- The author running the First Spear SHOCK rig in an EAG Tactical course.
I recently participated in an EAG Tactical low light Carbine 2 course in Texas. I was running my LaRue Texas RangAR .308 rifle that is the subject of a future print media article. I needed to get a 7.62 x51 specific chest rig. I contacted the folks at First Spear to see what they had that would meet my needs for a lightweight chest rig. Ronnie Fowlkes recommended the SHOCK 6/12 rig. I ordered it along with a pistol magazine pouch for my HK P30. The Multicam rig was delivered quickly and I immediately noticed that it was very lightweight. This may be in part because of the 6/12 panels, which get rid of a lot of the heavy PALS webbing. While I was a little skeptical about the 6/12 attachments, there were zero issues in class and no movement.
- SCAR Heavy Operator Carrying Kit
I removed the retention bungees, as I was more interested in speed than a high level of retention. I was using 20 round Magpul P-MAGs for this course instead of the LaRue steel magazines (that are smooth) that I use to shoot 175 gr. LR only. The magazines were tough to get into the pouches due to the ridges on them, but they held perfect with no loses of mags during physical activity, and they came out of the pockets smoothly and without issues during speed and tactical reloads. Over several long days and evenings in Texas humidity, I really appreciated the lightweight of this rig. The rig also functioned well in no/low light operations.
A member of our class is a seasoned combat vet and did a great modification to my chest rig that was part of the SOP’s developed in overseas combat operations with his unit regarding tourniquet placement. They mount the tourniquet centered on the upper torso. This was found to be the best place for individuals and fellow soldiers to access and utilize a TQ on a subject with limb injuries. A couple of PALs attachments in a horizontal orientation were added to the bottom of the vest and a First Spear TQ pouch was attached horizontally. It was out of the way and very low profile and perfectly fit my needs on this low profile lightweight rig.
Overall, I was impressed with the quality and performance we have come to expect from First Spear. I recently received some products from my prior go to nylon company that was horribly disappointing in quality after they were acquired by another company. First Spear has continued to keep quality and innovation alive.
Source: http://www.first-spear.com