Okay you got your rifle, you got your ammo, you even got at least ten spare magazines-how do you carry them?
In your pockets? Kiss them good bye as they spill out.
Tactical vest? They usually work, but are geared for mostly standing up. Plus they're pricey or shoddily made.
Or you can get yourself a GI pistol belt, suspenders, some pouches for your magazines, a canteen, and call it done.
Praxis: Militia Logistics -- Pistol Belts, Stainless Steel Drink Bottles and Multi-Use Pouches.
All-Purpose
Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment (ALICE) rig, circa 1973, with
distinctive "Y" shoulder harness instead of the "H" style of the M1956. Stopped
by the thrift store this morning and scored a USGI ALICE LC-1 belt with
metal buckle, size large, in excellent shape with near new plastic
canteen, NBC cap, dated 1986, canteen cover OD, near new dated 1982 with
side pouch for water purification tablets and a WWM-marked stainless
steel cup with butterfly handle, new, dated 1989, all for $2.99.
Pistol belts have been around for a long, long time in the U.S. Military.
Doughboys in World War One had the M-1912 belt below.
The
pistol belt was originally intended for soldiers who were not riflemen
such as officers or crews of tanks or other equipment who were more
often armed with pistols. The grommet holes in the belts allowed for
holsters, first aid pouches and the like to be suspended from the belt.
Riflemen had their own belts with pouches for .30-06 rifle ammunition
clips, both for the World War One standard M1903 Springfield and M1917
Enfield and the World War Two standard, the M1 Garand.
The M1912 was superseded by the M1936 Pistol Belt.
The
M-1936 was a slight modification of the M-1912 with a more secure
buckle. This was the standard pistol belt of the World War Two and
Korean War GI.
This basic belt went through modernization. With
the advent of more magazine fed weapons in World War Two, such as the
M-1 Carbine, the M-1 Thompson and M-3 "Grease Gun", etc., it was
realized that pouches could be configured to fit on the existing M1936
belt. Thus, in World War II and Korea, every soldier armed with
something other than the M-1 Garand or the BAR (which also had its own
belt for magazines), used this "modularized" system.
After
Korea, battlefield experience led to a better rifle with greater
magazine capacity (the M-14), a new, lighter cartridge (the 7.62 NATO)
and better load carrying equipment.
This was the M1956 system:
M1956 Canvas Pistol Belt.The M1956 gear is canvas (which many prefer because it is quieter in the bush than nylon; and which equally many people
don't
like because canvas soaks up moisture and rots in hot, wet climates).
The M1956 gear was the first to introduce what has become known as the
"ALICE clip," a metal slide-lock retainer for attaching gear to the
belt.
The M1956 gear also introduced the "butt back," which like the pistol belt has gone through many modifications over the years.
Early pattern M1956 "buttpack" showing ALICE attachment clips.Because
of the complaints about canvas gear in the climate of South Vietnam,
the Army began to modify the M1956 canvas gear by making the design in
rot-resistant nylon.
The
M1967 "Davis Belt" kept the M1956 design with the exception of the
material, nylon, and the "quick release Davis buckle." Unfortunately it
had the tendency to come undone at the worst possible time.The
M1967 Individual Load Carrying Equipment was a modernized version of
the M1956, designed specially for Vietnam. Even so, the M1967 gear did
not entirely replace the M1956 equipment, and the canvas and nylon
equipment were mixed together to form composite webbing, since both
types were fully compatible with each other.
After Vietnam, the
soldier's individual combat load was reconfigured again to the ALICE
system, as you can see in the first photo at the top of the post.
Throughout the years since, the belt has remained very similar, the
biggest change being the search for the perfect buckle.
This early-pattern LC-2 is the type I picked up at the thrift store today.
Early Pattern LC-2 Belt with metal buckle.
Second Pattern LC-2 Belt with plastic buckle.
Late pattern LC-2 Belt with improved plastic buckle.In
the 1990s and on into the 21st Century the men and women of my unit,
1st Alabama Cavalry and other constitution militia formations, were most
often accoutered with some combination of these largely interchangeable
pieces of load bearing equipment. Often the ALICE clips were used only
long enough for the trooper to determine the best arrangement of gear
on their belt and then the clips would be substituted with nylon 550
cord, which is much quieter, never rusts and doesn't dig into your flesh
when subjected to stress when worn.
Stainless Steel Drink Bottles and Thermos ContainersI
also picked up a selection of stainless steel drinking bottles and
thermos-type insulated containers. For example, I got three of this
style (as above, except in unpainted stainless) for $.39 each.
They
hold 13 oz of liquid and are made of # 304 food grade stainless steel
and are guaranteed to be "Lead safe, Phthalate, and BPA free. Conforms
to or exceeds U.S. and European safety standards."
I
also scored 6 of these 750ml containers with the logo of a local bank
on them. The logo will succumb to acetone, I have no fear. The cost?
$.59 each.
Also picked up three of these stainless Thermos containers:
The price was $.99 each. They hold a liter of liquid, hot or cold.
I like all these because they are stainless and they have wide mouths making cleaning easy.
Finally, on my recent stop at A-A Surplus in Leeds, I picked up one of these in Woodland.
rest at link:
http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2011/03/praxis-militia-logistics-pistol-belts.html
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