Title says it all - I'd love to see how you guys are carrying FAL (or M14 / G3) mags. Old school or new? FWIW, I'm in Northern AZ, and doubt I'll be integrating a plate carrier. I would love to hear some discussion about recommended load out as well, but mainly pics: How would you take your FAL to war? Thanks in advance guys.

This:

BFG RackMinus

+ 2 of these:

BFG Ten Speed

Pricey, but very light and about as breathable as a chest rig can get, which is a prime consideration here to the south of ya. Plus, I can fit G3 mags if ever get the itch to drag that along. AR mags can fit in a jiff with adequate retention if required, but I have other methods to carry those. I could fit another pouch for five mags on the chest rig, but I don't think that to be necessary. ETA: This also fits comfortably over a PC should it be needed.

Old school Rhodie, the cheap 4 mag rig on Ebay made in India.   If I were dead set on it as my go-to gun I would get the nice repro the member here makes just for the modern materials.

This is what I'm using right now.  It's still a work in progress.  M1967 suspenders with an ALICE belt as the basic LBE.  On the belt from left to right I have an ALICE double M9 magazine pouch with two Hi-Power magazines; a Canadian Pattern 82 C1A1 magazine pouch with two 20-round FAL magazines, to which the left suspender strap is attached; an IMBEL Type C FAL bayonet with frog and scabbard, attached using the sewn-in M1910 wire hanger; another Pattern 82 C1 mag pouch with two mags, attached to the suspenders using paracord as recommended by raf in the ALICE gear thread; an ALICE compass/bandage pouch filling in for a Blue Force Gear Ten Speed Ultralight dump pouch, which I intended to get and put there; an ALICE canteen pouch with 1 qt canteen and canteen cup; Indian-made copy of the M1961 field pack, to which I usually attach rain gear on the bottom using the straps, and to which the rear suspender straps are attached; a M1967 canteen pouch with 1 qt canteen; an ALICE fastex belt extender (covered up by the canteen pouch and holster); a Belgian 1950s pattern Hi-Power holster, which not only carries the pistol but also carries a spare mag and cleaning rod, attached using the wire hanger; a third Pattern 82 mag pouch with two mags, to which the right front suspender strap is attached; and an eestac Kywi single pistol mag holder that I got at Cola Warrior with a Hi-Power mag (which would be my speed reload).  On the suspenders I have a Tactical Tailor small radio pouch with a Motorola Talkabout.  Attached to the yoke and field pack, and worked into the rear straps, I have a Camelbak Thermobak, 3L.  It's worn just low enough to clear the waist belt for my ALICE pack and is adjusted so that the belt fits somewhat loosely.

Still a work-in-progress.  I still need to get that dump pouch and also an IFAK.  I've settled on the Chinook Medical pouch and insert.  I also will get another C1 pouch to carry a couple more mags.  The canteens may get transferred to the field pack with the mag and IFAK pouches taking their place, or those items will go on the field pack, or some combination.  Not sure yet, and one canteen could end up going; if I keep both, I want to get the canteen cup stove for the second one.  I also need to find a better way to attach the radio, as it gets shoved in my face when shooting from a number of field positions, and that is extremely annoying.  I'm also looking for the camo version of the faceplates, although I may just spray paint the ones I have in some drab colour.  If I need to carry a bit more, I think the Tactical Tailor Modular Operator with a hydration pouch inside would make a good substitution for the Thermobak, attached in the same way.  Another thing that I need to do is remove the plastic inserts that allow attachment to the Pattern 82 belt on the FAL mag pouches.  I know people have done it, but I can't find any descriptions of how they did it online, and it doesn't look easy; once removed, the pouches can be fitted with ALICE clips, which will allow for their attachment to the field pack, to MOLLE webbing with the ALICE adapter, and allow them to be attached more securely to the ALICE belt.  I had wanted an admin pouch, but there is simply no space for such a thing.

Previously, I had gone with the suspenders attached to a Belgian FALO/BAR belt.  I attached a Belgian double Hi-Power mag pouch to the top row of grommets using the wire hanger stitched on, and using the bottom grommets the bayonet and holster seen above (although I had earlier used a wire hanger to attach my Bianchi M82 holster) and attached the field back to the adjuster strap, with the canteens (or a canteen and e-tool carrier) attached to the side and rain gear on the bottom, radio in the same place.  But the adjuster strap isn't suited for gear attachment, and there were mods that needed to be made to make better use of it and attach more things (I wanted to put the webbing from the ALICE adapters in two rows on the empty spaces in front, inspired by the Dutch LBV you were using, remove the integral straps and the big metal buckles in front, and add belt loops to allow it to be used with the ALICE pistol belt).  Before that I had something similar to what I have in the picture, but using the Bianchi holster, no single pistol mag pouch, and ALICE M-16 magazine pouches with the dividers removed instead of the Canadian pouches and started out with the ALICE Y suspenders and no Camelbak.

It's been an evolutionary process.

Previous BAR belt setup, earlier version:



Setup before the changes I made this past week:



Current setup:

I use an old school US LBE with tacos. What's great about this setup is the tacos work for my FAL, AK, and AR.

Thanks, guys. I have quite a bit of web gear, but like packs, I never seem to have enough. Living in Sedona, I've been eyeing the British Highlander in DPM. I have been running a modified Dutch LBV with M1967 shoulder straps and USMC double mag pouches for my ARs, and really like it, although I need to add a new dump pouch and better IFAK. I have a coyote brown USMC Camelbak I want to attach too, but am thinking of setting up a lightweight version with fewer mags, dump pouch and no back panel - just 550 cord, the way I've seen some Team guys run them. For an in-place, lightweight HD response rig, it'd be great.

The FAL is another matter. I like the Rhodesian and SA gear, and they sure carried FALs a lot in the heat, so I figured following their lead would make sense... but I'm not a big fan of chest rigs, mainly because their hard to go prone with. I do have a Tactical Tailor Mini-Mav I need straps for, so maybe that would be enough to carry a light load-out for the FAL... but I'd really like to seem more pics of heavier loadouts. Got some good ideas from this - I'm partial to the USGI LBE myself, but there are so many options now that might work better...

BTW - nictra - what camo is that? It almost looks like a modernized WWII DOT 44... the Germans really knew camo.

What I like about the USGI stuff is that it is flexible and can fit more in a given belt length than, say, a MOLLE belt or something along those lines.  Plus it is way cheaper.  In my picture you're looking at not much more than $100 in cost.

Even cheaper, since I already have 95% of that! LOL. I like the ALICE gear - it works. I really dislike the wide shoulder pads on standard LBVs, and have found that regular M1967, LC1 or LC2 H harness parts work much better for me - they don't chafe my neck, which is a biggy for me. I thought the narrower pads might be an issue, but they really haven't been.

it's Russian, I think summer pattern.

Good thread, I been interested as I just recently got a FAL and am trying to get a good gear setup for it.

I dug out my old South African pattern 70 stuff and I think it'll do decently.  Also have a 4 cell chest rig that works decent.

 My long-term goal is to get a LBV, I just haven't found a good one for a .308 mag.   I have a USGI 6 mag one for my AR and a Chinese-clone 4 mag version for my AK that I love.     It's a design easily thrown on and solid, distributes weight well and (for me) breathes better than a chest rig.  I also like putting the mags to my sides rather than on my chest, allowing my to go lower prone.       Also, unlike a lot of people I prefer to keep my pistol, magazines, tool/knife, IFAK on my main pants belt, so it's with me 24/7 VS on and off with my vest removal.

You might want to look at the Belgian LBVs. Very similar to USGI, and will take MOLLE pouches. I don't like the wide pads on standard LBVs but love them otherwise for all the reasons you mention, so set mine up with M1967 H harness instead. Best of both worlds and doesn't chafe my neck. I have a couple extra - bought them when they were like 4 used ones for $24 so you've got me thinking I should just build a similar rig for the FAL with different mag pouches - I'm thinking Tacos. I'm running USMC coyote tan double mag pouches on the AR version. It's not totally dialed in yet, but fits me and carries well. I'd like to run it in a carbine course...

OH - The USGI Medics LBV is a great way to go too, if you can find them. Basically the same idea, true MOLLE but a LBV pattern. I'm also an FLC fan, which might be the perfect light rig for civilians running ARs... and cheap. I don't think it would fair well with a .308 loadout though. I want to set one up with 4 AR mags, 3 pistol mags and a pistol though as a 'greyman' bugout vest that could be worn under a hoodie or coat.

I have a super simple Specter Gear chest rig.

Haley Strategic D3CR Heavy

Kind of modern Rhodie rig that you can swift clip to a plate carrier if you ever want to.

Tactical tailor chest rig and their mag holders here.

Esstac Boar chest rig (select the 7.62 option and G2G