Cheap suggestions for a shotgun chest rig?

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evan the cdn

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I'm thinking about taking a shotgun course this fall and I'm not in a position to spend much money on a dedicated shotgun chest rig like the SOE 12ga Micro Rig or similar. Have any of you put together a less expensive but still effective shotgun specific chest rig? Maybe with some surplus items? I'm interested to hear about what worked great and what didn't work at all.
All suggestions are welcome! :cheers:
 
Get a pair of suspenders, get a strip of nylon/elastic, use a shell to measure proper size, sew the nylon/elastic onto the suspenders.
Probably the cheapest "chest rig" for holding easily accessible shells. Well, even cheaper would be to wear two shirts, tuck them in and tighten your belt, then dump shells between the two shirts for the cheapest dump pouch ever.

The idea works with just about any suitable "backing" but the main downside is that if you use a soft/stretchy backing like regular cloth, as soon as you put weight on the webbing/molle/loops or whatever you attach it just sags and flops around. My first chest rig attempt failed miserably due to that. Backing was denim, anything heavier than a pen and paperclip and it just sagged and flopped. I had to keep adding support straps until it was more bondage outfit than chest rig.

Unless you have access to some good stiff backing material, it's probably easier and more cost effective to buy some surplus stuff.
 
I'll assume then your budget is about 1/2 of what an SOE rig would cost? So let's say $50-60 tops? Supply Captain still have their 24 round MOLLE pouches. Buy two of those, find yourself a used TT MAV (Or if you don't mind the ACU camo pattern, SC also have GI MOLLE vests) or simliar 'rig on the EE and you're within budget.
 
I've run shotgun classes with a side-saddle and dump pouch full of shells. Not as cool as a chest rig but no less effective and much less expensive.

Last class I took I also had a couple of the California Comp 4 round shell holders on my belt.
 
Stevo said:
I've run shotgun classes with a side-saddle and dump pouch full of shells. Not as cool as a chest rig but no less effective and much less expensive.

Last class I took I also had a couple of the California Comp 4 round shell holders on my belt.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have a couple of those CC 4 round caddies too. I'll run those on my belt for sure.

It would be handy if there were an inexpensive pouch that could hold a couple handfuls of shells that is also narrow enough to keep them from turning around once they're put in.
 
This seems like a pretty good deal on a used chest rig, USGI issue. Granted there are no shoulder straps, but the attachment buckles are still there. Just get yourself 4 corresponding male/female fastex buckles and a length of nylon webbing. h ttp://www.unclesamsretailoutlet.com/Chest-Rig-8465015815668-p/5012.htm
Or, over on the EE (tactical equipment sub-forum) mstock2 is selling a 5.11 chest rig for $30
 
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evan the cdn said:
Yeah, I have a couple of those CC 4 round caddies too. I'll run those on my belt for sure.

It would be handy if there were an inexpensive pouch that could hold a couple handfuls of shells that is also narrow enough to keep them from turning around once they're put in.
Click to expand...

What's the budget? Or did I miss that part? For real cheapskates, you could take one or two of those $5 shotshell belts and run them as bandoliers. Or for the arts and crafts crowd, cut those same shotshell belts into sections and attach them to a mesh vest.

But as I'm sure you know, loading from elastic loops is super slow. I have a mix of the 4-rd and 6-rd California comp caddies. Sixes are loaded with a 3+3 rhythm, works well. If you've got the cash, just buy a few more of those caddies and attach them (zip ties or whatever you prefer) to a MOLLE vest or chest rig of your choosing.

Steel case shotshells can also be held by rare earth magnets...
 
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