Top picks for run-n-Gun
Top run-n-gun gear we’ve used, researched or recommended. Sometimes, we feature gear recommended by others we trust.
I’ve got the Vortex PST Gen II 1-6 myself. It, along with the Primary Arms Nova, or even the Vortex Strike Eagle are fine options for starting the sport. You can absolutely survive and place well in a run n gun match on a 1-6, but you may find yourself wishing for the advantage of extra magnification. After you’ve run a few matches, you can decide how much, if at all, you need to upgrade. If money is no object, you should probably get the Leupold 3-18x plus an offset red dot.
That said, I only own a 1-6, and I already know I’m going to want more magnification — I’ve got my sights set on the Leupold Mk5HD 3-18. It may seem like overkill, but when you get out there with a 1-6 and realize it’s really nothing when it comes to some of the farther-out targets, it’ll leave you wanting more. Where you’re going to see the difference from price at the same magnification is glass clarity and the size of the eye box. The cheaper it is, the less nice the reticle’s going to be — it may be grainy and dusty. And when it’s fully zoomed in, your eye box is going to be less forgiving.
Some links here are affiliate links — if you buy through one, we get a cut at no extra cost to you. We’d recommend the same gear either way.
Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6×24 GEN2 w/ AR-BDC3 Reticle
Primary Arms SLx NOVA 1-6×24 LPVO
Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8×24 GEN2 w/ AR-BDC3 Reticle
Leupold Mark 5HD 3-18 LPVO
The Haley D3CRM is the quintessential 3-rifle, 2-pistol chest rig. The single front admin pouch is iconic, and if you add something like the HX harness and T-Rex Y adapters, you can customize it to carry water and have fewer straps. You can also add wings for water bottles or radios, and things like danglers for a med kit or tourniquet. What’s nice about it is that it’s viable all on its own, as opposed to requiring you to buy extra pieces to build it, like is the case with the Spiritus Micro Fight or any of the Spiritus systems.
The Spiritus can still be cool if you want to customize your exact setup, but as far as a single self-contained solution, the Haley is perfect. If you prefer the Spiritus look and layout, the RDR Gear MCP is basically the self-contained version of the Spiritus.
I went from running the Haley to wanting to try out the Esstac Piggy, which is what I’m currently running, because it has only a single layer of magazines extending from your body — as opposed to one layer of magazines plus one layer of pouch that’s already attached to it. I decided I was going to try to cut as much bulk as possible, to make it easier for me to maneuver around the course under obstacles and keep things out of the way of my rifle sling that might be in front of me.
Haley Strategic D3CR Micro (D3CRM)
Esstac Piggy 32
Spiritus Systems Micro Fight Chassis Mk5
RDR Gear Modular Chest Pack
Here are two harness options that have a MOLLE panel on the back — that gives you a better harness for a better carrying experience, plus the option to attach extra storage and water on your back. The Esstac harness is only compatible with other Esstac chest rigs, whereas the Lunar Concepts HX harness is compatible with the Haley and the RDR, and probably a lot of other chest rigs like the Spiritus that all use a standardized plastic buckle size.
The HoboSak is the perfect size to hold a liter or two of water on a run-and-gun course, and might even leave room for a little extra ammo. The Source Kangaroo 1L bladder is the perfect fit for it — I’ll be trying it out to see if 1L lasts me through Pecos.
Lunar Concepts HX Hybrid Harness
Lunar Concepts HOBOsak
Esstac Padded Harness
