Just thought I'd do a small favor for a gun-related merchant that's been very helpful to me.
FMCO, is an all-American company that makes quality load-bearing gear. When I thought nobody on Earth was making an LBV for the M1 Garand, FMCO was there.
They've been incredibly helpful and attentive, especially considering the fact that I purchased only one of their vests instead of performing a bulk-buy.
Anyway, I should be receiving the unit soon, and I'll let you know how it works out when I do. However, early reports from other customers have described their products in sparkling terms.
Have you gotten that vest yet?
Would like to hear what you have to say about it. :)
Hey, I realize I got to this
Hey, I realize I got to this really, really, really late. But I'll give you a quick low-down.
It's an incredible product. The manufacture is top-notch. They even used thin strips of the camo pattern I sent them as edge-taping. The unit makes 24 Garand clips weigh almost nothing. A fully-loaded vest is rather heavy in the hands, but once you have it mounted, the weight disappears.
The clips were a tight fit, and they loaded with some difficulty, particularly when it came to getting all six clips loaded deep into the webbing. However, an idea occurred to me that simplified everything. I packed the first 5 clips in as deeply as I could, then let the sixth clip stick up a little. It still allowed the cover to close, and the clip was held in when I leaned down, but it made the clip easier to grab.
Having no military training, it took me a while to figure out how the unit interlocks with its many parts, since I was deathly afraid of disassembling it and then having no idea how to put it back together. However, it's actually quite intuitive. Also, basically every element is adjustible.
Also, the wide shoulder straps should make for a nice recoil pad, though I haven't tried it out yet because I don't want to scare the tubers at the local range.
The only bummer was that they had to use black buckles, which are a no-no with the multicam pattern. Apparently, their tan buckles ran out. I wonder how that happened...
I used a combination of khaki krylon and dull gaffer's tape to camo them up. Now the unit has very few hard-edge lines.
FMCo makes excellent stuff. They're not the new MOLLE/PALS space-age type of gear, but it's tough as dirt, and they were exceedingly patient while Crye kept failing to send the proper yardage of Cordura.
Again, very sorry for the exceedingly late reply, but I haven't been around this blog much lately. I promise to come back more and even maybe start writing here again.
--Doctor Suarez
"Hey, yutz! Guns aren't toys. They're for family protection, hunting dangerous or delicious animals, and keeping the King of England out of your face."
-Herschel Krustofski