuff. Now it's all attached. All I have to do to be combat ready is zip the zipper and click the belt, and voila! Ready to go! It's a really nice setup. The only thing I do recommend, if you are getting it for a SHTF kind of rig, is to get a separate bulletproof vest to wear under it. If you're just getting it for the range, this is probably not necessary. Also, you're going to find that it is really, realy comfortable.

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Considering need vs. cost, I probably wont be purchasing a bullet proof vest any time soon. I really can't see the justification for a person that is not in an obviously high-risk environment. At least not for myself, anyway.

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DreQo wrote:

After seeing this tread, I shopped around and decided to buy this one:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/VEST160-713-1842.html

Last time I went to the range with a long gun (shotty) and two handguns, I had a whole bunch of crap tagging along. The idea of a vest makes perfect sense to me! I like the fact that it comes with a dang pistol belt! I figure I'll spend $50 and either get an awesomeset of gear, or learn my lesson . The only problem I have now is not having that many pistol magazines....oh well, now I have an excuse to buy more!!

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you should shop around on ebay, you can find one cheaper

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Link? That's kinda shallow advice w/o anything to back it up.

Anyway I don't usually do ebay...I've done that in the past and never had the best luck with product quality and warranty type stuff. Plus, that site I ordered from had a crap load of reviews from people that purchased that exact product from that exact page.

And hell, even if the vest doesn't work out, I will have gotten a nylon duty belt and quite a few nylon pistol and rifle mag pouches. That's worth $50 by itself! That's not to mention the holster and other various removable items.

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DreQo wrote:

Link? That's kinda shallow advice w/o anything to back it up.

Anyway I don't usually do ebay...I've done that in the past and never had the best luck with product quality and warranty type stuff. Plus, that site I ordered from had a crap load of reviews from people that purchased that exact product from that exact page.

And hell, even if the vest doesn't work out, I will have gotten a nylon duty belt and quite a few nylon pistol and rifle mag pouches. That's worth $50 by itself! That's not to mention the holster and other various removable items.

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sorry about that. its just a little bit cheaper on ebay. its about $2 cheaper but that includes shipping. its $49.97 at cheaperthendirt but that doesnt include shipping, i dont think atleast i never ordered from there http://cgi.ebay.com/UTG-TACTICAL-VEST-W-HOLSTER-BELT-BERETTA-92-96-PISTOL_W0QQitemZ300195302713QQihZ020QQcategoryZ73967QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

its the same brand as the one from cheaperthandirt, UTG/Leapers. also i did went ahead and ordered the vest. i just got it today, i love it. it might be tacti-cool, but i do like it and i really do think its cool. lolz :lol:

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Kool, yeah it is a little cheaper. I don't mind, though. Cheaperthandirt.com looks like a good website, so I'm glad to support their business. Hell, it's one of the only places I've found that carry mags for my SW99 .

Mine will be here on Tuesday...oh the suspense! lol So Khmer, any negative points about the vest? Or is it perfect? lol

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DreQo wrote:

Kool, yeah it is a little cheaper. I don't mind, though. Cheaperthandirt.com looks like a good website, so I'm glad to support their business. Hell, it's one of the only places I've found that carry mags for my SW99 .

Mine will be here on Tuesday...oh the suspense! lol So Khmer, any negative points about the vest? Or is it perfect? lol

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The only negative I've found is that the shoulder pad doesn't work too well with the underfolder stock of an AK. I usually put the stock further out on my shoulder with that rifle anyway, so it's not a big deal. It works well for an AR15, and I imagine it would work well for a regular AK stock, it's just that the metal underfolder stock is wide and has two areas in it, so it's strange.

So... I guess that's not a real bad negative, but you asked what the negatives where. I also didn't like (at first)the fact that the mag pouches were velcro, and they make some noise when you open them. But when I thought about it, if I'm changing mags, I think the sound of velcro is going to be the least of my concerns. I mean, I will have already emptied 30 rounds of 7.62, so I imagine the subtle sound of velcro isn't going to make a huge difference, right? Now I am actually happy about the velcro, because it holds very firmly, and it adjusts to the size of magazines, so I can carry 20 or 30 round AK mags, or choose to carry AR mags instead.

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Expvideo: You don't have problems with the AK magazine lugs catching on the inside or anything? The one from CTD is a bit of a tight fit but I guess in combat you'd just be ripping the magazines out anyway. My real issue is that it's hard to put them back in and throwing away magazines is an Armalite idea, not a Russian one and we see where that leads reliability wise. - Schofield

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DreQo wrote:

Kool, yeah it is a little cheaper. I don't mind, though. Cheaperthandirt.com looks like a good website, so I'm glad to support their business. Hell, it's one of the only places I've found that carry mags for my SW99 .

Mine will be here on Tuesday...oh the suspense! lol So Khmer, any negative points about the vest? Or is it perfect? lol

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i guess one of the negatives would be having to adjust it to fit you. it kinda of takes some time, but then again i am a pretty small guy. also as you know the holster can be remove so you can add extra mags pouches but what i didnt know or maybe i just didnt read carefully is the vest comes with the extra pouches, thats less money you have to spend if you dont want to use the holster and would like more pouches

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heres a vid of some guys wearing the vest. they're not modeling the vest or anything, just shooting with the vest on. its not the exact same one. the ones they got on doesnt have a holster, its all mag pouches

http://youtube.com/watch?v=GBDhbIg3dSY

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Schofield wrote:

Expvideo: You don't have problems with the AK magazine lugs catching on the inside or anything? The one from CTD is a bit of a tight fit but I guess in combat you'd just be ripping the magazines out anyway. My real issue is that it's hard to put them back in and throwing away magazines is an Armalite idea, not a Russian one and we see where that leads reliability wise. - Schofield

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It's not as quick as I would like to put mags back into the pouches, but I wouldn't go as far as to call it cumbersome. AR mags are always easier to deal with. Personally, I keep the mags with the bullet side up, so I don't have to worry about the catch getting stuck. As for empties, I have a separate dump pouch that I use, and I'd recommend doing the same, since putting empty or mostly empty mags back into your pouches could cause confusion. In the heat of the moment, you don't want to be keeping track of which mags are empty and which mags aren't. I have found that if you store them bullet side up, they go in and out of the pouches much easier, although it is very possible to store them the other way. I just figured that it is easier to condition myself to reach for a bullet side up mag that in is to deal with it getting stuck in the heat of the moment because of that darn mag catch.

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i've seen a vid where the guy used the pouch as a holster, it looked like his vest didnt have the holster option. i tried it myself and it does work, the guy had blank firing guns tho.

i dont have a AK but i'll be using it for my 32rd mags for my beretta 92 as soon as they come in.

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Those vest aren't bullet proof. Personally I have seen a few guys wearing them at the range and laughed at how stupid they looked. I could see it for shooting out at my cabin, where I may walk two miles into the woods and need to carry plenty of ammo. At the range, nope. I'll stick with a range bag and looking like a normal human being instead of some GI Joe type urban warriorthat watches too much TV. Wear it in public (all loaded up) and you will end up with 5-6 cops pointing guns at you, guaranteed. I really wouldn't blame them, guys look like terrorist wearing those things. Frankly I would probably call the cops on someone wearing that thing at McDonald's or walking down the street.