There has been a lot of recent talk concerning body armor as of late and I thought it was time for a discussion on it!
What are the Threats YOU Face?
Vests can protect against many threats, as detailed below:
Types of threat levels:
*blunt trauma, e.g., fists, clubs and auto steering wheel columns!
*knife / edged weapon attack – slashing (though NOT thrusting/stabbing unless special stab-resistant material)most
*pistol ammunition (and '00' Buckshot) – NIJ Threat Level II-A, II, and III-A – the regular 3 to 6 lb. soft body armor vest
*FMJRifle rounds – NIJ Threat Level III – 1/4" specially treated steel, 1/2" ceramic armor plates, or 1" Polyethylene plates.
*Armor-Piercing Rifle 30-06 – NIJ Threat Level IV – 3/4" thick ceramic armor plates.
While we would all like to be covered head to toe in Level IV protection (the human equivalent of a bulletproof turtle!) this is not practical for several reasons...
Practical Considerations
*HEAT BUILDUP – is the number one problem for vest users. Putting on a vest is a welcome replacement for a jacket or sweater for much of the year, but during the summer, heat is the limiting factor in vest use. No vest on earth can honestly claim to be comfortable in the heat.
*COMFORT / WEARABILITY – is a function of the vest's fit, coverage and softness. If you aren’t wearing the vest, it isn’t protecting you! The best vest for you is the one you’re wearing when shot!
*FREEDOM of MOVEMENT – is a function of the vest’s thickness or bulkiness, and design and fit. If you are hindered in the movement required, your vest can become more of a liability as well as an asset.
*WEIGHT – affects your fatigue level after prolonged wear, and your physical speed of movement. More of an issue with Rifle Plates than a pound difference in soft Body Armor protection Levels (or models).
*CONCEALABILITY – firstly, if an armed criminal notices your body armor, they can easily aim, or threaten, your head, hip or groin area. You have just wasted part of the advantage of wearing a vest. Secondly your situation may require the discretion of a concealable vest.
*COST – if you can’t afford it, it isn’t protecting you! As a consumer, we must realistically judge what threats we face, and make rational choices. 100% protection is simply not possible no matter how much we spend – but we can get 80% or 90% of the maximum protection available, for half the cost.
So, how do we make a rational tradeoff between all the choices, with all these constraints?
Rifle Protection
The big question in Threat Levels is – do you need level III or level IV plate protection? Adding a PAIR of 10" by 12" Ceramic plates will add ~11 lbs. to your 4 lb. vest! (Plus it will double the cost of a $500 vest.) You can cut that down to ~6 lbs. with Ultra-light Polyethylene plates – but then the extra cost is ~$800.
Generally, in U.S. urban areas, short-barreled firearms are the main threat because they are the type of weapon most often used by criminals. Worse, they are concealable – you can’t avoid something you can’t see. You can more easily avoid the criminal with a rifle, seen from a distance.
Once again, we must evaluate the threats WE are likely to face. If rifles are a possible or probable threat, get some Level III or IV protection, as this is often the only option short of your vehicle’s engine block. (Or hoping that your car door will cut ~2,800 fps of rifle muzzle velocity in half – so that your soft body armor might handle it!)
Armor-Piercing – Level IV Ceramic Plates
Analogous to the soft body armor discussion on AP *how often are you faced with a criminal with Armor-Piercing ammo? The military in war zones, obviously. SWAT teams may be well advised to spend the extra money for the peace of mind and officer confidence.
But it can also be argued that it’s not justified on the small percentage chance of ever facing such a threat. Once again, we must evaluate the threats WE are likely to face.
Steel versus Ceramic Rifle Plates...
However, Ceramic or Polyethylene Plates, versus Steel plates, are usually well justified on two factors. Firstly the weight savings – you are looking at carrying ~3.3 or 5.5 lbs. per plate respectively, versus 9 lbs. for steel. Over two plates that is 5 lbs. to 11 lbs, of weight savings.
Furthermore there is less chance of ricochet or bullet splatter causing injury with a Ceramic or Polyethylene plate. The bullet tends to penetrate further into nonmetallic plates. (However, this also means that, in multi-hit situations, ceramic or Polyethylene loses protective integrity faster than steel.)
Steel does have advantages – it’s less expensive, and you don’t have to worry about fracturing it if dropped/abused. If you can afford it, go light, but, as always, it's more important to wear second-best protection than to have nothing.
Some product links to look at:
Spartan level III+ front/back plates:
BAM armor level III front/back plates:
https://bodyarmormegastore.com/product/ar500-body-armor-ar500-steel-plates-curved-spall-armor-10x12/
CATI Armor AR600 level III+ front/back plates:
https://catiarmor.com/copy-of-cati-ar500-body-armor-10x12-sapi-evo-advanced-single-curve/
CATI Armor AR500 level III front/back plates:
https://catiarmor.com/copy-of-level-iii-10x12-sapi-evo-advance-single-curve/
No discussion on armor is ever complete without the topic being brought up of level III armor not protecting against 5.56 M855 (green tip) and M193 ammo. According to the NIJ testing level III only protects against velocities out to 2800 fps whereas level IV gets you out to 3200 fps. Level III+ has an increased hardness which is suppose to defeat M855 and M193, however, there is more and more independent data and testing (not to mention real world results) that are showing many newer level III steel plates defeating hits from M193!
***great article simplifying differences between M855 and M193 ammo***
What you decide is the best choice for your needs should be based on a combination of the threats you may face AND on comfort, weight, mobility, concealability, and last cost. We all have different needs and have different realistic budgets. So the choice is yours but I hope that this thread leads to more education and a better understanding of personal body armor and where it fits into your role as a Modern Minuteman!
This is just scratching the surface on the armor discussion here!
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