TACTICAL TUESDAY WITH MODERN MILSIM – BONUS EPISODE 3 TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to another episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern MilSim. Through this podcast, we will bring you real world tactics, techniques, and procedures that will enable you to succeed on the MilSim battlefield. It's time to get ready.
Hello and welcome to bonus episode three of Tactical Tuesday with Modern MilSim. I am your host, Craig White. As always, thank you for being here. Now, today we're going to discuss tactical gear and how it can improve your performance on the MILSIM battlefield. Be aware that although I may discuss various manufacturers of tactical gear in this episode, I will not be promoting any particular item to purchase. Instead, I intend to discuss particular types of gear and leave it to you, the listener, to decide on what particular item you want to purchase.
Although tactical gear is used generally in airsoft, MILSIM is a different kind of animal that generally uses tactical gear differently than most other forms of airsoft. Unlike airsoft pickup games that typically run an hour or so, most MILSIM event evolutions take place over the course of several hours. Some MILSIM operations are continuous operations that can go 24 hours or longer. As such, you will often need items on your person that you would otherwise not need.
Also, please be advised that this episode addresses gear that typically should be used by riflemen, designated marksmen, snipers, and the like. Support weapon gunners will likely need a much different setup. I will likely address support weapon load bearing gear in a future episode of this podcast.
So with that in mind, let's get to it.
First, let's talk about the attachment options that pertain to load bearing tactical gear. Some types of load bearing gear will have pouches permanently sewn into them. Others allow for customization by using hardware or MOLLE webbing that allows the player to attach a particular pouch or items to their load carrying gear in a position that they choose.
By the way, MOLLE is an acronym that stands for Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment. It is a standard system for attaching pouches to load bearing gear that has been adopted by most NATO military services And it's very robust as far as hardware based mounting systems go.
The next most popular is the ALICE system. ALICE is an acronym that stands for all purpose, lightweight, individual carrying equipment. It is a system of attaching pouches and other items to load bearing equipment using metal clips. It was used by the U. S. military in the 60s and 70s before MOLLE was adopted. In my experience, use of ALICE clips has proven to be less customizable in that the clips must be threaded through small metal grommets on the belt to secure the item being attached. Because the clips must be aligned with the grommets in the belt or other load bearing equipment, ALICE gear is less customizable than MOLLE.
Although some gear manufacturers such as Blue Force Gear, Crye Precision and Tire use variations of the basic MOLLE concept, they are utilized in essentially the same way.
Now, other than your primary weapon, the most important piece of tactical gear that you will need is some form of load bearing vest, rig, or carrier. As indicated early in this episode, you will need the capacity to carry items you will need on the battlefield in a MILSIM event that typically are not needed in shorter events. These load bearing gear typically come in three flavors. You have your tactical vest, your Rhodesian or chest rig, and your armor plate carrier, or APC for short. Each of these load carrying gear types have their advantages and disadvantages.
So let's talk about load bearing vests first. A load bearing vest is a form of load carrying equipment that typically zips up in front with several magazine pouches permanently attached to it. Occasionally, they may also include grenade or administrative pouches. They're typically much less expensive than an armor plate carrier. In some cases, they may also include a soft pistol holster attached to the vest as well. Unlike Rhodesian or chest rigs and APCs, tactical vests have a limited single magazine pouches, typically three or four that are restricted to either rifle or pistol magazines that cannot be replaced by other types of pouches. They typically also do not have pouches for radios or other items that you may need in the field. As such, they usually cannot be customized very well to adjust individual player style of play. Although a tactical vest presents limited options to customize it, it is more cost effective for newer players that are just getting introduced to MILSIM. Players just need to recognize that at some point, they will likely want to move on to a chest rig or APC that will provide them with the ability to customize the layout of it.
In contrast to a load bearing vest, a Rhodesian or chest rig represents the minimalist version of load bearing gear. It typically covers some part of the front of the user's body with shoulder straps to keep it in place. There is no back panel usable for mounting pouches. The front panel typically consists of several sewn in magazine pouches and possibly MOLLE webbing on the front that can be used to mount other pouches such as radio pouches or administrative pouches. Some chest rigs also allow you to add a front panel with additional MOLLE webbing and or a built in chest panel.
A chest rig is an option for players where quick movement or stealth is a requirement. It allows more freedom of movement than a vest or APC, but limits how much gear the player can carry. It is typically used by bolt action snipers or scouts. That being said, it is still a viable option for riflemen that want to travel light.
And then finally we have the armor plate carrier, also known as the APC. There are too many APC manufacturers to list by name. Typically, APCs consist of a front and back armor plate bags connected together at the top by shoulder straps. They are also typically connected together at the sides by a cummerbund that surrounds the player's torso. Both the cummerbund and the plate bags are typically covered in molly webbing for the attachment of pouches in whatever configuration that the player desires. Depending on the manufacturer, some APCs have a kangaroo pouch with a magazine insert that allows you to carry three to four magazines. Others are slick with only MOLLE webbing on the front with no kangaroo pouch.
Unlike rigs and load bearing vest, APCs are kept rigid by simulated or real armor plates. Without them, an APC will not fit well and will tend to sag in the front and the back. APCs are often a good choice for MILSIM events because they are much more customizable than a chest rig or a tactical vest. You can arrange pouches on the APC or whatever manner the owner desires.
Regardless of what load bearing equipment you decide to use, you need to make sure that you get one in a color that largely matches the terrain in which you will be operating. Although Multicam and Ranger Green are the patterns that are the rage right now, you can purchase one in one of several colors. I recommend that you use some form of forest green or coyote tan color for your load bearing gear, depending on the terrain in which you will be playing.
Stay away from black or UCP, sometimes erroneously referred to as ACU, load bearing equipment. Both black and UCP stands out against the colors commonly found in nature. All of us have experience observing players in black gear. Attempting to hide behind trees. It stands out. This is commonly referred to as tree cancer. Typically, you will see enemy in black gear first, if you're not also dressed in black.
Now, often a MILSIM player will add a battle belt to his or her lowdown. A battle belt is a padded belt that fits over your standard belt. The outside of the belt contains molly webbing, which allows the player to attach magazine pouches, pistol holsters, radios, and similar gear to it. A battle belt can increase the real estate available to you, but be careful. Too much gear will slow you down and likely make you less effective on the Milsim battlefield.
Now when it comes to customizing and arranging your load bearing equipment, it is important to focus on functionality as opposed to other considerations such as attempting to copy the arrangement of pouches that you see in photos of soldiers or operators that you can find in a book or on the internet. Your loadout should be customized so that you can quickly and efficiently reach and employ critical gear when you need it. Magazine pouches should be arranged so that you can quickly extract the magazine from its pouch and reload your weapon quickly. Make sure there is nothing on your vest, rig, or APC that will obstruct drawing the magazine out of its pouch.
When you are selecting magazine pouches, decide whether you want a covered or uncovered pouch and whether you want your pouch to be soft or rigid. Each type has its pros and cons. An empty soft pouch tends to flatten when you go prone. With a rigid magazine pouch, it will remain extending away from your chest, even when it is empty. This can prove to be a problem when you go prone. That being said, it is much easier to assert a magazine into a rigid pouch than into a soft one.
If you are worried about dirt fouling your magazine, or you want to protect them from the elements, consider purchasing a covered pouch. That being said, I would recommend that you insert your primary reload magazine in an open pouch where the flat will not interfere with a reload under pressure. You don't want to be fumbling with the magazine pouch cover when you must reload in a hurry.
Similarly, magazine pouch selection is also dependent on where you position them. If you are positioning your magazine pouches on the front of your APC, vest, or rig, they may hinder your ability to go completely prone.,,Especially if you're using rigid pouches that contain two magazines. Whether you select a rigid magazine pouch or a soft one, depends on whether you want to re insert empty magazines back into the pouch once they are empty. Typically, a soft magazine pouch will impede your ability to re insert an empty magazine back into the pouch with one hand.
If you decide that you want to reinsert empty magazines into pouches, create a system that ensures that you will not reload your weapon with an empty magazine. I personally recommend reloading with magazines starting from the pouch closest to the weapon sighted by APC. And then moving to the opposite side. As I change magazines, I re insert them into the pouches closest to my weapon. Since M4 magazines have a slight cant to them, I reverse their positioning when inserting them back into the pouch so that they are tilted in the opposite direction from the ones that are fully loaded. Similarly, radio pouches should be within easy reach in case you need to change frequencies or the volume on your radio.
Since most MILSIM organizers limit magazines to mid-cap magazines, you will go through magazines in a hurry during a firefight. For that reason, you will also want your magazine reloader to be readily available. Also, a word about magazine loaders. You want to find one that allows you to quickly reload magazines in the field.
Magazine loaders with a hand crank that feeds several BBs at a time, such as the Odin, are preferred. Such a reloader will allow you to reload your magazines more quickly and get you back into the fight as soon as possible without much fumbling to get them to function properly.
If you carry many hand grenades, Consider purchasing individual grenade pouches or a dangler pouch to contain them. As with magazine pouches, you want at least two of your grenade pouches to be readily accessible. I typically use a dangler pouch that hangs below the shingle of my APC to hold grenades where I can reach them fairly easily. If I am using individual grenade pouches, I place them side by side on the weak side of my APC and just behind my magazine pouches.
When purchasing pouches, your primary focus should be on the magazine pouches for your primary weapon. The minimum number of magazines you should take into the field should be four. One in the gun and three in single magazine pouches on your gear. If you expect heavy contact, consider using double magazine pouches. One in the gun and six in pouches. You will also want to have at least one radio pouch, one admin pouch, and one soft covered double magazine pouch to hold an ODIN type magazine loader. This is your basic loadout.
If you have the funds, also consider purchasing a dump pouch. A dump pouch hangs down from your belt on your weak side. Its name states its function. You can dump whatever you need into it, such as empty magazines. It is a very versatile pouch. You also want to purchase a general purpose pouch to hold items other than weapons and ammunition. It is a good place to store a multi tool, snacks, and other items that can be used in the field.
With an APC, you can also add a backpack panel that is secured to the back plate bag with MOLLE webbing. It can be used to store items that you would use occasionally, such as food, bedroll, etc. You can also use it to carry your air tank if you use weapons that are HPA powered.
If you intend to carry a sidearm, your pistol magazine pouches need to be located on your non dominant side. This is intended to facilitate locating and loading the sidearm in your dominant hand with your non dominant hand. Also make sure that the area on your load bearing gear above your holster is clear. You do not want to have equipment, magazine pouches, etc. Blocking the ability to draw your pistol quickly and to get it on target. Face it, if you're going to use your sidearm, you already have bigger problems to deal with. Don't slow down your draw because it's obstructed by equipment that is located above your holster.
Now, once you've arranged the pouches on your load bearing equipment before you actually field it, you need to test it to make sure that you can get to all critical equipment without faltering. Make sure that nothing on your gear prevents you from removing equipment from a pouch. Similarly, make sure that you can reach all magazines with your non dominant hand. You do not want to go hands off on your primary weapon when you are in the field. Use your non dominant hand to insert magazines. Also, jump check your gear for noise.
And when I say jump check, I mean jump up and down in your load bearing gear, that there is no rattle from the load bearing gear themselves, but also the contents of pouches attached to them. If you run or jump with a bottle of loose BBs, the enemy will hear you from quite a distance away. This can be a real problem if your mission tasking involves stealth.
Again, the most important rule for MILSIM loadout is to make it efficient and utilitarian. If it looks cool, but hampers your ability to be effective in the field, change how you arrange your pouches. I hope you've enjoyed this bonus episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern MILSIM. In our next regular episode of this podcast, we will discuss limited penetration room clearing method and related tactics, techniques, and procedures.
If you have any topics you would like to see covered in future episodes of Tactical Tuesday, please let us know by posting it on the Modern MilSim Facebook page. If it's not one of the topics that we already plan to cover, we will likely add it to our ever growing topic list. If you liked this podcast, please subscribe to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcast, as well as on many other podcast directories.
As always, thanks for your support and I'll see you at our next episode. See you then.
To our listeners out there. Thank you for tuning in and I look forward to providing you with new episodes every two weeks. If you'd like what you're hearing on this podcast, please subscribe and provide us with a review. We want to know what you like and how we can improve. You can also contact us on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/modern milsim with any suggestions you may have.
In our next regular episode of tackle Tuesday. We will begin our discussion of tactics, techniques, and procedures related to limited penetration, room clearing, or limp in for short. If you want to know more about application of real world tactics, techniques, and procedures to MilSim, check out From Alpha to Omega, a MilSim Tactical Primer and Training Manual, as well as From Insertion to Extraction, Advanced MilSim CQB Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures. Both books are available at Amazon. com. As always, thank you for your support, and I'll see you at our next installment of Tactical Tuesday.
TRANSCRIPTION PERFORMED BY DESCRIPT.COM
