RD-54 Chest rig from Afghanistan

[Leviabramovich]

Hello guys, In pictures I have seen Russian soldiers in afghanistan war wearing an unusual chest rig.
I looked closely, and I saw it is actually two RD-54 mag pouches, sewn together, and then strapped to the chest using slings.

I was wondering, does anyone have any pics of this??
I was browsing a forum awhile back, and I saw a member, (I think it was an airsofter) actually HAD one of these vests, and he posted pics of it.
Anyone have these pics or any other pics of these rigs?????

[el pablo]

AFAIR mag pouches are strapped down to the chest so they can be additionally strapped to the waist belt.
If it's what you're looking for - i can make photos of my RD-54, but it's of latest series, not sand-colored but Flora camo.

[Firefly26]

You're not talking about the "lifchika" are you?

http://www.rusmilitary.com/images/afghan_chestrig.jpg

http://www.rusmilitary.com/html/c-equip_vests.htm

[Hispeed1]

You said the "A" word.

[STEPAN1983]

БЛЯ..... not "lifchika", "lifchiK" without "A"! ("lifchik" is "bra" in russian) One foreigner made a mistake and now all russian gear collectors and airsofters are repeating it...

About chestrig and RD-54. Making a chestrig out of RD-54 set AK poches was a common practice (hand made gear). Original RD-54 made of olive heavy canvas, but under Afghanistan sun color burns quickly, that is why "afganka" uniform sometimes looks so white in colored photos and this is why RD-54 looks sand-colored.

RD-54 consist of backpack, double granade pouch, doble AK pouch and entrenching tool pouch. Most popular chestrig: take a piece of canvas, some webbing, two double AK pouches from RD-54 and make a chestrig.

Another popular hand made gear, based on RD-54, was a RD-54 backpack with another RD-54 stiched on the first backpack (because some soldiers complained that space inside RD-54 is not enough)

[Firefly26]

БЛЯ..... not "lifchika", "lifchiK" without "A"! ("lifchik" is "bra" in russian) One foreigner made a mistake and now all russian gear collectors and airsofters are repeating it...


Sorry dude. That's the only thing I knew it by and the only way that I knew that would pop up on the google. I'm not sure all of us (excluding me) are smart enough to type cyrillic into google or if google would pick БЛЯ up. Sorry for the disrespect. Now all you other a$$holes better type in БЛЯ from now on!! Its a БЛЯ! Not a Lifchik!

[STEPAN1983]

:) Im not trying to offend anyone...
I am russian and gear maniac so I just want to help you guys with info...
When I see words like "lifchikА" or "speZnaz" I become angry :) Please take it easy...

[Bescht]

I believe you are talking about this:

[Leviabramovich]

Bescht- Thank you very much! This is exactly what I am talking about.

I already have a 1988 dated Lifchik, but I need something from the Early 1980's for use with my 1981 AKc-74n.
I would like to build one of these RD-54 chest rigs, but the thing is, to build one you need TWO of the 2-cell mag pouches.

I have seen pics of RD-54's with TWO 2-cell mag pouches, and pics of RD-54's with only ONE. Does anyone know if they come with One or Two for sure??
Also, from the pics that Bascht Posted, can anyone tell what the Soldiers used for the Waist strap and buckle??
It looks like an RPG sling clip...

Stepan- do you have any more info or pics of these rare Afghani Soviet Chest rigs?
I have also seen a pic of a coldier wearing two AK74 mag pouches sewn together, with what looks like an early AKc74y sling around his neck, holding it up.

[STEPAN1983]

Bescht- Thank you very much! This is
I have seen pics of RD-54's with TWO 2-cell mag pouches, and pics of RD-54's with only ONE. Does anyone know if they come with One or Two for sure??
Also, from the pics that Bascht Posted, can anyone tell what the Soldiers used for the Waist strap and buckle??
It looks like an RPG sling clip...

Stepan- do you have any more info or pics of these rare Afghani Soviet Chest rigs?
I have also seen a pic of a coldier wearing two AK74 mag pouches sewn together, with what looks like an early AKc74y sling around his neck, holding it up.

RD54 come with only ONE doblemag pouch. Ive already told you what pouches are in the RD54 set - double granade, double mag, entrenching tool. Ill try to find photos for you guys with customized gear.

Waist buckle on the photo looks like a buckle taken from a chest of RD54 backpack - used to connect backpack suspenders.

Im sure this buckle is from RD54 suspenders, because you can see a canvas padding thing on this waist webbing - this padding is used in RD 54 to protect your chest from metal buckle.

To make such a chest rig you need to rip one RD54 backpack, take two doblemag and two doblegranade pouches (So you have to waste two RD54 sets, and you still have one non-ripped RD54 backpack). Things not from RD54 are: pieces of canvas used as a platform to stitch the granade pouches. Some metal D-rings (takem from soviet commercial civilian backpack I suppose) and other metal hardware and some canvas webbing . Webbing and hardware is probably taken from AK sling, you are right.

[STEPAN1983]

I found photos shown by Bescht.

http://www.airsoftgun.ru/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=29636&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60

Берется две комплектных РД-шки. От них отчекрыживаются подсумки вместе с кусками крепящей их стропы (все равно о парашютном десантировании речи не заходило, так что крепить РД "на прыжок" никто не собирался). Магазинные подсумки сшивались между собой вдоль длинной стороны (для вящей прочности соединение делалось через кусок проложенной вдоль стропы). Чехол для лопаты распарывался и из него выкраивалось два "уха" (правое и левое), позволяющие нашить на них гранатные подсумки. "Уши" пришивались по бокам соединенных магазинных подсумков, образуя основу самодельного "лифчика". Из оставшихся строп и пряжек делались ремни крепления. В результате получалось такое вот изделие:

The guy who made this chestrig is a real afghanistan war vet (and yes, he is on the airsoft website - typical for Russia, here we have a veterans playing airsoft, and military dont hate airsofters so much like yanks hate airsofters on this forum)
He say that this chest rig is completely made of RD54 parts. The webbing and metal hardware from RD54, canvas is taken from RD54 (canvas platforms for granade pouches are ripped from the entrtool pouches)
Aslo he say that parts of a ripped backpack were used to upgrade non-ripped backpack.

[Gleipnir]

Thought this photo might be of interest to you. I copied this image from an ebay auction of a KLMK oversuit.