Body armor

[jagee]

Woohoo!! Free stuff!!!!

DIBS!

 

[Vigilant]

DIBS!

No problem! Full disclosure, during the “transfer”, you may feel a little pressure, bordering on pain. The good part is, he doesn’t need to see your INDL or LTCH.

 

[Wolfhound]

 

[freekforge]

I had steel plates for a while then when i got a job with the possibility of being shot and realized how easy it is to defeat steel armor i went to paraclete and rma plates. Im happy with both. Ive shot a rma plate before and it held up good and they are fairly affordable.

 

[CPT Nervous]

I had steel plates for a while then when i got a job with the possibility of being shot and realized how easy it is to defeat steel armor i went to paraclete and rma plates. Im happy with both. Ive shot a rma plate before and it held up good and they are fairly affordable.

What kind of steel plates did you have? If it's NIJ level III or IV, how do you defeat a steel plate in a way that other plates of the same rating aren't susceptible?

 

[Wolfhound]

There is more to spalling than what is depicted in that image. When a high speed projectile hits a steel plate, it's possible for the impact to transmit enough energy and momentum to cause metal fragments from the back side of the plate to be projected in toward the wearer. This is what is likely to harm you with an uncoated steel plate and no soft armor behind it. Fragments from the front side could do some damage, but they're typically moving away from the wearer.

Some anti-tank weapons are designed to use this spalling phenomenon to kill the occupants of the tank when penetrating the armor would be more difficult or impossible. The projectile is design to impact the surface of the tank and the end result is metal fragments emitted from the interior side and into the crew.

If your plates are not designed to be stand-alone (i.e. worn without soft armor between you and the plate), then you NEED adequate soft armor between you and the plate.

Also, there are now polypropylene plates that perform well against center fire rifle hits and are much lighter than ceramic plates. That's where I would focus my interest.

Yeah, spalling should really be bullet fragmentation. When the word spalling is used in the military it refers to the backside of armor breaking up and becoming dangerous fragments. In WW1 the Germans would use armored shields so snipers could shoot from their trenches. Allied soldiers learned they could remove bullets from their rifle cartridges, turn them around and shoot them with the flat side forward. This would cause spalling on those German armored shields and give the German snipers a bad day.

I have some AR500 targets I use on my property in Kentucky. I have shot the crap out of them with many military surplus rifle calibers and nothing has ever separated from the backside of them. I have put a few minor dents in them though. I don't shoot anything like 338 Lapua or 50 BMG however.

I agree with your point that soft armor should be worn behind hard armor if it is not stand alone.

 

[WETSU]

There is more to spalling than what is depicted in that image. When a high speed projectile hits a steel plate, it's possible for the impact to transmit enough energy and momentum to cause metal fragments from the back side of the plate to be projected in toward the wearer. This is what is likely to harm you with an uncoated steel plate and no soft armor behind it. Fragments from the front side could do some damage, but they're typically moving away from the wearer.

Some anti-tank weapons are designed to use this spalling phenomenon to kill the occupants of the tank when penetrating the armor would be more difficult or impossible. The projectile is design to impact the surface of the tank and the end result is metal fragments emitted from the interior side and into the crew.

If your plates are not designed to be stand-alone (i.e. worn without soft armor between you and the plate), then you NEED adequate soft armor between you and the plate.

Also, there are now polypropylene plates that perform well against center fire rifle hits and are much lighter than ceramic plates. That's where I would focus my interest.

A small arms delivered HESH round would be interesting however.

 

[whtsti2005]

So I'm curious how many of you that have purchased "hard" body armor feel that it was a good purchase?

 

[Vigilant]

I have Paraclete LVL IV stand alone plates in a slick carrier. Weighs in about 17Lbs. Knowing it will stop most threats I may encounter is well worth the price. Have and not need and all that.

 

[WETSU]

So I'm curious how many of you that have purchased "hard" body armor feel that it was a good purchase?

Yes. It was a good purchase. Zero regrets for what I bought at the time, 10+ years ago. There is lighter/thinner than ceramic now, but what I have will serve me well for the next 10-15 years. When I hit 70 (51 now), I may swap out to something lighter or just go with III soft. Dunno. That's why I go to the gym.

 

[Itchytriggerfinger]

PUBG says frying pans stop bullets so I'm going that route.

 

[Dead Duck]

I've been told that cloth woven from Yeagers facial hair will stop a 50BMG.

 

[JollyMon]

You should be fine with something like this

[video=youtube;yu3jKiiASf0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu3jKiiASf0[/video]

 

[JollyMon]

So I'm curious how many of you that have purchased "hard" body armor feel that it was a good purchase?

Given it was a required item for the numerous shoothouse course I have been to... I feel it was well worth the purchase

 

[Lex Concord]

That seems like a really good deal to me. I've never heard of that company but it's hard to mess up steel plates. It looks like there might be some sort of spall coating on them maybe.

Don't forget to put together a good first aid bag as part of your preps. Something that gets over looked occasionally.

You are correct:

Per the detail page:

We utilize a Rhino Linings Industrial product that is recommended and developed specifically for anti-splatter (spalling) mitigation by Rhino Linings Military Research and Development. This is a premium coating that costs 30% more than standard truck bed liner coatings provided by others. The only other product on the market that is equal in properties is Line-X PAXCON.

EDIT: After a bit more reading, it seems the "splatter mitigation" level of their Rhino lining coating is a $50 upgrade.

 

[WETSU]

Back in the day, I used to have two sets of AR500 single curve steel plates. SUPER basic. I had a fab shop make them for me. I tested one plate with 5.56 and 7.62x39. 100% GTG.

However, I needed spall/fragment protection. So I just made my own from an old retired level II vest I cut apart and separated all the layers of Kevlar. Then I made a sleeve out of the Kevlar pieces and tucked the plates inside and glued it all down with shoe goo. Over the outside I sprayed three coats of Rhino liner. They looked pretty good, tight and I have no doubt the "spall liners" would have helped. They would have been wrecked, but done their job. I didn't feel vulnerable and I didn't feel stupid.

 

[rhino]

You should be fine with something like this

Aw, man! That's the hubris-drenched ******* whose "prepping" plans revolved around killing and stealing other people's stuff. I know people like that exist, but you you have to be a special kind of moron to announce to the world that you're one of them and demonstrate that you grossly overestimate your own ability to accomplish your sick goals.

 

[HK Guy]

As a friend says, where are we going and what are we going to do once we get there.

I wear soft body armor on a regular basis and it's not a big deal it does fine for pistols not so much for rifles.

For rifle threats, I've got some ceramic plates and a plate carrier, Protec brand. I've never been in the sandbox but they are all sorts of heavy. I'd guess that AR steel has more weight and there is the spall / splash issue, me I'd go with ceramic. Along those lines, initially I had enough crap on my plate carrier that I would have made the Mall Ninja proud. After training with it, I've removed most of the crap. I'm down to 3 AR mags and a blow out kit. Prior to that, I had 6 AR mags, 2 pistol mags, radio holder, blowout kit, extra tourniquet. So much crap I couldn't go prone and could hardly move.

If you want to be super cool, look at some of the new polymer plates which are ay lighter but they cost more.

 

[Woobie]

I keep an inexpensive plate carrier with coated AR500 plates next to the bed, along with the carbine. It isn't going on patrol, so weight isn't an issue. It's just there to gain an advantage over a home intruder(s). When Red Dawn/WW Z comes (lol) I'll have more important things on my mind than walking down abandoned streets doing my best Chris Kyle impression.

 

[rhino]

I keep an inexpensive plate carrier with coated AR500 plates next to the bed, along with the carbine. It isn't going on patrol, so weight isn't an issue. It's just there to gain an advantage over a home intruder(s). When Red Dawn/WW Z comes (lol) I'll have more important things on my mind than walking down abandoned streets doing my best Chris Kyle impression.

Next to rifle, ready to throw it on and hunker down at home is most like use for almost all of us.