Mission Gear

Ronin Tactics Task Force Belt

Whether you are a Military, LEO, security or a competition shooter, your choice for a battle belt is a one to be made with no small consideration. A good belt needs to be versatile, rigid, easy to take on and off and shouldn’t add too much bulk to the other gear you use to get the job done. The Ronin Tactics Task Force belt has these traits and more.

Ronin was created by Tu Lam, a former Special Forces soldier who refers to himself as a Ronin, a masterless warrior. He did a little bit of everything during his career in the Army and brings that experience to his products. The first thing I noticed about the belt when I unpackaged it was how sturdy and rigid it felt. For those who haven’t used a battle belt before, rigidity is an often overlooked but extremely important aspect because of the possible weight of the equipment that you might need to attach to the belt. Equipment such as your sidearm, magazines, medical pouches, radios, pyro etc. require a sturdy platform for comfortable wear. There is a non-rigid portion of the belt where the male portion of the Cobra buckle is attached which allows the user to adjust the length of the belt based on waist size.

The Task Force belt comes with a rigid Velcro (pile side) inner belt, which is fed into the belt loops of the users pants and holds up the pants as a normal belt would. The outer belt has a Velcro lining (hook side) which then attaches to the inner belt. This system, combined with a sturdy cobra buckle makes putting on and removing the belt very simple and quick. The heavy-duty MOLLE attachments which ring the entire outer belt offer plenty of real estate for attaching any pouches, holsters and other gear you would want accessible and on your waist.

The belt also contains a load-bearing steel loop and can function fully as a rigger’s belt, making it ideal for helicopter and repel operations. Its heavy-duty construction is built with heavy use and longevity in mind. I’ve been using mine for nearly 3 years now without any noticeable performance decrease. My one complaint with the belt is that the Velcro on the outer belt does not cover the entire length of the belt. The non-rigid portion of the belt doesn’t have Velcro which means that if you’re at the top end for waist size for whichever length you ordered, there may be some loss of functionality on your right hip unless you sew some additional Velcro on as I have. It’s a slight oversight, probably because there was a concern with making this portion too thick or too rigid which might make it difficult or impossible to adjust the size of the belt.

Conclusion: As a security professional who trusts this belt on a daily basis, I recommend this belt without hesitation. It has all the basics and many of the accouterment that set it apart from other belts of its type in the industry.

Durability – 5/5
Design/Use of Space – 4/5
Utility – 5/5
Comfort – 5/5

Eddy South is a security consultant working in both the government and private sectors, where he works in full spectrum security operations in austere environments. Previously he served in the U.S. Army for 10 years as a Combat Engineer, Infantryman and finally Psychological Operations specialist for an SMU. He is an enthusiastic shooter, boater, snowboarder, gamer and traveler.

Gadsden Dynamics War Belt: Designed for the prepared civilian

A couple of months ago, Gadsden Dynamics sent out a War Belt for review. I put up my initial impressions here, but have now spent enough time at the range and over the hills to deliver a final review.

For a quick refresher, the War Belt weighs only 10 oz (with optional AustriAlpin Cobra buckle upgrade) and is 3 MOLLE rows tall. Optional suspender looplocs are around the top perimeter allowing for extra weight dispersion if needed. Lightweight yet tough, the War Belt made a good first impression. Lately, I’ve been using it at both the range and during hikes.

Rolled into a ball, the War Belt is smaller than my fist.

Half of what a shooters belt can do for you is in the pouches and how they’re laid out. As Gadsden Dynamics didn’t make these pouches, that’s outside the purview of this article. However, how the belt handles said weight is the crux of the issue. One of the big things this product has going for it is the soft inside liner. When you’re hanging an armful of pouches stuffed with ammo, first aid kits and the odd suppressor, a rigid inside surface on a belt can wear on you very quickly. The interior surface here has a little give to it but isn’t so soft as to worry me regarding its durability. The War Belt hasn’t shown any signs that it is lacking in durability. Whether doing shooting drills at the range or out for a hike with one of my boys, the belt shows no tendency toward spinning out of alignment or having the buckle loosen inadvertently.

The War Belt walks the fine line between too big and too small. Some belts give too little height, only allowing you to loosely dangle your pouches. Other give too much height, looking like a close cousin to a girdle. This belt performs a similar feat when it comes to thickness. Gadsden Dynamics offering seems remarkably thin given how strong it is.

If I were to have changed one thing, I would have ordered a size up. I’d say it is better to have a belt that’s cinched all the way tight and have the MOLLE rows close together than to have the gap in valuable real estate up front. This is especially true for you shooters who don’t have much of a “winter storage pouch” up front…

When all is said and done, Gadsden Dynamic’s War Belt outperforms its size, it’s price and it’s outperformed my expectations. With prices ranging from $44 to $76 depending on size and buckle composition, this is a killer deal. Check them out!

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Gadsden Dynamics Wasp Chest Rig

Today I’m reviewing the Gadsden Dynamics Wasp Chest Rig. I’ve got the enhanced version with detachable hook and loop panel which allows me to add the TacProGear “Roo Pouch“. The panel has an elastic tourniquet holder sewn on that holds the CAT tourniquet well and I keep other medical supplies in the Roo pouch.

I wanted the back strap in addition to the chest strap to keep the rig secure to my body when leaning over and it also holds my dump pouch well. The elastic magazine holders keep my AR and Glock Pmags secure and they don’t fall out. Overall this a great rig that you can throw on with everything you need and it will fit discretely under a jacket when you don’t need the full protection of a plate carrier. Gadsden Dynamics chest rigs are 100% MADE IN THE USA.

Kelin Ray is a Corrections Officer in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest specializing in man tracking and is a member of the Inmate Recovery Team. He is a former Field Artilleryman in the Washington Army National Guard and served in Iraq as a gunner for convoy security operations. In his free you can find him Tactical Live Action Role Playing with his friends as Batman.

Portuguese Army getting FN SCAR Assault Rifles

On the 20th February 2019, FN Herstal was awarded a major contract for thousands of assault rifles, by NATO’s Support & Procurement Agency (NSPA) on behalf of the Portuguese Army. The contract is for the 5.56x45mm caliber FN SCAR L assault rifles. Included in this contract, FN will also supply other guns, namely the FN40GL grenade launchers, MINIMI 5.56 and 7.62 Mk3 light and medium machine guns respectively, and the Designated Marksman Rifle SCAR-H in 7,62x51mm.

The NSPA, is the main logistics and procurement agency of NATO and is able to handle and support procurement for member nations. NSPA described the contract as a ‘major milestone’ for the agency. The contract was signed by FN’s sales director and NSPA General Manager.

NSPA made a short statement:

NSPA awarded today a contract to Belgium-based FN Herstal, one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of small caliber weapons. This is for the Agency a major contract to produce FN SCAR assault rifles and FN MINIMI® machine guns as new standard issue weapons for the Portuguese Army’s.

The contract includes the manufacture and supply of 5.56mm and 7.62mm NATO caliber FN SCAR assault rifles, FN40GL grenade launchers, MINIMI® 5.56 and 7.62 Mk3 Tactical light machine guns, and all related accessories. The Portuguese Army’s standard issue service rifle is currently a Portuguese license produced variant of the Heckler & Koch G3, while the MG3 and HK21 are used in the General Purpose and Light Machine Gun purpose. The exact size of this new contract and its worth have not yet been announced, but In 2017, when the program was released, the acquisition called for 11 000 assault rifles in 5.56x45mm. The value of this weapons package procurement would be €42.8 million ($50.3 million).

This is a major acquisition for the Portuguese Army as the old G3 Battle Rifles are outdated, even in its class, and are obvious, not adequate for the assault role. This purchase does not only manage to replace the G3 Battle rifle with one of the best current assault rifles, if not the best, but it will allow that the Portuguese Army to change the fire dynamics of its small units, increasing firepower and combat capabilities and being able to have more Hit probability on the enemy.

Bryan Ferreira DDS, EMT-P

Bryan is 41-year-old Doctor of Dental Surgery and a Paramedic (EMT-P) with extensive experience in remote medicine. He is an American citizen and has lived in Portugal for several years. In 2009 he founded the Portuguese Online Tactical Magazine, www.warriors.pt. Both of the foundations he works voluntarily or is embedded with the Portuguese Army Special Forces. He has been deployed to Kurdistan, Guatemala, Bosnia Herzegovina, Central African Republic, Mali, and some other less troubled spots. He regularly writes and supplies pictures for international media like JSOM-Journal of Special Operations Medicine, KISOM-Kommandos International Special Operations Magazine and for the Portuguese National TV and Army Journal.

CRYE Precision Jumpable Plate Carrier versus the CRYE Jumpable Plate Carrier 2.0

The CRYE Precision Jumpable Plate Carrier (JPC) is a minimalist, lightweight plate carrier. I used the first generation for about a year before it was destroyed by a combat medic and a pair of scissors during an operation. I wore it through a brutal training regimen and a combat deployment. It is the best kit I have personally used — lightweight flexible, adaptive, and incredibly user-friendly.

It uses shock cord to attach the cummerbund to the kit. The shock cord system allows the kit to flex and stretch as the wearer moves, while also keeping the kit snug. The JPC has a built-in three mag pouch sewn into the flap on the front of the kit. Another nice feature of the kit is that it uses Hypalon (a synthetic rubber, click the link to see what Wikipedia has to say about it) material for the shoulder straps. Hypalon is a robust and lightweight synthetic, that can stretch and flex without losing rigidity.

The CRYE JCP is an all-around solid kit, and the JCP 2.0 has all of the same features but with a lot more flexibility. After the loss of my original JCP, I purchased the 2.0 to replace it. Starting at the top of the kit, the 2.0 has a much better design for the shoulder straps. The original JPC has a Velcro system that attaches the front and back plate carriers and is held together by an elastic sleeve, that covers the Velcro. The JPC 2.0 has the same system but instead of a slider it is a Velcro sleeve, and it also has a quick pull detachment system if needed.

On the front of the carrier, the significant change is that the front flap is optional and removable. This gives the wearer the option to have either a slick front, triple mag pouch, or a molle system on the front. This is great if a shooter has a variety of kit needs. They are making it easy to switch the kit up without spending hours fighting pouches onto and off of a molle system.

There are two significant changes on the back-plate carrier, a drag handle, and a zipper system. Having a built-in drag handle is an excellent option for casualty care. Getting dragged around by the arm is a lot less painful and taxing than being grabbed by the kit. The zipper system allows the optional back panels to be zipped on or off. This is a much faster option than, again, spending the time weaving pouches in and out of a molle system.

The overall setup of the kits is very similar to a couple of useful improvements to the JCP 2.0. The JCP costs $210.20 MSRP on the CRYE website versus the 2.0 which is $241.90 MSRP. If the additional flexibility and convenience is worth $40 then, by all means, get the 2.0, if not then the JCP original is just as good. Both kits are great lightweight options for anyone looking for a quality kit.

Author – John Gobby is a member of 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment. He has served with them for eight years and seven combat deployments. He has experience with both tactical direct action, tactical reconnaissance and covert operations. Recently he has started participating in competition pistol shoots and has a passion for long range shooting.

Old school Marine Corps 782 gear and how it relates to modern day survival gear

I served in the Marine Corps back in the 1990s and was issued this exact gear for all training deployments and field exercises. We used the 782 gear loadout for desert warfare, jungle warfare and mountain warfare. We didn’t have different loadouts for different environments like they do now. We used the same gear and just made small tweaks to the contents. It required an adaptive mindset to figure out ways to make it work, no matter the environment we were operating in.

The following video covers this old school loadout and how the gear and contents relate to modern-day equivalents and the 10 C’s of survivability.

*Photo courtesy of Corporals Corner Youtube channel