Body armor? Anyone have it?

[waloidian]

Ive taken an interest in body armor. Do I need it? Probably not, but its something id like to get. Is there any armor that can protect from most firearms but still be comfortable to wear daily? I see there are some that cover the shoulders and groin, obvious that is more protection, but that has to be awkward to wear. Then theres all the other variables, you can get hit in the leg, forearm, and head, so is it worth it if you dont go all out? Just thinking out loud and curious to hear your thoughts.

 

[shooter521]

Is there any armor that can protect from most firearms but still be comfortable to wear daily?

You're not a police officer, .mil or contractor, but feel a need to wear armor on a daily basis? You might instead look into changing your lifestyle, neighborhood, job or all three.

Soft body armor is type-rated by the NIJ, according to what threats it is tested to stop.
NIJ Specifications
It tops out at Type IIIA. Beyond that is hard armor, which typically takes the form of plates that are worn in front of the soft armor to increase its threat rating in the front, back and/or sides. Some plates are rated as "stand alone," meaning they do not require the use of soft armor to achieve their listed rating.

Most hard armor and extended-coverage soft armor systems (such as the Interceptor vest with shoulder, collar and groin protection) are not going to be concealable, so you'd be looking at a soft armor vest of the type worn by law enforcement. It protects the vitals, but isn't worth crap if you get shot in the head.

What you will find out, if you do your homework, is that armor is a compromise. The key is to find the best combination of coverage, weight/mobility, threat level (and possibly concealment) that best fits your particular needs. Then there's materials and price to consider, but that's a whole other discussion...

Good luck!

 

[waloidian]

dont get me wrong, i really have no justification to get this, and even to wear it. honestly, I find it fun, so I wouldnt mind getting something for the "what ifs" Thats all. Thanks for your input

 

[absrio]

Most soft armour IIIA will stop 357 sig and some 44 mag. It will do nothing for high veocity rifle rounds. Type III I believe will stop up to a .308 but it is also a hard plate and used in conjuction with soft armour. Type IV can stop up to 30-06, once again gonna be a hard plate and might last one round hit from 30-06.

Soft body armour is not the most comfortable thing to wear they get very hot wearing.

 

[KokomoDave]

There is a vendor at the Indy 1500 from Michigan that has new and gently used BA.His prices seem to be in-line with most Internet vendors plus you can physically see what you like/dislike as not all BA is the same for different sized people.

 

[jeremy]

Good external armor is going to put you upward 15-2000 dollars real quickly. That is armor minus plates and accessories. Keep in mind you get exactly what you pay for in this regard. There are cheaper sources for used armor, the biggest problem is you do not know how it was cared for. Opinions on from what supplier differ as greatly as to what car is best. Do a lot of research before you buy.

 

[Bshaw]

Hot Stuff

Agree with the above BA is VERY HOT and uncomfortable
plus watch out for the used stuff some BA only have a lifespan of 10 yrs that is one reason you see used BA sometimes not saying it wont work but if it has an experation date it means something expires and hopefully not anyone wearing it at the time

 

[shooter521]

Good external armor is going to put you upward 15-2000 dollars real quickly. That is armor minus plates and accessories.

From what I've found in my research on the subject, $600-800 seems to be typical for a new LE-style Type II or IIIA concealable vest. Interceptor type armor, CIRAS, etc. will run more. Plates can run anywhere from $150 to a couple thousand bucks, depending on what size/weight/materials/performance you want. I've only got about $700 in my soft armor and plate setup; it would've been just over $1000 had I bought the plates new.

There are cheaper sources for used armor, the biggest problem is you do not know how it was cared for.

This goes double for ceramic plates, which may have sustained damage that cannot be detected with the naked eye. To say nothing of the fact that a lot of the military-style armor being sold on Ebay etc. is stolen US Military property.

Do a lot of research before you buy.

Plus friggin' one!

 

[-XL-]

Forget that "commercial" stuff. Just get some old phone books and duct tape them together around your vitals. I've shot phone books before and it's almost impossible to penetrate the whole yellow pages.

 

[waloidian]

you must be in a big town

 

[agentl074]

I have a Level II vest that I wore doing armed security work and as a Reserve Police Officer. New soft armor now a days is very good stuff.... I also have a Level IV vest and Kevlar helmet which is very heavy stuff.

I never had a problem with wearing my armor - its like wearing a seat belt - better off not needing it and having it on

 

[sig-sweet]

An important issue of body armor is making sure you are measured correctly for it. A miss-measured vest is miserable. Make sure your side panels cover what they are supposed to cover and that the height if the front and back panels do the same. Short and you are constantly pulling it around trying to feel covered, long and you’ll be find it pinching you when you sit down or squat any movement in a vest is uncomfortable when miss measured.

 

[ryanmercer]

Just get fat like me I've got inches of fat to protect my vitals

 

[Indy317]

Ive taken an interest in body armor. Do I need it? Is there any armor that can protect from most firearms but still be comfortable to wear daily? I see there are some that cover the shoulders and groin, obvious that is more protection, but that has to be awkward to wear. Then theres all the other variables, you can get hit in the leg, forearm, and head, so is it worth it if you dont go all out? Just thinking out loud and curious to hear your thoughts.

Everyone should try and obtain at a minimum a Level II or III-A vest. Some police supplies stores sell used vest. Some of them look pretty decent. What sometimes may happen is that an officer gets hired and the department buys them a vest. You are usually fitted for a vest and if they don't have a use for it when the officer is gone (leaves, fired, doesn't make it through training, etc), some agencies might have to sell the vest if money is an issue. Ballistic panels usually come with dates listed somewhere on the panels. The expiration is set at five years. I have heard reports (but not physically seen any testing) that some departments that have old vests, have taken them to the range and fired at them. Unless the ballistic panels are exposed to sun, water, etc. in harsh conditions, they usually will last past the expiration date. While they might fail on you in battle, if you didn't have the vest, what would be the difference?

Once you get the basic Level II or III-A vest, the next step is rifle protection. Most front facing ballistic panels have a slot for a 5"x8" trauma plate. This is a plate which is used to absorb more of the blow from a center body mass. The plates used to be metal, but my most recent vest my dept. purchased for me, the plate was soft. There is a discussion about if hard plates (metal, ceramic) are dangerous because if a pistol round hits them, it might deflect it up into the head area. Not sure if this has ever happened, but if you shoot pistol rounds at metal plates, you know what I mean. I currently wear a ceramic 5"x8" plate for rifle protection. I also keep my metal plate that came with my original vest. I figure it is worth the risk of deflection. I estimate that my plate might be able to stop a round, maybe two, of .223 or 7.65x39mm. The metal/ceramic rifle plates are around $100 now. A complete vest turn out would be the pistol Level II or III-A vest and two sets of large ceramic 8" by 10" or 10" by 12" plates and a vest that holds them. They are costly, but you can check on-line. A guy from Israel used to sell them on E-bay. He was the cheapest, including shipping, at that time. I think his name was Eli.

 

[ryanmercer]

I've always wanted some... just can't really justify the purchase, as I don't really have any outfits that it would go unnoticed under.