Chest rigs

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Back in WW2 some snipers (including the most successful one of all) preferred to shoot with iron sights - in part because they would need to rise their head higher for the use of typical powered scopes.

In basic training I learned to keep my heels low when lying down. Heels up increased the silhouette unnecessarily. The trainers stepped about a dozen times on my heels before I had learned it.

Well, I value both military history and the training I got, so maybe that explains why I'm so offended by the widespread use of chest rigs.

Maybe these chest rigs and their extreme effect on the silhouette of a soldier in prone position isn't much of a problem if open fields are avoided and combat is concentrated on built-up areas and forests, but I have my doubts.

It still strikes me as foolish to raise one's silhouette by 10-15 cm in prone position.

The current infantryman's equipment weight is unacceptable anyway, and the only practical path to substantially less weight requires is to shed some equipment. Lighter equipment has often been introduced, but such a step forward is usually negated by additional equipment - until we accept the necessity to apply more strict limits on what we carry with us.
I propose to shed the chest rig in such a process.

You cannot even use it in prone position without rolling by at least about 45° and thus enlarging your silhouette even more!

S O

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