Fellow gear enthusiasts...
What have your experiences been with shouldering your rifle while wearing a plate carrier? What carriers get in the way at all and which ones don't?
I'm shopping around for a plate carrier that could potentially be used for the rest of my time in the military (depending on my next unit's policy with that). The only real experience I've had is with the issued IOTV, which was apparently designed with complete disregard for the use of a rifle (among other things). A few hundred bucks would be well worth it to me for more effective range and field days.
As I look at viable options, I filter them by how likely their shoulder straps are to interfere with consistent buttstock placement. With some designs, this can be difficult to ascertain. For example, some straps appear thick but narrow, while others are a thin material but cover more area. Then I have to account for any attachment or release mechanisms. Most of my carbine shooting has been done as a civilian where I had no such considerations, but it's important that I find a solution where I can shoulder a weapon as consistently as possible between shooting without armor and with armor.
A secondary but important consideration is having a quick-release mechanism on at least one of the shoulder straps. This is much less about convenience as it is about casualty care if, for example, I were to be found lying face-down and needed the armor removed NOW. I would consider a Velcro strap design that a lay-Soldier could figure out and remove quickly as being sufficient (unless someone here knows better), and also isn't vulnerable to failure in wet/muddy conditions.
The carrier has to hold issued plates, and I'll have to buy backers for those. I don't think buying my own shooter's-cut stand-alone plates will ever be a viable option for duty use.
Some of the carriers I'm currently favoring based on the above criteria:
Blue Force Gear PLATE-6 MOLLEminus / PLATEminus V4 : The material in the shoulder area appears so thin as to be irrelevant to buttstock placement. The straps seem to be Velcroed together for most of their length, which I think would suffice for most realistic situations requiring a quick removal and I wouldn't worry about the Velcro failing over time or under extreme environmental conditions. I also like that out of my list this carrier most resembles the IOTV at a glance with its material coverage. Fitting in better does factor in. I'm not usually too concerned with what others think, but you know how some people can be sometimes when they see something that's too different than what they're familiar with and want to change rules about it.
Arbor Arms FLEX Assaulter (with maritime release kit): I would definitely change the cummerbund out for something that attaches with tubes, Velcro would even be preferable, but otherwise seems like it checks all the boxes.
Ferro Concepts FCPC V5 : Looks like it opens the shoulder pocket area up quite nicely. I like that the Cobra buckle can be placed on either side, but I want to know if it gets in the way at all regardless of which shoulder I'm using for the buttstock. I also like that the attachment mechanisms for both sides could be easily switched out for something else if I find an even better solution.
Crye JPC 2.0 : This must be so popular for a reason, but I always wonder if the polymer keepers on the shoulders ever get slammed into anyone's clavicle or cause the buttstock to roll/shift when they're trying to shoot. I've also heard of that shoulder-area material tearing over time.
Thanks in advance for anything you can contribute!