New SVD chest rig review

[TX-Zen 287]

There's a new SVD-DMR chest rig on the market made by Beez Combat Systems in collaboration with Marco Vorobiev. You'll remember Marco as the ex Spetsnaz Dragunov marksman who teaches DMR tactics; and BCS who are made up of prior military vets that make a variety of gear based on their real world combat experience (They also make S12 chest rigs too). This rig is a nicely made combination of both Marco's Afghan war experience and BCS's ability to construct tough durable gear that works, derived from both their own experience and requests and input from other professionals in the industry. It's designed to be a simple, low profile setup for the dedicated marksman...something intended to give easy access to mags under stressful situation and to carry a few extra's like grenades, IFAK and a radio for example.

 

They are offering it in two main styles, a 10 mag version and a 6 mag version with the primary difference being in how much real estate is available for molle attachments. My review is on the 6 mag version because I wanted to experiment with different molle combinations. Another point is that this rig isn't just designed for the SVD, it can be used just as well with virtually any kind of DMR rifle...think PSL's, Yugo M76 or even Saiga 308s. Basically anything that uses a similar size magazine should work great.

 

Some of you are familiar with the Russian Chamelion rig that I did a review on earlier this year. I had taken Marco Vorobiev's class and really wished I had one then, so as soon as they came on the market I picked one up and haven't been disappointed with it. However while I'm a big fan of Chamelion there's a few not so great parts of the design. I'm happy to say the new SVD chest rig removes the not so well done features of the original, namely replacing the MP 4x20 spotter scope pouch with way more useful molle attachments to increases the flexibility of the rig. It's also modernized with a significantly better magazine retention system, better orientation of the mag pouches and a tougher Cordura construction (vs the original Kodra material). Quick release buckles are incorporated and you now have the choice of using the traditional X style harness, or an H harness. It also comes in a nice array of colors including multicam, SURPAT and ATACS.

 

 

Hands on observations:

 

To me the first and biggest improvement is the bungee+snap retention system that allows for quick removal of the mag but keeps them quietly secure when snapped. I mentioned in my earlier review that one disadvantage of the original Chamelion is that it wasn't as quiet as it could be. The SVD chest rig solves this nicely with the new retention system and while training with it I could see an immediate improvement in speed when prone. You'll need to adjust the bungee somewhat but it doesn't take long to get them cinched properly. I've tried a variety of SRVV and SPLAV mag pouches before this rig came on the market and while most of them are well made they are usually not quiet enough for my taste. The analogy to me would be regular infantry vs special forces types...under most circumstances noise isn't critical for regular infantry but it could be a real show stopper on night patrol or ambush scenarios obviously. The SVD chest rig definitely shows the Spetsnaz/SF emphasis on quietness and I'm very impressed.

 

Construction of the rig is as good as I've seen any gear and definitely better than the original, I doubt this thing is going to fall apart any time soon. They added a large internal pocket but unfortunately I find it's so big that it's not easy to get to little things while wearing it ...they tend to collect under the side magazine pouch area. I guess you need to decide what you have to get to in a hurry, or just use it for maps as intended. The rig feels more comfortable than the original, it rides better and has a snugger fit IMO when adjusted properly. I'm on the fence about the X vs H harness, but during testing I added 6 more mag pouches to get to 12 total to see how the weight distributes. At the high weight of 12 mags it seemed like the X harness was more comfortable. At 6 mags both were great and I didn't notice any fatigue while wearing them all day on the range.

 

 

 

In summary I am really happy with the rig and am planning on buying probably two more in ATACS and Multicam most likely. It does what the Chamelion does only better and solves some of the smaller problems while it's at it. The addition of molle is my dream come true improvement. While I'm not one to run around with a plate carrier adorned with everything I can think of, there are a few things I do want and the new SVD rig delivers those options nicely. Another big hit with me is the choice of colors, I'm a fan of the Russian/American SURPAT pattern (basically the Russian colorization of MARPAT) and I'm glad to see it making it in the US. ATACS is another interesting choice, lately Texas has turned into a giant desert because of the never ending drought and ATACS looks right at home most everywhere these days.

 

 

I have to hand it to Marco and Beez at BCS, I think they knocked this one out of the park.

 

 

 

On to the pics:

 

 

 

6 mag version in SURPAT, shown here with H harness

 

 

 

My photoshop of how the 10 mag version looks

 

 

 

Closeup of the bungee+snap retention:

 

 

 

Cavernous internal pocket (Don't mind the loose threads, this is a prototype/proof of concept build)

 

 

 

Back showing the extra molle in the inside

 

 

 

Comparison with original Chamelion

 

 

 

 

Testing at the range

 

 

 

And no review seems to be complete without Tactical Buddha

 

 

 

 

Z

[BpS12 512]

Nice reveiw. It looks like a deffinant step up from the Chamilion. Enjoy.

[flashpoint08 0]

sweet vest, would get one if I wasn't considering selling my PSL, they don't happen to make those to carry AK mags do they?

[TX-Zen 287]

Google them, BCS makes a bunch of stuff. This is my first go around with their gear but they get a lot of good reviews on the AK and AR stuff they make.

 

 

 

 

Z

Edited August 29, 2011 by TX-Zen

[flashpoint08 0]

Google them, BCS makes a bunch of stuff. This is my first go around with their gear but they get a lot of good reviews on the AK and AR stuff they make.

 

 

 

 

Z

 

Thanks! I'll check them out, been looking for nice AK rig and I like those SVD rigs have a little bit of molle on them

 

Ok so just checked em out, totally getting the AK rig and if I ever get my saiga 12 gonna get the saiga rig too, I'd take one of everything haha. They have some nice looking stuff and from your review they seem really good. Thanks for the write up!

Edited August 29, 2011 by flashpoint08

[TX-Zen 287]

I recently took the 10 mag A-TACS version out to the range for some live fire video:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6ohd7a-jGQ&feature=youtu.be

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2011 by TX-Zen