Solidgun Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 After hours of reading, I have decided to go with the Safariland 3-Gun Tactical Class Rig setup. I want to start shooting 3-gun/multigun style and want to get proper gear for it. Like many beginners, I will probably begin with the Tactical Class. Here is what I will be buying so far: Safariland 030 (Belt loop under support) Qty: 1 Safariland 032 (Mounting platform belt) Qty: 1 Safariland 774 (AR mag carriers) Qty: 2 or more? Safariland 773 (Glock or HK mag carriers) Qty: 3 or more? AP 4x4 shell carrier Qty: 2? Now, how many of what do I need to buy? Also, for people that have it set up, how many ELS kits do you have purchased? Do you have more of ELS 35 than 34? Can I use existing OWB holster on this belt or is it too thick? Thank you in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbon9 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I am sure you will get other opinions and viewpoints, pick the ones which fit your perspective most. I would get at least 3 of the APC 4x4s. The 773s are a good choice. I don't use the AR mag pouches I already have, i find it easier to just put mags in my back pocket. I am pretty thin and if I used them I would be reaching to the small of my back. ymmv I have more of the equipment attaching parts then belt parts as this allows me to set up multiple guns and equipment on the same belt, thereby taking full advantage of this modular system without breaking out tools. I would get holster/s that will take an ELS mount to utilize the stiffness of this belt and modularity(is that a word)to its full advantage. I was able to get a Bladetech DOH to bolt right up, my Ghost Holster, not so lucky. The outer belt is not as thick as a CR Speed. I also found it more ergonomic while shooting to mount the belt backwards, especially with shotgun caddies mounted in front of you. However, trying to get the pegs and holes to line up from randomly putting on the belt backwards is like trying to win the lottery. When you finally get the outer belt to line up with the tension you want, use a silver sharpie and mark the inner belt so you have a reference point allowing you to get it on right the first time, every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSiess Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 You're going all out, nicely done. I dont have my belt with me but I think i have 8, maybe 9, of the ELS 35 plates on my belt. I like the versatility of moving things around and maybe skipping a space depending on the stage, but you could probably get away with less. The quantities you have are good for pistol and rifle but I'd add another 4x4 to the list or a couple of the regular 4 shell caddies. There are some looooong SG stages out there and unless you have an armband or side saddle, the 16 shells on your belt may leave you short, especially on a stage with slugs mixed in. Have fun! -N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbon9 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 You're going all out, nicely done. I dont have my belt with me but I think i have 8, maybe 9, of the ELS 35 plates on my belt. I like the versatility of moving things around and maybe skipping a space depending on the stage, but you could probably get away with less. The quantities you have are good for pistol and rifle but I'd add another 4x4 to the list or a couple of the regular 4 shell caddies. There are some looooong SG stages out there and unless you have an armband or side saddle, the 16 shells on your belt may leave you short, especially on a stage with slugs mixed in. Have fun! -N Good point on the slugs. If you go with a third 4x4 i would run at least one Mountain Man Engineering 4 round caddie or even 2 MME caddies and the 2 4x4s. Slug management with just 3 4x4s could be kinda odd depending on stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prreed10 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I have 10 ELS connectors on my belt and it looks like I can maybe fit one more. After seeing some 30-40 round shotgun stages, I went with 6 MME caddies and 2 AP 4x4's. That puts 40 on my belt. I also have 2 AR pouches and 3 Safariland pistol pouches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
co-exprs Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I have 11 blocks mounted on my 36" waist belt. If you alternate the blocks to have the bolt hole patterns high and then low, you can get the pistol on the 180 and a pistol double mag pouch on the opposite 180 and 6 shell caddy spots in between, across the front. I have one spot for an AR mag pouch on either kidney and one more shell caddy spot on the right side behind the holster. I have 9 Otto, 4 shell caddies for 36 rounds on my belt. If you get a Carbon twins chest rig you can double up shell capacity without having to reach behind you. My set up is pretty versatile. I have a couple of safari 773 pouches. My two AR mag pouches are set up one vertical and one horizontal, for one in the front (horner style). I can currently run up to a 100rd pistol course, 65rd shotgun course (with a chest rig) and a 120rd rifle course and pretty much any combo in between. Here's a tip... mount most of your gear so that the clips slide up from the bottom. It will be much easier to unclip them from the top and slide them down, when you want to take them off, and won't make it any harder to install. The only clip I run traditional is the pistol holster, just because I want the additional security that it will stay put. The 4x4 caddies are cool, but you have to leave space between them to smoothly pull the stack of shells. You need room for your fingers. I don't think you will be able to get more than 3 across the front, you could do 4 max if you put one on the 180, but pulling from the 4x4 off the back is a bit of a reach and in the dark. So total, for tactical division, I have 11 blocks on the belt and 15 pieces of gear with the male end clips mounted to them. I'm gonna go ahead and switch my single stack gear over as well to support He-Man. I agree with the belt overlap in the back. It takes a few minutes to get the belt on and buckled properly. Fortunately, once on, you can leave it alone all day, so it ends up being only a minor hassle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry weeks Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Make sure you buy the ELS-KIT1-2. It comes with 2 plates, 2 forks, screws and the T-nuts you need. I originally just bought the back plates. they come with screws, no t-nuts. I'd buy 4 or 5 of the Kits and some extra forks. You can put the forks on most pouches, holsters etc using the screws supplied and some ingenuity. They replace Tec-Loc stuff easily. Might want to have some 8-32 screws, nuts and washers from the hardware store, be prepared to get creative and you'll be fine. Overlap in the back as others have said. I'm just getting mine set up, I'm going to try my CR Speed keepers for a little extra security but not sure if they'll reach around the bigger ELS belt. Oh yeah, don't be dumb like me, t-nuts go on the plate, screws go through the belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solidgun Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 Thanks for all the great info so far. I am wondering if I should just get the Safariland 082 shell carriers. Getting 5-6 of them instead of 4x4. What is the safe number of shells to have for most competitions? At this time, I am not looking to win anything or tackle time, but I just want to practice tactical shooting. But I would like to have the right gear as I only want to invest once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
co-exprs Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I'd say 6 caddies to start out will get you through 95% of all shotgun needs. If you have a 36" waist like me, you can just squeeze 6 caddies across the front, if you space the plates correctly. It's kind of rare to go over 30 shot stages. I have friends with ELS. For a while we would borrow extra caddies and mag pouches from each other. Now we are all pretty well set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Moore Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 The ELS 1-2-10 kit will give you ten 34&35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddler Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 The ELS 1-2-10 kit will give you ten 34&35. Any idea where to find this? Google is no help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itchy Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Don't forget to get a QLS setup, there are 3 types. This is the attachment for the holster to the belt. The holster does not use the regular ELS mount. I had to order one after the fact. Also, you can order most of the mag pouches with the ELS 34 and 35 already attached, so you don't need to order a 10 pack. I ordered several of the two pack 34/35, but they are sitting around, since I ordered all accessories with the 34/35 attachment in place. If you can find someone who is sponsored by Safariland, they often times have a 50% off discount card you can use if you order online from holsters.com I got a few at the end of last year from Scott Carnahan. He's a good guy. I guess it doesn't hurt to shoot club matches with him. I'm so grateful. It saved me about $300. Seiichi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreyK Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I put some items/quantities/costs to paper for a tricked out Safariland belt. All this is mentioned in the thread. Item 030 032 772 x 2 773 x 3 ELS-Kit-1-2-10 QLS Kit MME 4 round caddy x 4 APC 4x4 x 3 Holster Keepers x 3 Retail comes to $1,063 and add another $100 for shipping/tax and that is one expensive belt. I know that to compete you have to have the right gear and I'll probably get a little bit at a time. Let me know if I forgot anything important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry weeks Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Alright, you QLS users. I got two sets and the fork is too big to mount on the back of a blade tech holster without some really creative drilling. Also, the back plate holes aren't anywhere close to matching the ELS belt. I did get the plate on using the molle strap that came with it, but that seems to defeat the idea of not covering up the velcro with attachment "things". Are there more than one QLS systems? And if so, what is the Safariland number? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIO Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I spent a few nights "converting" my gear to fit the ELS. Go to the hardware store, buy some 8-32 screws, washers, etc. Pull out the dremel, drill and a Beer or two. You will be happy when you are finished but it is a bit of a PIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 The ELS also works really well with the TWinS Pinwheels for shotgun shells. Here is PK with a demo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prreed10 Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Here is how my QLS is set up to work with my Blade Tech DOH: I mounted the holster to the DOH attachment without the belt loop. I then used the 2nd set of holes on the DOH to attach to the top 2 holes on the QLS. There is some play in the holster and a gap: I marked and drilled a hole in the DOH to match up with the third hole in the QLS and used washers to take up some of the dead space between the holster and the DOH: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prreed10 Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 (edited) Here is the finished result, on and off the belt: I added some adjustable knobs to set the tension of the holster and so far, it has carried my 2011 through 2 matches without any problems. I really like the ability to easily take the holster on and off for stages where the pistol is not needed. Edited April 3, 2012 by prreed10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
co-exprs Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I just used the regular ELS clip for my holster. I made an adapter plate by cutting up one of my many techlocks. Easy and done. Works great. The advantage is that I can run a caddy there on an extended shotgun course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbon9 Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I used an ELS plate as well, no modifications. As co-exprs stated it is nice to have another caddy option. Just use the 2 bottom holes on the DOH plate(no belt loop or teklok) with the Bladetech nuts/chicago bolt ends and two Safariland ELS screws. The Bladetech DOH plate sits about 1/4" high but I find it to be a nice balance ride wise between my Ghost holster and a fully dropped DOH. I could cut the top 1/4" off easily but it doesn't get in the way and leaves me the option of converting it back if ever needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBets Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 prreed What is the piece called that stays on your belt for the QLS female peice to attach to...Its the only piece I cant find on holsters dot com. Its the piece with the loops the actual belt is going thru? Thanks Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prreed10 Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 (edited) prreed What is the piece called that stays on your belt for the QLS female peice to attach to...Its the only piece I cant find on holsters dot com. Its the piece with the loops the actual belt is going thru? Thanks Jacob I got mine from a local police supply store. It comes with some of their holsters or can be purchased separately. Don't know if holsters.com carries it but it's available for around $5 at Optics Planet. There is also a DOH version. http://www.opticsplanet.net/safariland-567bl-belt-loops-for-model-567-567bl-1-2-175.html Edited April 4, 2012 by prreed10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinWolv Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 They also have mid-ride and low-ride adapters called UBL if you have a Safariland holster. http://www.opticsplanet.net/safariland-mid-ride-belt-loop-adapter-ubl-style-belt-loop-only-mid-ride-drop-ubl-2in.html http://www.amazon.com/Safariland-6075UBL-2-6075-1-50-Universal/dp/B000MF48C4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333558983&sr=8-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGinIdaho Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I finally ran my belt last weekend. I'm more than satisfied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunCat Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 What size ELS belt do I want to order? The listed size - or my actual waist + some amount? In other words....If I wear size 36 pants to I need a 36” belt or some other size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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