New P90 LBE / Vest Option

[nextmayor]

I just thought I would change one of my existing post instead of creating a new thread about some great P90 accessories that I have picked up at very reasonable prices.

The first is a new vest I picked up because I am going to get a M4 RIS in a couple of months. Any way, about a month ago I started to consider the South African / Rhodesian M-83 Assault Vest (see link below).

http://www.airsoftohio.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1150

I started looking at this vest because I will be transitioning from a P90 to an M4 in the next 6 months. I thought this vest looked pretty solid but need some info on it. After reading the replies to my post I picked one up. So far I haven't gotten to use it in the field but it appears to be pretty solid. It's not like an Eagle or Blackhawk vest, but for $40 I am impressed. Here is an extensive review with my first impressions.

http://teamtwo.com/t2forums/viewtopic.php?t=53

Now for the point of this post. After playing around with different load outs, I discovered that P90 magazine easily fit in the large side pouches of this vest. These are not P90 specific magazine pouches, but my 3 P90 magazine fit in the pouch very well and easily. There is more than enough room in this pouch for quite a few P90 magazines. If I had to take a guess I'd say maybe six magazines or more. Take a look at my Team Two review, it's pretty extensive and I haven't even used it in the field yet.

I just wanted to let fellow P90 users out there know about a possible alternative to the P90 thigh magazine pouches. There are some draw backs to the vest, but I have some simple ideas to improve this vest. Furthermore, for $40 I think it seems to be a pretty good deal. I'll let everyone know how it works in the field.

Below is a photo of the vest that I purchased. Yes, I did get desert camo and I live in Ohio. There is very little vegetation at the field where I play and desert camo seems to be the pattern of choice.

The second item I picked up was the "FN P90 SPECIFIC 3-POINT TACTICAL SLING" commonly seen on eBay and available from http://www.tacticalsling.net/. It's not on their website, but check eBay. Any way it cost me $12.50 but I have seen many go for $9.50. It mounts in the rear slot on the rear stock and then around part of the upper receiver. It is well made and comfortable. Prior to this I was using the Blackhawk P90 Swift Sling and was very happy with it. This "cheap" sling changed my mind. It is more secure, versatile, and comfortable that the Blackhawk model.

I just wanted to let me fellow P90 users know about some nice product that I had picked up lately for very reasonable prices. I am going out to skirmish on Saturday, I'll let everyone know how my new purchases work out. So far for a $52 investment I am pretty impressed. Check out these products or PM me if you have any questions. I am not involved with any of these companies or website, but I got excited to see some nice gear that worked with the P90 for a modest amount of money.

[nextmayor]

Just posting this to help fellow P90 owners with one of the more bothersome issues with the P90, finding tactical gear. As my review stated above, I found very few P90 specific slings and magazine pouches and no vests.

Recently, I discovered the South African / Rhodesian M-83 Assault Vest. Read my review at the link below.

http://www.airsoftohio.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=12&sort=7&cat=2&page=1

While this vest is designed for M16 type, the large dump pouches on the sides of this work well with the P90 mags. I only have 3 mags and they fit comfortably in there with room to spare. Maybe enough for six magazines. This vest only cost $40.

The other cheaper piece of tac gear that I recently picked up was the Fieldstripped Industries (www.tacticalslings.net) P90 three point sling. I actually got it off of eBay. The going price is between $9.50 and $12.50. The sling is not yet on their website, but I have been told it will soon be listed. Again, the website is http://www.tacticalsling.net or search eBay for "P90 Sling" or just "P90 airsoft". Make sure to search under titles and descriptions. The seller's id is " fieldstripped" and they have a fairly high feedback rating. Just so you know, I have nothing to do with this company; I just bought one of their slings.

Any way, this sling is of 3-point design. One end gets fed thru the slot on the rear stock while the other end gets fed thru the slot on the upper receiver near the red dot scope or scope rail. After seeing how this sling works, I now wonder if that is what this slot was originally meant to be used as a sling swivel / mount. The sling is made of a soft one inch webbing material that is much thicker that the sling made by Blackhawk (BHI). There is a very solid D-ring that provides the 3rd point for this sling as well as beefy plastic slide fasteners and fastex style quick release buckles.

I got to use this sling this past weekend and all I can say is wow! Prior to this I was using my BHI one point sling and I was very happy with it. It was comfortable and allowed me to carry my P90 in several different ways. I always liked how the three point slings worked with other AEG's and was always a little disappointed with the BHI sling. Still the BHI sling worked well nonetheless.

The Fieldstripped sling blew the BHI sling away. It is more comfortable, just as durable, and best of all, allowed me to carry my P90 in a more tactical manner. I had three main issues with the BHI sling. To begin with, the thin hard webbing that the BHI sling is made of really cut into my neck. To the point where I needed to purchase the BHI comfort pad. The Fieldstripped P90 did not have this problem. Like I said, the webbing is thicker and softer than the BHI sling. The Fieldstripped P90 sling also distributes the weight of the P90 across much more of your body, making it extremely comfortable to wear.

The second issue I had with the BHI sling is that the excess webbing would end up between your shoulder and the butt plate when holding the P90 in firing position. None of this was evident with the Fieldstripped P90 sling.

The most significant issue with the BHI sling was how unsecured the P90 was when slung. With the BHI sling, the P90 hung under your arm, so it was protected, but being of one point design, there was a good deal of sway when the P90 was slung. The Fieldstripped P90 rides across your chest. Being connected to the sling in two locations really helps to secure the P90. When climbing or running with a slung P90 is no longer anything to worry about. This sling really improved my ability to climb. I no longer had to worry about the muzzle of my P90 banging around.

So for its relatively cheap price tag, I am in love with this sling. It offers improved comfort and security for my P90 while holding the P90 in a much better position for tactical operations. I cannot recommend this sling highly enough. The only problem I may have experienced with this sling is the P90 may flop upside down on some occasions. I need to look into this further, I have a feeling I may have installed the rear of the sling incorrectly. Like I said though. For the price, Fieldstripped P90 sling beats its more expensive cousins in comfort, security, and usefulness. All in all, I think this sling is a great deal.

So as I stated way in the beginning of this post, I just wanted P90 users to know there are some high quality pieces of tactical gear out there compatibly with the P90 that don't cost an arm and leg, or that need to be modified. The South African / Rhodesian M-83 Assault Vest and the Fieldstripped P90 sling are two items that will meet most every airsoft need and they don't cost a lot of money.

For the vest and sling, I paid only $50. This is my second set of tactical gear that I have gotten for my P90. The first was a BHI Crossdraw Vest and a BHI P90 Swift sling w/ comfort pad. The BHI set up cost me well over $150. The South African / Rhodesian M-83 Assault Vest may not be true tactical quality, but the Fieldstripped P90 sling is. Furthermore, I only get out to skirmish once a month, so the quality of the South African / Rhodesian M-83 Assault Vest is of high enough standard to meet my needs.

So if you are shopping for P90 tactical gear on a budget, try the South African / Rhodesian M-83 Assault Vest and the Fieldstripped P90 sling. I'm sure you will be pleased with the price, comfort, and usefulness of these two items.

[slip]

hey nextmayor.. how did you hook up that p90 field stripped sling to your p90? i'm discombobulated at this point :(

[nextmayor]

Okay, here goes, just remember that I don't know all the actual names on webbing hardware but I'll try to do my best.

To start with, the sling attaches to the rear of the P90 via the slot on the bottom of the stock on the P90. The front part attaches to a similar slot under the red dot / scope mount, but above the magazine. Additionally, if you have the Nitro Voices front RIS, the sling can be attached to the slots on the slanted front part of the RIS (that is where I have mine attached).

To begin with, the part of the sling with the tri-glide goes toward the front, the loop with the fastex buckle goes towards the rear.

While leaving the tri-glide on the webbing, pull out the tail of the webbing, feed it thur the slot by the red dot / scope mount on the inside of the P90, loop the webbing up and over the red dot / scope mount, and thread it thru the tri-glide to secure it.

Now on to the rear attachment. Unfasten the male part of the QD fastex buckle and remove it from the webbing. Now loop the webbing to the outside of the P90 and feed it thru the rear sling slot. Once it's thru that slot, reattach the male fastex buck and push it (the buckle) back together. FYI, I had to thread the webbing back thru the fastex buckle a couple of times until I got it right. You will know when you have it right because it locks the webbing in place. If you do not thread the fastex buckle correctly, you sling will not stay in adjustement. I also wrapped the excess webbing with camo tape just to make sure it stays in place.

Here are a couple of notes. I'm right handed, so when I talk about the inside and outside of the P90, I'm talking about the right and left sides of the AEG when shouldered. The left side is the inside and the right side is the outside. Once the front of the sling is attached, make sure you are careful to not twist the sling, so it is as comfortable as possible.

I sure hope this helps. It's really not that complicated, but it's difficult to talk someone thru. Here are a couple of pics that may or may not help.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/129864509/129872629tbikwd
http://community.webshots.com/photo/129864509/129869120toUJAL
http://community.webshots.com/photo/129864509/129868763oOiqrw

[slip]

how did you get it through the slot under the red dot scope? i still do not understand that. bah.

[nextmayor]

1) take the tri-glide completely off the sling
2) Slide the tri-glide back on the sling and push it pretty far up
3) Put the end of the sling thru the slot
4) Loop it over the red dot / scope mount
5) reattach it by threading it thru the tri-glide

Additionally, this is only for the sling that I have (FieldStriped Industries P90 Specific 3-pt sling - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31688&item=3677251321&rd=1). If you are using a different sling, you are on your own.

[slip]

bah.. i'm soo upset i can't get this... this is way harder than i thought. maybe i'll have someone else do it for me in the near future... but thanks for all your help nextmayor, you rule! :D

[nextmayor]

do you have the same sling as me? what can't you attach?

[slip]

hey good morning :p i'm at school. haha... yeah i do have the same sling.... the part i don't get is the part where you take off the tri glide and put it back on later.. it puzzles me... and i don't get how to attach it under the red dot scope slot...

[nextmayor]

Let me see if I can come up with anything in PhotoShop for you. I'm not very good at it so don't expect much. I'll post more later. Check out this thread tonite.

[slip]

Thanks man... Seriously though, I really appreciate all this help you're giving... thanks. :)

[nextmayor]

Okay here goes again.

1) lay the sling / webbing flat.

2) Notice that the tri-glide has a slight hump to it, the highest part (center) of the tri-glide is the top

3) Take the webbing and feed from the bottom of the tri-glide, up over the center hump, and then back out the other side

4) Feed the loose end of the webbing thru the slot under the red dot / scope mount, but above the mag well

5) Loop the webbing over the red dot / scope mount

6) Thread the webbing thru the tri-glide over the webbing that is already there.

7) Push the tri-glide toward the red dot / scope mount to secure the attachment, but make sure to leave 2-3 inches of the tail end of the webbing away from the tri-glide (to make sure the sling doesn't fall off).

Here's a pic I made, but I really don't know how much it'll help, it's not very good.

http://www.airsoftohio.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=691&fullsize=1

Once you get this sling attached, you are going to kick yourself in the butt, because you'll be amazed at how truly simple it is to install.

[slip]

hey man.. thanks for this help ^^; . . . umm i'm going to try it tonight, so i will let you know what happens with it! thanks!!!

[slip]

poop. i give up man. it's so impossible. AHH.

[nextmayor]

Sorry man, I'm out of ideas. It's really not that difficult. Keep at it. Take it to your next game, and I'm sure you and your friends can figure it out. Like I said, you'll kick yourself once it's on.

[slip]

ah. Thanks for trying to help man. I'm sure your directions are right, but I probably just can't understand. I'll probably shoot myself once it's on ^^; haha.. Well, thanks for the help man. Take care.


slip!