Plate Carriers - What are they actually for in Airsoft?

[Duff]

26 minutes ago, Immortal said:

How could you know that you've "never not noticed a hit" if you didn't notice the hit?!  lol

 

I've never not failed to not notice a negative hit.

 

Triple negatives anyone?

 

[Druid799]

On 03/07/2018 at 21:27, Polluxtroy69 said:

Not needed for anything if you run hi caps... 

But the problem there is I think it’s fair to say most of the guys on here run half a dozen or so mids , so unless there honking good jugglers there bolloxed with nothing  ! 😂😂

[Dentonboy]

I am very lucky that the Crye vests I have are comfortable then. 

 

Having had cheaper vests/Pc's in the past, I take on-board that they can be uncomfortable. 

[Druid799]

1 hour ago, Duff said:

 

I've never not failed to not notice a negative hit.

Triple negatives anyone?

 

 

[Duff]

7 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

 

 

My guideline is no wider than a thumb width! 

4 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

 

I made a 6mm byrnie, and was glad to sell it on to some other mug.  It's practically solid metal.

 

Pop-psychology observation: you feel safer when wearing armour.  Even when you're not actually in real danger (40-Mikes aside), it produces (unwarranted) confidence and likely more aggressive play.  That's not a criticism or a judgement in any way, just throwing it out there as a point to ponder.

 

This issue of stuff bouncing around when you run... how much are folk really running around when playing airsoft?

 

I reckon over a full day I spend maybe a few minutes running, tops.  The rest is walking, crouching, skulking, and assorted mooching around.

 

So true. When I first started riding a motorcycle I only had jeans and a jacket. My chicken strips were huge but the moment I had leather trousers that zipped into a jacket I became a man possessed. Probably why I ended up rear ending a Citroen balls first.

 

The bonus for me of a JPC over a belt is that the JPC doesn't get popped open by my gut when I bend down.

[Tackle]

3 hours ago, sonofsammo said:

suggestions please:
I need something that will help distribute the load / give me easy access to it / will fit me (50" chest and, sadly, matching belly) / is comfortable and can be worn all day.....
 See, I don't want much.... 😁

I'm a lump, 6.2 & 112kg, 38w & 48chest, fair to say I'm not anorexic 😉, the bandoleer set up I mentioned in my previous post ticks pretty much all your boxes, my set up can carry 4 large megs, m14/ak/g36 etc,, as well as bogs standard stanags, plus the extra double stacked stanag shingle takes my xl speedloader, with two pistol megs on top.

Not forgetting my inverted serpa makes for a piss easy fast chest draw.

Regarding a sling, I run a length of hd inch webbing, mounted under the first mag pouch (essentially starts at my sternum), this runs under my right arm & loops back up to a point in the middle of my back, just below shoulder blade level.

On the webbing "sling" is mounted a quick release sling adapter, ill put a pic up to show the type, this will fit a number of my gats so easy to swap guns on gamedays, but what this set up allows me to do is literally DROP my primary weapon, it will slide itself down to my side in a split second, hanging at my side but a fraction behind my right hip, does it on its own so immediately frees up my hands for fast pistol draw, or maybe a bit of hand to hand lol, or in my case, bit of hand to pie 😜.

I'm not bullsitting when I say, for me anyway, that's its the most versatile set up I've used, of which there have been many.

Its also low profile & doesn't cover too much torso, so allows good movement, as well as not "drawing" sweat through the clothing the way a plate carrier does.

& I don't know bout you, but middle age spread means I seem to be constantly pulling up my trousers, wearing belt rigs or thigh rigs is a total pain in the arse unless I wear braces/suspenders with them.

Only other mod I'm gonna do before my next outing is to mount some molle on the rear 2inch strap, so I can stick a bottle pouch or two on my back for nalgene bottles.

My next time out I'm gonna run an od flight suit, the bandoleer & an od boonie, job done, nowt restrictive & cool in the heat, without feeling bundled up etc.......simples.

Give it a try ?

 

[AshOnSnow]

On 03/07/2018 at 21:00, Adolf Hamster said:

as with everything in airsoft they're just an accessory.

 

in terms of carrying all your kit a belt rig is much more flexible than a plate carrier, of course in real combat the idea of a plate carrier is it's stopping you from dying and if you're gonna be lugging a big plate on your chest you might as well stick some mags on it.

 

if you like them then use them, if not don't. personally i'm not a fan although if it was real lead flying i'd take the discomfort for the protection.

 

it is an interesting point that if you're running actual armour plates that would stop real bullets should you be allowed to disregard hits to the armour?

Maybe just take a 10 second timeout if it was a pistol. But even with armour, you can still get broken ribs and all sorts of injuries from direct high velocity impacts, so I would say a wander back to respawn is appropriate anyway

On 06/07/2018 at 19:33, Druid799 said:

The army were told “secure that building!” So they surrounded it and methodically cleared it room by room untill it was secured .

the marines were told “secure that building!” So they kicked in the front door and ran through the building lobbing grenades in to every room followed by a magazine of rounds to secure it .

the navy were told “secure that building!” So they went in , switched all the lights off and made sure all the windows and doors were locked .

the RAF were told “secure that building!” So they took out a 6mth lease with an option to buy ! 

Ha I’m keeping that!

 

 I do remember feeling a bit surprised when I got to Cranwell for the first time - was expecting an army style bunks-and-beans situation, but got private rooms, butlers, waiters and a really nice Moroccan curry veg option dinner, followed by an evening of bottled import European beers, followed by an extra night if I didn’t fancy driving back late, all expenses on them.

 

Hell, they even sent me a cheque a week later to cover any fuel costs in driving there and back in the first place.

[Rogerborg]

7 hours ago, Immortal said:

How could you know that you've "never not noticed a hit" if you didn't notice the hit?!  lol

 

Pffft, if you don't feel it, you're 100% guaranteed to always hear the ones that you can hear.

[E21A]

1 minute ago, Rogerborg said:

 

Pffft, if you don't feel it, you're 100% guaranteed to always hear the ones that you can hear.

 

Or hear the person calling you a cunt for not taking your hits 😂

[jcheeseright]

On 06/07/2018 at 00:18, AshOnSnow said:

Ha! If only. Harder requirements than many SF. Then again, that’s because of the corrupt government contracts from the tories cashing in on getting paid for every recruit they test and fail.

 

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

 

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

 

No.

[AshOnSnow]

1 hour ago, jcheeseright said:

 

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

 

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

 

No.

HAHAHAHAHA yes. But glad you had a laugh out of it. Unfortunately I ended up good. Very good - top aptidude scores of the whole group - 148/160 for the role (pass rate of 92/160, expected rate of 110/160.) - but not the best which is what they want. And they only want the best. I employed a trainer, I got my physical up to par, and beyond - 45 push ups in 45 seconds. 45 situps in 45 seconds. Bleep test at 25m to level 9.2, not 15m. Met all those requirements. Did the 8km run. Got knocked out by Capita in the end who charged HMAF £1510 for my medical test (requested on an FOI basis) even though I withdrew halfway through it. I know you're supposed to want it and sacrifice anything for it but they wanted to do a Lumbar Puncture and I made clear my objection to that - obviously since it's an incredibly painful invasive and risky test which has a moderate chance of permanent paralysis - and so they failed me. But I'm proud of where I got to in the end, and till then, and after, had the support of former pilots who are in the unofficial RAF hall of fame of hanging boots along the way so I'm happy with what I did. Looking at Commercial piloting now and the requirements are an absolute doddle. It's just a matter of money - have to find £130,000 to give as a deposit. Most people take a second mortgage, but I don't own a house, so I'm seeking other credit.

I don't know off the top of my head the requirements that you're comparing against, so please share them.

[lukeB]

Did 3 years in the Royal Signals (TA) in the early 2000's, never passed the fitness test.

 

Sitting in a comcen sending emails didn't require much in the way of fitness. Although I was always getting dicked to carry the 320. 

[AshOnSnow]

16 minutes ago, lukeB said:

Did 3 years in the Royal Signals (TA) in the early 2000's, never passed the fitness test.

 

Sitting in a comcen sending emails didn't require much in the way of fitness. Although I was always getting dicked to carry the 320. 

Cousin's in Signals as an LC regular. He never heard of tests like what I had. What medical tests did you get fronted with as mandatory? I was fine with eyesight, fitness, even a blood test and everything and I'm scared shitless of needles, got through the blood tests, but when they demanded a Lumbar Puncture test, I called the end game, and they sent a massive bill to the RAF.

[Seven]

1 hour ago, AshOnSnow said:

Cousin's in Signals as an LC regular. He never heard of tests like what I had. What medical tests did you get fronted with as mandatory? I was fine with eyesight, fitness, even a blood test and everything and I'm scared shitless of needles, got through the blood tests, but when they demanded a Lumbar Puncture test, I called the end game, and they sent a massive bill to the RAF.

 

5 year REME, regular.

Our medical tests were pretty much the same minus the lumbar puncture. We had an ECG test though and for my corps a colour blindness check.

 

Our fitness tests were:

Bleep test to level 10.2

50 sit-ups in 2 minutes

45 press-up in 2 minutes

1.5mile run in, depending on corps/reg, somewhere between 9 minutes and 14 minutes.

Jerry can carry. Carry 2x 20kg Jerry cans 150meter at a certain pace without stopping.

Deadlift. Lift varying weights from ground level to shoulder height until failure or completion. Pass mark set by corps/reg.

That was just to get the foot in the door.

 

From then on the 1.5mile run dropped to 10min30sec as the slowest possible time and you were given an annual combat fitness test consisting of an 8 mile (not km) fast march (mostly running) carrying 15-25KG (dependant on corp/reg) + weapon in less that 2 hours.

 

No idea what the standards are now but I would be willing to guess at lower.

 

@Druid799 was in before me so I wonder what his tests were like.. im guessing harder than mine.... Standards have been steadily dropping tbh.

[lukeB]

Our CFT was 4 miles 1 hour with 15kg, although it did go up to the 8 miles 2 hour towards the end. 

 

Run was around 10:30/11 which was border line for me as was the situps. I always struggled with pressups, especially given the wierd way you had to do them.

 

I'd say only 25% of my squardon would pass back then. We were mostly a mix of uni grads and old timers in their 50's.

 

Selection was 3 seperate weekends, mostly doing drill.  2 week basic, then a 1 week gap training at a later date.

 

 

[jcheeseright]

9 hours ago, AshOnSnow said:

HAHAHAHAHA yes. But glad you had a laugh out of it. Unfortunately I ended up good. Very good - top aptidude scores of the whole group - 148/160 for the role (pass rate of 92/160, expected rate of 110/160.) - but not the best which is what they want. And they only want the best. I employed a trainer, I got my physical up to par, and beyond - 45 push ups in 45 seconds. 45 situps in 45 seconds. Bleep test at 25m to level 9.2, not 15m. Met all those requirements. Did the 8km run. Got knocked out by Capita in the end who charged HMAF £1510 for my medical test (requested on an FOI basis) even though I withdrew halfway through it. I know you're supposed to want it and sacrifice anything for it but they wanted to do a Lumbar Puncture and I made clear my objection to that - obviously since it's an incredibly painful invasive and risky test which has a moderate chance of permanent paralysis - and so they failed me. But I'm proud of where I got to in the end, and till then, and after, had the support of former pilots who are in the unofficial RAF hall of fame of hanging boots along the way so I'm happy with what I did. Looking at Commercial piloting now and the requirements are an absolute doddle. It's just a matter of money - have to find £130,000 to give as a deposit. Most people take a second mortgage, but I don't own a house, so I'm seeking other credit.

I don't know off the top of my head the requirements that you're comparing against, so please share them.

 

The lumbar puncture you were suggested to take will have been an investigation into something else discovered either in your medical history or during the initial aircrew medical, the medical standards for entry are high, but there’s literally nothing any individual can do about a failure.

 

as for scoring 9.2 on a25m bleep test, that’s just under 2.4km in 9mins 11 seconds, not exactly a blistering pace over such a short distance.  If you think that’s even close to the level of fitness expected of candidates on SF selection you’re totally wrong. 

[Druid799]

They didn’t give you any reason for the lumbar puncture at all ? 

I’m an A&E nurse (and have been since I left the army) and I’ve NEVER heard of any  reason for a routine LP !

Not saying I don’t believe you bud just my ‘professional radar’ is in overdrive !

[AshOnSnow]

45 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

They didn’t give you any reason for the lumbar puncture at all ? 

I’m an A&E nurse (and have been since I left the army) and I’ve NEVER heard of any  reason for a routine LP !

Not saying I don’t believe you bud just my ‘professional radar’ is in overdrive !

 

No they didn’t give me a reason at all.

[Druid799]

8 hours ago, Seven said:

 

@Druid799 was in before me so I wonder what his tests were like.. im guessing harder than mine.... Standards have been steadily dropping tbh.

Yup mine was back in the days of black&white TVs ! 😂😂

You had an appointment to see a Dr or medic in the recruiting office for a very cursory medical , listen too your heart , blood pressure , pulse and the ubiquitous cup and cough test (and even as a medic my self I never did really found out why !😳) only really went in too any depth if they picked up anything or you collapsed during selection ! 

it was just physical and stamina no speed tests , if I remember correctly (was a looooooong time ago) we started off with a few stretching exercises, then a 2mile run to ‘warm up’ then straight in to the gym (an aircraft hangar!) then sit up , star jumps , chin ups , burpees , bench jumps , weight lifting , rope climb and step ups , think that was it in the gym but non of it was “do X Amount in X time” they were all keep going till the PTi said stop or you couldn’t do any more . Then end of the day you’d do another run but it was a BFT ‘type’ , 3miles long in a set time first mile and a half as a squad then second half in your own time , with the Pti’s standing at the gate with a stop watch and clip board , when it hit the cut off time they dropped the barrier and if you weren’t camp side of the barrier ? you’d failed the WHOLE thing ! 

[AshOnSnow]

1 hour ago, jcheeseright said:

 

The lumbar puncture you were suggested to take will have been an investigation into something else discovered either in your medical history or during the initial aircrew medical, the medical standards for entry are high, but there’s literally nothing any individual can do about a failure.

 

as for scoring 9.2 on a25m bleep test, that’s just under 2.4km in 9mins 11 seconds, not exactly a blistering pace over such a short distance.  If you think that’s even close to the level of fitness expected of candidates on SF selection you’re totally wrong. 

No when you put it that way, I suppose it’s not too ridiculous you’re right.

[Druid799]

4 minutes ago, AshOnSnow said:

 

No they didn’t give me a reason at all.

Have to say bud that’s some really weird shit ! 

Only thing I can think of is as you were going for aircrew , then they picked something up (like an elivated BP for instance) and wanted to check the spinal canal pressure ? 

But also as you said there a private company and they absolutely screw the money out of the Gov 

[AshOnSnow]

6 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

Have to say bud that’s some really weird shit ! 

Only thing I can think of is I take it you were going for aircrew ? If yes then they picked something up (like an elivated BP for instance) and wanted to check the spinal canal pressure ? 

But also as you said there a private company and they absolutely screw the money out of the Gov 

Yeah going for pilot. The plan was to fly the P8s which would also give me an -800 type rating for commercial aviation 20 years down the line while the MAXs are still operating.

 

Oh well. I noticed Capita billed them £400 for the 5 minute eyesight test.

 

Would they do a lumbar puncture for osteoporosis? My mum was diagnosed with that a couple of years ago.

[Druid799]

4 minutes ago, AshOnSnow said:

Oh well. I noticed Capita billed them £400 for the 5 minute eyesight test.

I know drives me demented , you’ve got guys buying there own kit as the issue kit is shit or just not enough to go round , the whole MoD is on its chin strap , we’ve got first rate military medical services , and there paying these fucking parasites obscene amounts of money to do the testing ! 😡

[AshOnSnow]

7 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

I know drives me demented , you’ve got guys buying there own kit as the issue kit is shit or just not enough to go round , the whole MoD is on its chin strap , we’ve got first rate military medical services , and there paying these fucking parasites obscene amounts of money to do the testing ! 😡

I remember reading a forum post years back where a mum was looking at buying her son a £900 armoured WAS kit when he was out in Afghanistan because his gear was falling apart.

 

And isn’t it one of the top conservative MPs on capita’s executive board? 🤪

[Tackle]

45 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

But also as you said there a private company and they absolutely screw the money out of the Gov 

Like you, the most invasive thing I had was to "cough", everything else was based on real world fitness, in fact getting my childhood asthma cleared involved pounding Woolwich common with a pti, nowt technical bout that.

As for a lumbar puncture, sounds like bullocks, reckon one or two recruits may have a previous illness, & the LP was recommended as a means to rule out nothing dormant in the system, but then capita, & any involved private medical practitioners cottoned on to the fact that they could quadruple their profit margins by insisting on a completely unnecessary dangerous medical procedure, thereby setting a precedent.

30 minutes ago, AshOnSnow said:

I remember reading a forum post years back where a mum was looking at buying her son a £900 armoured WAS kit when he was out in Afghanistan because his gear was falling apart.

Was in wolf armouries bout 10 years ago, pretty girl comes in with a specific list of kit, pc/pouches etc, when asked where she played she replied "oh no they're not for me, my fiances deployed in Afghanistan & his issued kit is shit, literally rotting off him in the conditions, so I need to post these to him asap"

I was disgusted then, still am tbh, if my son turned round & said he wanted to join up, id slap that shit out of him, irrespective of the fact I served, different times & different agendas.