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Safariland ELS in IDPA


DWNZRO

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I'm having a new gun built to compete in both IDPA ESP and USPSA Limited. I want to use the same gun and gear for both to stay consistent. A sponsored shooter friend gave me a 40% off coupon for Safariland so I'd like to get everything through them. I have a couple questions and yes I have searched the forums.

Is anyone using a Safariland ELS in IDPA? How is it set up?

How easy would it be to remove the USPSA Mounting Kit for IDPA?

From my understanding, you can use only the outer belt going through the belt loops with a #5197 holster and still be legal.

Here is my shopping cart:

ELS Competition Belt 1.75"

Equipment Locking System Kit (3 sets of 2)

Open Top Concealment Belt Loop Holster with Detent #5197

USPSA Kit (removed for IDPA)

Model 773 Competition Open Top Magazine Pouch (5 for USPSA, 3 for IDPA)

Buckleless Competition Belt Liner w/ Hook-and-Loop

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Having been there myself, I have a second belt and mag pouches for IDPA so I'm not moving things around. If you want to stay with safariland I'd go with this: http://www.safariland.com/competition-belts/model-332-range-series-belt-1.5in-38mm-34815.html#start=1

Remember all IDPA belts must go through the loops and can't be any thicker than 5/16". Cannot be more than 3/4" between the gun and your side. This is also a good option by Cr Speed http://www.shootersconnectionstore.com/CR-Speed-EDC-Belt-P3565.aspx

I run the CR Speed inner and outer for my uspsa rig and use a wilderness tactical belt for my IDPA stuff.

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  • 2 months later...

Is there anyone out there using a Safariland ELS system for both USPSA and IDPA? With the new gun being built, I can't afford to buy 2 sets of gear.

Check out the shopping list in the OP. I could really use your guys's help before I drop a ton of money on gear. Thanks!

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OK, clicked all your links and thought about how I'd all go together. I personally do not see many people who use this system back and forth between the two games and on the same belt. But from a quick run through my brain it does seem like it would work if you're willing to take the time to change stuff back and forth.

So if you're set on Safariland and it's the only way to get set up for both games how you'd like I say go for it. Hopefully the person who gave you the card can answer your questions as well.

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I run the Safariland ELS belt and the same mag pouches you are looking at for USPSA. I don't know how you are going to use that same belt for IDPA. The ELS receiver plates are going to prevent you from threading that belt through belt loops. Only thing I share between my USPSA rig and IDPA rig is my Comptac International holster. I attach it to a BOSS hangar on the ELS belt for dropped and offset for USPSA. I unscrew it and put on the paddle attachment for IDPA. I use a belt man leather belt for IDPA and some cheap kydex mag pouches I bought from some guy on glocktalk for about $25. Just get a good instructor belt or thick leather belt for IDPA and get two cheap kydex magazine pouchs. If having two rigs like that isnt an option just get stuff you can use for IDPA and a couple more mag pouches for when you want to shoot USPSA(I recommend 5 total).

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Just get a Blade Tech holster and a double mag pouch and use it on a standard belt, that's all you'll ever need for IDPA. This will cost maybe $60 or less. Then spend the money on the Safariland stuff for USPSA.

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And I think most belts people run are 1.5", not 1.75".

He also said he would run just the outer for idpa.

Yes, there are set ups we think would be more ideal, but if this is his only or most preferred option, then I think he can make it work.

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So Rowdy, since you're the only one who thinks this is even possible... what are your thoughts on the the ELS clips preventing me from getting it under the belt loops? Also I appreciate you keeping an open mind on this.

So instead of starting a new topic, those of you who shoot IDPA and USPSA with different rigs, how do you stay consistent with draws, mag changes, etc.? Are they different enough that you have 2 separate muscle memories?

Edited by smokedbmw
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Skip a belt loop. The crowd is right. you'll have a heck of a time threading it through a regular belt loop and definitely impossible if you ran the 1.75".

Most of us run entirely different set ups. I do that even between Production and SSP. Muscle does not have memory, all you have are neural pathways.

Even if you wore the exact same set up, the vest would still change it all for draws and reloads. I think part of the "trick" for you is you are running two very disparate things, IDPA and USPSA Limited. The people I see who do both do it like this.....

CR Speed EDC belt, or just outer belt from a double belt system.

Holsters and pouches that slip off and on. Both set up more to the IDPA side than the USPSA side. Or maybe having a different hanger for the USPSA holster.

Essentially this means you wear the outer belt by itself for IDPA, a traditional kydex belt holster with no drop/offset. And two regular kydex mag pouches. And a vest.

Then when you go to USPSA you wear both belts, add three more mag carriers, place the DOH hanger on your new holster and away you go. Having things that slip on and off versus the ELS system makes this measurably easier.

But this kind of set up doesn't really let you get the full benefit of the holster and mag pouch allowances in Limited. And it is extra work the night before the match.

What most people would suggest is a shopping list similar to the one below.

IDPA Rig

  • CR Speed belt or similar, 1.5 tall. $40
  • Comptac, RLN Custom, Bladetech belt holster. $40-$80
  • 2 kydex mag pouches from same above vendors, $40-$65 total

USPSA Rig

  • DOH hanger if it didn't come with your original holster for above $20
  • 3 more mag pouches $100

And you're into it for $300, so I can see the desire to try and as cheaply as possible jump back and forth when you have that 40% off gift cert. Lookign at your links it is belt for $56, inner belt $20, mag pouches 5x $30 for $150, holster $35, uspsa kit $85, locking sets 3x $35 for $105. Total bill of $451 and then your 40% off turns that into $270.

So now you can see why most are saying just spend $30 more and get a little more versatility and ease of transference of gear if you're really going to be bouncing back and forth. I run two entirely different set ups fwiw.

Edited by rowdyb
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So Rowdy, since you're the only one who thinks this is even possible... what are your thoughts on the the ELS clips preventing me from getting it under the belt loops? Also I appreciate you keeping an open mind on this.

I have an ELS rig that I recently got for USPSA production. I don't see how it would be possible to get the ELS clips through belt loops. I just don't see how you could manage that.

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Skip a belt loop. The crowd is right. you'll have a heck of a time threading it through a regular belt loop and definitely impossible if you ran the 1.75".

Most of us run entirely different set ups. I do that even between Production and SSP. Muscle does not have memory, all you have are neural pathways.

Even if you wore the exact same set up, the vest would still change it all for draws and reloads. I think part of the "trick" for you is you are running two very disparate things, IDPA and USPSA Limited. The people I see who do both do it like this.....

CR Speed EDC belt, or just outer belt from a double belt system.

Holsters and pouches that slip off and on. Both set up more to the IDPA side than the USPSA side. Or maybe having a different hanger for the USPSA holster.

Essentially this means you wear the outer belt by itself for IDPA, a traditional kydex belt holster with no drop/offset. And two regular kydex mag pouches. And a vest.

Then when you go to USPSA you wear both belts, add three more mag carriers, place the DOH hanger on your new holster and away you go. Having things that slip on and off versus the ELS system makes this measurably easier.

But this kind of set up doesn't really let you get the full benefit of the holster and mag pouch allowances in Limited. And it is extra work the night before the match.

What most people would suggest is a shopping list similar to the one below.

IDPA Rig

  • CR Speed belt or similar, 1.5 tall. $40
  • Comptac, RLN Custom, Bladetech belt holster. $40-$80
  • 2 kydex mag pouches from same above vendors, $40-$65 total

USPSA Rig

  • DOH hanger if it didn't come with your original holster for above $20
  • 3 more mag pouches $100

And you're into it for $300, so I can see the desire to try and as cheaply as possible jump back and forth when you have that 40% off gift cert. Lookign at your links it is belt for $56, inner belt $20, mag pouches 5x $30 for $150, holster $35, uspsa kit $85, locking sets 3x $35 for $105. Total bill of $451 and then your 40% off turns that into $270.

So now you can see why most are saying just spend $30 more and get a little more versatility and ease of transference of gear if you're really going to be bouncing back and forth. I run two entirely different set ups fwiw.

Thanks for the informative post Rowdy, still trying to figure out exactly what I want to do.

Think I'll just stick with a basic IDPA set up, and run a dedicated USPSA rig, both Safariland.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I know the cost is prohibitive, but the ELS belt only will work if you use a Tek-Lok style attachment. The ELS clips will not go through a belt loop. I have a USPSA Production setup, a 3-gun setup and an IDPA setup. I just use a Blade-Tech holster with Tek-Lok and share that across all belts. For a long time I ran a single double mag pouch on a Tek-Lok that I shared across the belts. Over a few years I saved up and built up a multiple belts, but still share the holster. I just don't see a reason to buy 2 more.

For IDPA I went with the Cabela's Last Chance Heavy Duty Belt. $25, currently $18 on sale. Plenty stiff for IDPA, similar to the 5.11 Operator belt at half the cost. Has served me well for 3 years and still going strong. IDPA doesn't require as much rigidity as the other sports since you are hauling less weight and reloading less.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Talked with Bob Vogel about his 2014 IDPA Nationals rig and spent almost an hour on the phone with Safariland to get this sorted out. Here it goes:

IDPA:

332 Belt (Bob used an 032 through all belt loops with no ELS attachments)

773 mag pouches with 744bl adapters (Bob used a 779 with 744bl adapters)

5199 holster (Bob's favorite holster)

USPSA:

032 belt with 030 inner

773 mag pouches with ELS adapters

5199 holster with USPSA kit

So there you have it. An IDPA and USPSA rig using the same holster and mag pouches with different attachments for each belt.

Edited by smokedbmw
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