Special Forces Loadout

[Abbot]

Hey guys! As it says, I'm working on a Special Forces Loadout.

I really don't know where to begin. I need a ton of help. Here's what I'm planning:

Primary: Mk18 Mod0 (to-be Mod1)

Secondary: Glock 17

BDU: ACU combat shirt and Pants

Gear: Tan MOPC, OD Shemagh, OD baseball hat, OD combat gloves, etc.

Helmet: MICH 2000

Pretty basic, nothing compared to your kind of impressions, but I'm just getting started, so it's nothing too big.

I know the army uses the M9 Beretta, but would the Glock or even a 1911 be appropriate?

For communication, what headset should I get?

Would Multicam work, or is ACU what would be used?

I'm not able to do an impression, as I lack the mullah, so I'm just sticking with a Special Forces "Look". Any other tips or advice?

[Deacon]

Timeframe? Branch? Country?

What do you already have?

[Abbot]

Sorry 'bout that. My bad.

Timeframe: 2010-Now

Branch: Army?

Country: USA.

I sold my old gear and I'm buying a new loadout. I have the MOPC and the MICH 2000. Lame? Yes.

[Knife]

For sidearms, Glock 17 or 19 works for modern stuff. The 1911 isn't really seen, there might be a couple of pictures showing them but it is a very rare sight. An M9 would also work just fine, but it seems that Glocks are more common as of late.

Multicam would work, primarily for modern overseas stuff. ACU is still somewhat seen on training missions.

I'd skip the shemagh, but that's just me. Try and get a different plate carrier, perhaps a replica of the MARCIRAS or Eagle Plate Carrier in khaki if you're on a budget.

Edit: Given your stated dates, I would definitely pick up multicam. Either some Crye Precision Gen 2/AC Combat pants or replicas would be ideal. You have a fair bit of choice when it comes to shirts. I'd mainly look at getting a Crye Combat Shirt or Replica, or Massif Combat shirt. You could probably get away with one of the OCP shirts or similar.

[ctres]

Or skip the multicam and go with regular woodland. It would be way cheaper, and it is being used since Army SF works closely withe ANA and woodland is what ANA usually wears.

Lose the Condor. It is a complete waste of time if you are even bothering to call something an impression. Little things like gloves, shemaghs, and whatnot are not what makes the loadout. That stuff is pretty much operator preference.

Here is a basic list of what I'd recommend.
Eagle PC w/ cummerbund or a flyye replica of it. The EPC is the most common carrier, but there are other options like the JPC, and stuff from Mayflower R&C if you want.
Eagle SFLCS pouches.
Woodland BDUs
Hiking boots
Mich 2000 w/ norotos 1 hole + short TATM, wilcox l3g10 or an anvis setup. Sorry, this ain't cheap, but IMO if you want it to look legit, you should give it some thought. Easiest thing would be to get a replica norotos 1 hole shroud or a rhino mount and think about the other stuff later on.
Riggers belt
Nick nacks like a CAT, carabiners, chemlights, strobes, etc.
Block II blaster.

Spending money on useless non essential crap and then having to cheap out on the core essentials seems to be a problem that a lot of people have.

Here is what I would change so you can better re direct your money to more essential things. If you have any of this stuff that I am about to list, I would recommend you sell it if you are serious about going this route.

Skip the sidearm for now. They are not even carried all the time by the real deal operators anyways, and it brings with it other expenses such as a holster and spare mags. FYI though, as Knife said, the 17 and 19 are in widespread use in Army SF right now, my point is simply that it isn't essential to your kit, so I'd say just hold off for now.

ACUs. Like I said above. Just get woodlands for like $10 on ebay. Sell the ACUs if you already have them, they have barely been seen in the theater in the past five years or so.

Don't dump a ton of cash into your gun. I'd rather see a cool kit with a Plain-Jane gun than a cool gun with a lame kit.

Skip the comms for now. Realistic ones are expensive and you can get by with a $20 talkabout for now.

Don't blow money on the gloves, hat, etc if you don't already have them. All you really need are some $15 mechanix.

All it really takes to build a good loadout is time. Save your pennies and don't get sidetracked by every new thing that comes out. Be patient and you will get there over time.

Also, check out forums such as militaryphotos and gearsoc to get yourself more familiar with what is used.

[Abbot]

Good advice. Will do.

Edit: Here's my list for my primary:

G&G M4 Shorty
5 Tan Pmags
Block II Tan Vertical Grip

What think ye?

[ctres]

Sounds fine, though if you are a detail freak like me you might want to get a gun with colt trademarks. If you already have the G&G then it's fine, and not something to worry about. King arms makes both a full metal and a polymer colt licensed m4 if you decide to go that route. I assume you mean the TangoDown grip? If so, that's fine, though you can get away with a variety of grips for a block II build, or none at all if you prefer (as I do). Mags also don't have to be pmags, so consider stanags if that would keep costs down for you.

Here is a link to the king arms I mentioned.
www.airsoftstation.com/king-arms-colt-m4a1-full-metal-aeg.html#.UWNk-5Pqm8A

The thing to remember is you can always build it up over time. Lots of people tend to get too hung up on their primary and forget that it is the overall look that really makes the difference. I have certainly made the same mistake myself.

[Abbot]

Unfortunately the G&G fits my plans more as I want a gun wired to the rear while I'd have to re-wire it with a KA. Ya, sorry, my bad. Tango Down grip.

Some questions though.

For the Shroud and mount, would this stuff do:
www.evike.com/product_info.php?products_id=39820
with this:
www.evike.com/product_info.php?products_id=26311
with this:
www.evike.com/product_info.php?products_id=32869

I'm gonna seem really n00b right now, but what is a CAT, Carbiner, and chemlight?

[ctres]

YES, those three nvg items you linked to WILL fit together, but NO, they are not accurate for a 2010-present Army SF loadout. That setup is for a PVS 14. Army SF now uses the PVS 15 and anvis, which each use a different mounting system. If you don't have much to spend on NVG mounts and helmet stuff, just get one of these for now. The proper options would be $100+.
www.ebay.com/itm/RHINO-ARM-MOUNT-BASE-/151023611018?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2329b56c8a

A CAT is a combat application tourniquet. A carabiner is one of those D shaped climbing rings used for securing various things on one's gear. Chemlights are military glow sticks. I wouldn't worry about any of those at the moment though, just get the gear itself.

Here are some good threads to look through. It will be easier to help you out if you just look through these, find pics you would like to copy, and then ask for clarification on specific items.
board.gearsoc.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=116&start=15
militaryphotos.net seems to be down right now, but I'll edit in the link if it comes up later.

[Abbot]

Is the NVG mount ( www.evike.com/product_info.php?products_id=39818 ) incorrect, or just the rhino mount?

a lot of the pics I see has them wearing woodland BDU's with pockets and velcro on the upper arms.



These are sewn on, correct? Also, Is the CIRAS the proper PC to wear for SF, or will something like this be more appropriate:

www.airsoftmegastore.com/7901-Flyye-Industries-MOLLE-FAST-Attack-Tactical-Plate-Carrier-w-Adjustable-Cummerbund--KHAKI.aspx
Or this:
www.airsoftmegastore.com/5537-Flyye-Industries-1000D-Cordura-MOLLE-PC-Plate-Carrier-COYOTE-BROWN.aspx

[ctres]

The army uses 1 hole mich helmets almost exclusively, with the exception of the ops core helmets. Since you are going for a mich helmet you will want one drilled for a one hole nvg mount. The VAS shroud is a three hole design and is not used by the Army on the mich 2000, so yes, the VAS shroud is definitely NOT what you want for your helmet.

Around maybe 2007-2008 or so SF started using the pvs 15 and anvis rather than the pvs 14. The standard rhino mount and arm are for the pvs 14, so a one hole rhino mount and arm would work for an impression for maybe 2009 and before. The rhino arm itself is only used with the pvs 14, but the base plate (like the one I linked to on ebay) can be configured for use with other NVGs such as the pvs 15 and the anvis. If you are short on money then I would recommend that you just get the one hole rhino mount like I linked to. They are really cheap on ebay, so don't waste your money on a replica. Just don't worry about the arm if you are trying to save cash.

As for the plate carrier, the first one you linked to is a replica of the LBT 6094, which is not used extensively by Army SF. The second is a replica of the eagle industries plate carrier (EPC), which is most commonly used in the 2010 and onward period. However, that Flyye copy appears to be somewhat inaccurate, since it has 8 channels of molle across the chest. I wouldn't recommend that you pay $100+ for something that isn't even dimensionally accurate to the real one. I am not too good with replicas, so maybe someone else can tell you which EPC replica is best. If you watch ebay you might be able to get a decent deal on a real one though.

Yes, that is an eagle industries CIRAS, they were also common before the EPC became really popular. And yes, those woodland BDUs have the pockets sewn on the sleeves. That is called the "raid mod". Basically you just remove the pockets from the chest and sew them on the sleeves and add some velcro. That's another step that can wait though if you are trying to cut costs.

In the picture you posted that guy is wearing a mich 2000 with a norotos rhino mount on the strap system rather than bolted to the helmet. You can find them for a decent price on ebay, but the rhino mount alone will be cheaper, and it is more common.

I would estimate that picture is from around 07 or 08.

Also, here is the link to the militaryphotoes USSOF thread. Keep in mind that many, but not all, of these pics are Army SF. There is a sprinkling of other pictures in there as well.
www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?114762-United-States-SOF-pics

Edit: here is another good one. Note that some of the Army SF guys do actually have three hole helmets. It is possible, but it is the exception, not the rule.
www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?209836-Special-Operations-Exercise-Emerald-Warrior-2012

[Abbot]

Thanks for all the advice, guys! So far, here's what I'm gonna do:
Weapon:
G&G M4 Raider
5 STANAG mid caps w/ 3 magpuls
Tango Down Grip Tan
M3 Illuminator

Gear:
MOPC (Will be getting a CIRAS in the Fall)
MICH 2000
PVS 14 Base Plate
PVS 14 Night Vision
Woodland BDU w/ Raid Mod

So it seems I'm gonna have to either represent the odd man out with a PVS 14, or just do a pre 2009 impression.

[ctres]

I am assuming you are talking about a PVS 14 replica? Another option would be just don't get one. That, in my opinion, would fall under sidetracked useless crap that sucks up money which should otherwise be directed to more important things. A dummy 14 is like what, $40? That's $40 that should be directed elsewhere if you don't even have a decent plate carrier yet. You have to learn to prioritize. It should go something like this IMO
1. Plate Carrier + pouches
2. Uniform. Get it on ebay for like $20. Worry about the Raid mod later
3. Helmet. Once again, don't waste you money on incorrect stuff. It's better to have an empty void than something that is dead wrong.
4. gun accessories. To reiterate, they aren't what's going to make or break your kit, channel your money towards things higher up on the list.

A CIRAS really isn't that great of a plate carrier. It's very bulky and will be more expensive than other options. For the cost of a replica CIRAS from Flyye you could just buy a real Eagle Plate Carrier or mayflower APC.