Body Armor?

[bigRich22]

Not sure where to exactly open up discussion of this so please chime in mods if needed.

I am in the market to suit up so figured why not start a discussion for the community to share their knowledge. I have chatted with several guys in shops and over the phone. It seems that everyone has a different opinion regarding which technology is the way to go.

Would love to open discussion on knowledge and EXPERIENCE with BA.

Topics for discussion:
- I have been told that steel plates, regardless of their coating, can still fragment, resulting in injury or death.

- I have heard that ceramic actually have a longer shelf life than listed. How long is that if that is true? How many impacts can ceramic take before it fails?

- Read somewhere about a new type of BA coming to the market? Can anyone chime in?

- Love to learn more about soft armor - kevlar. Don't know much about it other than it's designed to resist handgun calibers. To what degree?

- is the 5.7 really armor piercing? Is this against soft or hard armor? If yes, I assume that ammo isn't available for civilians? What makes that ammo special vs the run of the mill at Sportsman's?


I'm a 6'2" 245lbs animal and I am aware steel is heavy but I can handle a few extra pounds on my back. Literally. Purpose would be for home defense but if there is an option that blends effectiveness across most common calibers and "moveability," wouldn't mind being faster on my toes for longer if I gotta hotwire a car with a herd of zombies on my 6.

Thank you, community.

 

[Fat_Old_Guy]

I have a set of steel plates that I bought first and those are Mother F-ing heavy. My second set is a pair of Hesco 3810 Level III+ plates. They are MUCH lighter than the steel plates. It's also good to know that this and most Ceramic plates are rated for projectiles and NOT Blades.

As far as shelf life, Hesco doesn't say how long they last. The company says to store them in well ventilated, room temperature environment. You can store them lying down on a flat surface. Basically they don't want you to keep them in the tunrk of your car and keep them away from petroleum products. Mine are in the plate carrier and hanging in my closet.

I have never tried soft armor, but Safeguardarmor.com keeps popping up on my feed. They have soft armor and tactical plates.

 

[bigRich22]

Thanks for the reply @Fat_Old_Guy
Appreciate ya. Good point on the blades

I noticed titanium has gotten cheaper throughout the years. If it was cost effective, wonder if that would be a good material for BA? It definitely is lighter

 

[D.A.V.I.D.]

I've had steel and a set of ceramic Hesco's. Then a buddy got some Paraclete polyethylene plates from someone who bought a bunch of unused stock from an agency because they just "expired". They weigh 2.2 pounds each, multicurve level iii 10x12's. And they were $300 a set so I bought 3 sets and I think every one of my buddies bought at least 1 set. Going from the other plates just feels like there's no plates in your carrier. If buying brand new from though the poly plates seem to be very expensive.

 

[ATFsucks]

Stay away from steel plates. They are a dated concept and and just aren’t a good material for body armor with all of the new material/methods of body armor manufacturing and can also possibly cause more harm than good. Just cause it’s steel doesn’t mean it’s an end all be all. Sure it may stop more types of rounds than other plates, it doesn’t mean it’s safer or more effective though.

Hesco,Highcom and Hoplite(LTC) all offer amazing solutions that will have you covered from a smaller pistol caliber plate all the way up to the higher level rifles calibers including defense against some AP rounds. They are all quality manufacturers and offer great CS. There are plenty of good plate manufacturers out there that make good plates! Just make sure they have NIJ certs and do your research on the company before purchasing!

 

[ikeo1]

I went with the Level III+ RMA Armament 1091-1094 Multicurve ceramic plate that sits nearby. They're lightweight enough. I'm not a fan of steel because of the frag risk and weight.

These days i mainly use it for a weighted vest to walk/exercise with.

Level 3+ Body Armor | Defeats M855A1 | RMA Armament

Defeat M193, M855, M855A1 and other threats with our multi-curve Level 3+ Body Armor. Shop now on RMA Armament for superior protection and peace of mind.

rmadefense.com

 

[kdub1290]

There are a lot of different factors people use to gauge their choice of body armor. Some example questions (not an exhaustive list):

What threat level are you looking to protect against? What is your budget? What is your anticipated use case? Will you have resupply opportunities in this use case?

For me, I wanted something that I could wear inconspicuously while not trekking around much. I also view the odds of me actually needing to, and being able to, don BA to be astronomically low, so I didn’t want to invest upwards of a few hundred into my plates.

For these reasons, I went with Steel Ops plates. They stop all my likely threats, are cost effective, light enough for me and my intended use, are thin, and have what I deem to be adequate fragmentation protection. Others may have different considerations they want address with their plates. It’s a good thing there are lots of differ options on the market.

For the people who think all steel plates are the same or that ceramic plates don’t pose fragmentation risks, there are quite a few videos on YouTube demonstrating these things to be untrue. There are certainly a lot of good arguments for plates of alternative materials though. Again, choosing armor is a personal decision. I think a lot of people think they need what direct action guys need, even though they’re not involved in direct action guy stuff. If they have the budget, then sure. Why not have the latest wizbang plates if you have the means? However, for the rest of us, we have to narrow in on what’s most important for our context.

 

[couragewolf]

lates don’t pose fragmentation risks, there are quite a few videos on YouTube demonstrating these things to be untrue. There are certainly a lot of good arguments for plates of alternative materials though. Again, choosing armor is a personal decision. I think a lot of people think they need what direct action guys need, even though they’re not involved in direct action guy stuff. If they have the budget, then sure. Why not have the latest wizbang plates if you have the means? However, for the rest of us, we have to narrow in on what’s most important f

I gotta second this.

I have some Level IV steel plates I'd much prefer ceramics but spawl is not my concern weight is.
There are vids all over the internet of dudes mag dumping into the spawl coated plates with balloons all around them and not a single piece of slag pops a balloon.

The reality with everything like this is that people never unlearn a risk. So while I think steel is probably safer than it gets credit for(atleast as safe as ceramic) it's dog heavy and inferior.

Might be great to hang behind seats in a car though at some point

 

[BunnySloper]

IMHO, go with the highest level and weight you can afford and handle. When it comes to armor, the chance of any of us ever needing them are slim to none. However, all of us are here because we are those who live by the code: “I’d rather have them when I need them than not,” however slim the chance is. This can also be said with CCW, the vast majority of us carry for the very same reason.

So, go with the highest/lightest level of armor you can afford. My personal collection covers quite a range:

Level IV Ceramics (6.5 lbs)
Level III+ Steel (8.5 lbs) (available at the time)
Level IIIA x 2 (~2 lbs) - On set is NJI Certified and concealable and the only set that I have worn in public (Long story, relating to Covid and my profession).

One key factor when it comes to comfort is the quality and build of your plate carrier. I had learn that a well-built with cushions well placed makes a world of difference on how bearable my plates are to carry.

I think another factor to think about, is the fact that we live in the United States, if we are faced with a SHTF scenario here. What do you think is going to be the most common ammo that would be circulating and flying your way? I would confidently say 9mm and .223/5.56 rounds. So, whatever you decide to don for body armor, it need to be able to defeat both of these rounds. This is the reason why I decided on going with Level IV, even though I can get a set of Level III+ that are going to be lighter and cheaper . Sure, Level III+ can defeat 5.56 M193 ball, but not all of them.

Just my humble opinion.