Yesterday while testing out my Battle Belt setup I mentioned I would show you my current setup for the belt.
However, I am set up to carry more than the Battle Belt and its contents. My system consists of a number of layers or “tiers” as I call them. Each Tier can be worn on my body or carried in my hands independently of the others and can be mixed and matched as the situation unfolds.
Of course my system is always a work in progress as I tweak it according to personal preferences, experience, and the yearly change of seasons.
In it’s current state my Tiers consist of:
- Tier Zero – Rifle (named Gungnir) and that which is attached to the rifle
- Tier One – Gear attached to the belt on my pants or directly on my body
- Tier Two – Battle Belt
- Tier Three – Shoulder Bag
- Tier Four – 3 Day Pack
- Tier Five – Extended Scout Pack
Over time I will discuss these tiers in turn starting from my rifle and working up.
Tier Zero – The Rifle
The Scout Rifle I carry is a stainless steel Sako Kodiak chambered in .375 H&H Magnum. A bolt action, using a 4-round magazines plus one in the chamber. Essentially, Gungnir is an “elephant gun”.
The magazine can be refilled by hand when the bolt is open. During lulls between shots I can remove one of the nine cartridges from the buttstock shell holder and insert it into the unfilled magazine or directly into the rifle chamber. Doing this in a fluid, efficient manner and without causing a jam while under duress is a real and valuable skill unto itself.
Also attached to the rifle is a simple sling. While I do not use the sling often, it can come in handy when scrambling up and down very steep mountain inclines and rocky ledge when the use of both hands in necessary.
The sling can also be used as an aid for steadying the rifle when making a shot.
Total weight of Tier Zero as it is set up with iron sights only: 4466 grams or 9.85 pounds which includes a sling and 14-rounds:
- Naked on the scale with an empty 4-round magazine the rifle weighs 3726 grams or 8.21 pounds
- The sling weighs 122 grans or .27 of a pound
- Nine Nosler Safari 300-grain Solid rounds on the buttstock shell holder weigh 406 grams or .9 of a pound
- Four rounds in the magazine plus one in the chamber weigh 206 grams or .45 of a pound
Note there is a rounding error of about six grams or 1/100th of a pound. Close enough!
Typically on Tier Zero I carry something like Nosler nickle plated 300-grain solids. These are heavy rounds, each weighing nearly 1/10 of a pound. They are very hard hitting, and very penetrative through brush, trees, dirt, and other obstacles.
What’s more, cartridges of this type reduce my exposure to toxic lead during scouts as compared to bullets with exposed lead such as round nose soft points.
| For a 200 Yard Zero – Nosler 300-Grain Solids | |||
| Range | Velocity | Drop | Energy |
| Yards | Feet per Second | Inches | Foot-Pounds |
| 0 | 2550 | -1.5 | 4331 |
| 100 | 2266 | 2.7 | 3420 |
| 200 | 2002 | 0 | 2670 |
| 300 | 1758 | 11.4 | 2059 |
So there you have it, Tier Zero of Odin Mountain’s scout setup. Next up will be a discussion on my Tier One setup – what I wear on my body, clothing, and the belt of my BDU pants.