Real Sword ChiCom Type 56 Chest Rig--Review

Real Sword ChiCom Type 56 Chest Rig--Review

Postby Charlie » Mon Apr 12, 2010 2:44 pm

Well, this will be my first review for any sort of tactical gear, so please, bear with me :) Sorry no original pics. My camera is broken...
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The Review:
Type 56 Chest Rig
Made By: Real Sword
Purchased: at AirsoftAtlanta. Can now be found at Airsoft Outlet NW
Amount Payed: ~$28 (With Shipping and Handling)

Background:
The ChiCom Chest Rigs were produced in abundance in the 50s and 60s in Asia, specifically China and Vietnam. The name stems from the shortened version of The Chinese Communist Part, which ran China at the time. Built for wear and heavy use, ChiCom chest rigs have been used in Vietnam, other parts of Indochina, and even spread into Afghanistan and Pakistan, where it is still locally made in villages for the Taliban and other freedom fighter groups.

Look:
I have always loved that Classic Military look, and I have never owned a MOLLE vest in my entire life (but that is soon changing). This chest rig is best described as being completely "OpFor" in the way it looks. I have used this for an 80s Russian load out, and it fits the look perfectly. I would recommend this for people who want to have an OpFor look or just want to look old school

Materiel:
The ChiCom is made of a thick canvas in OD. The utilitarian approach to it's design makes it extremely light and durable. After using this vest several time, I found that it could withstand rain, wind, bbs, and moving through all sorts of brush.

Pouches and Straps:
There is 3 mag pouches and 4 utility pouches, making for a total of 7 pouches on this rig. Each mag pouch holds 1 AK mag comfortably, leaving enough room for it to be easily removed, but keeping it in the pouch when running around. Each pouch is closed with a loop of canvas that is hooked to a wooden knob (I don't know what type of wood). This can be a hassle when trying to open up pouches with gloves on, but I find that the loop tends to come off the knob easily, leaving the mag pouches open. For the utility/frag grenade pouches, these knobs hold the lids down easily if the pouch has something in it. I am comfortably able to find 3 AK mags, 1 SVD Mag, radio, watch, and pocket knife into the available pouches. The straps used for adjustment and the like are well made and don't show any signs of tearing or fraying. The shoulder straps' loose ends are held in place by leather straps, and the back strap is tied rather than buckled (I resolved that problem by taking some old back pack buckles and putting the on there).

Mobility:
The mobility level is very high when wearing this rig by itself (without body armor or any sort of other obtrusive gear). In the 2 games I have used this in, I was able easily go prone to running within a few seconds. The minimalist approach that this rig takes is highly recommended for people who are constantly on the move, such as assault teams and/or scouts. I would not recommend this to snipers because all of your gear is located on your chest, making it uncomfortable when prone.

Issues:
1. It might just be my rig, but one of the straps' loose end keeps sliding down, despite being held in place by a leather tie.
2. You are limited to minimal gear when using this rig alone
3. Pouches don't really stay closed all that well
4. Can't attach anything to it, no velcro unless you sew it on, like I did
5. You have to tie the strap that keeps the rig from flapping around everywhere.

Ratings:
Look: 10/10
Material: 10/10
Straps and Pouches: 7/10
Mobility: 8/10
Average: 8.75/10

In Summary:
This is a nice, cheap, simple rig for anybody who doesn't need to carry box mags are anything larger than an AK mag.
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Charlie 1-1/BLACK 1-3
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Re: Real Sword ChiCom Type 56 Chest Rig--Review

Postby Variable » Fri Mar 16, 2012 9:38 am

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Just my 2 cents.
The Chicom rig does what its designed to do very well. It carries the amount of ammo (3 mags) that a conscript will need before he gets resupplied and or killed.
The side pockets are too small to be really useful, you can stuff them with bags of BBs or Cliff bars though.
The back strap doesn't have a buckle or anything, so you have to tie the two pieces together. I might mod that with a fastex buckle at some point.
The pocket closure system is a little funky for those of us used to American style pockets, but you get used to it, or simply don't fasten them. The mag pockets fit 47 and 74 style mags perfectly (duh).

The fabric is some kind of cotton canvas and soaks up water pretty readily. The green vat dying fades unevenly, gives it a cool "used" look pretty fast.

Overall its very authentic for your OpFor/third world type loadouts.
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