Looking for info for plates and carrier.never been in service(heart murmur) but with current state of USA looking for more extreme protections .I believe soon things will get much worse in this country.so any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Plate carrier and plates
- Thread starter blister
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Set a budget.
You can get decent quality carriers from the likes of condor, coupled with AR500 or 550 steel and be out less than 300 bucks.
Or, you can buy high end shit for 900 to 1500.
You can get decent quality carriers from the likes of condor, coupled with AR500 or 550 steel and be out less than 300 bucks.
Or, you can buy high end shit for 900 to 1500.
I'm no expert but in the research I've done and talking to people I really trust, there is zero reason to get steel armor. You can get cheaper ceramic from the likes of RMA and a few others where you are trading weight for dollars. You are going to pay more for lighter weight as with most things. My main point: you've got a lot of reading to do and it can be a heated subject. Be ready for that.
don't waste your time with steel plates its garbage. I personally wouldn't even wear steel, I don't care how much bed liner you use your going to catch fragment somewhere you don't want.
I just picked up another set of level 4 plates that are just over 5 pounds and roughly an inch thick multi curve sapi cut. plates and carrier were around 800 dollars. that is dirt cheep and if you go with 1155 from RMA you can get even cheaper. Once I recover from this spree I will probably step up to Hesco 4800.
I just picked up another set of level 4 plates that are just over 5 pounds and roughly an inch thick multi curve sapi cut. plates and carrier were around 800 dollars. that is dirt cheep and if you go with 1155 from RMA you can get even cheaper. Once I recover from this spree I will probably step up to Hesco 4800.
What you research doesn't tell you (or you omitted), is that ceramic plates are prone to cracking if dropped, or something heavy is dropped onto them, rendering them almost useless. (this is an unlikely scenario for the home user)
Polyethelene armor is lightweight and has the benefit of positive bouyancy (if you are around water, this is a big plus), it's main downside is that it has a short shelf life and doesn't handle heat well (you don't want to keep it in your car in the summer).
Metal plates have niether of those concerns, but they ARE heavy. Spalling MAY be a problem, but honestly, your carrier is going to catch almost all of that. Metal plates are HEAVY.
There are hybrid plates available that combine either ceramic or poly with steel and might be worth a look.
Steel is the cheapest and will be good forever
Poly is next, very lightweight with a short shelf life, heat exposure degrades it
Ceramic is expensive, lightweight and has a long shelf life as long as there are no accidents, doesn't handle multiple hits as well as steel.
There is no perfect solution.
If cost is no object then ceramic would be my first choice.
Safe Life makes flexible, rifle rated armor. It is spendy.
Yeah maybe not steel…
Hesco L210s are solid plates at less than $500. Speacial threat (rifle) rated and are a known quality. Combine that with a decent carrier that fits what you need and go with it.
Hesco L210s are solid plates at less than $500. Speacial threat (rifle) rated and are a known quality. Combine that with a decent carrier that fits what you need and go with it.
ceramic plates cracking is blown way out of proportion. can it happen of course it can but is it likely to, no. ceramic and ceramic hybrid plates have been used for a long time, and the cracking is something that shouldn't even truly be a concern. the military has used ceramic plates for years and they are not treating their gear gently. if cracking was truly an issue it's something you would hear about regularly.
I don’t really baby my carrier and they’ve been fine. My work carrier also has level 3 (rifle) ceramics with a traditional soft 3a backing, also has had no issue.
for moat people wearing ceramic plates regularly are doing it for work like you. you shouldn't have to be thinking about how fragile your plates are, if cracking was truly an issue nobody would be issuing ceramic plates. thanks for the info, everyone I know with work plates says the same thing. stay safe out there.
That might be why I said it was unlikely, however Murphy will fuck you at the most inopportune time.
There is a difference between something you wear daily, and something that rides in the trunk for the majority of its existence
Not sure what size you are, but I have a used LBT carrier I want to move with some extras on it. One of the top rated carriers you can buy, and its got quite a few upgrades on it already. Seen some field time as well downrange. No plates. Let me know if you are interested
Not knowing much on topic but ...home made not? Buddie of mine has several scraps of titanium he uses as swing plates/targets and we can't seem to dent them.
I guess this stuff Is not free from a salvage yard.
I guess this stuff Is not free from a salvage yard.
- Nov 3, 2010
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A service member cracking a plate in use would prob ever even hit the radar. If there was a QC issue, then you would hear about it. When the ceramics first came out, you couldn’t jump with them. You had to put them inside your ruck and pack stuff around them. This was way back early 00s when they first hit the force heavy.
There is drop testing protocol for hard armor. Plates must pass ballistics testing after the conditioning protocol in order to earn the rating. If you're interested in ceramic armor, choose NIJ Standard-0101.06 compliant.
Compliant Products List: Ballistic Resistant Body Armor Find Body Armor Compliant with NIJ Standard 0101.06
Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor NIJ Standard-0101.06 PDF
Starting at page 33 for the HARD ARMOR CONDITIONING PROTOCOL for NIJ Standard-0101.06
Compliant Products List: Ballistic Resistant Body Armor Find Body Armor Compliant with NIJ Standard 0101.06
Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor NIJ Standard-0101.06 PDF
Starting at page 33 for the HARD ARMOR CONDITIONING PROTOCOL for NIJ Standard-0101.06
you said ceramic plates are prone to cracking. one of the definitions of prone is likely to happen. so you clearly didn't say it is unlikely. you stated this is a likely problem based on your word selection. the attempt to clarify later for a home user this is not likely doesn't change what you conveyed. word selection matters.
even if a ceramic plate is cracked it is not useless. if a plate experienced a Crack im sure the rest of the plate would perform just fine. if you get hit in the crack I'm sure you won't be having a great day.
Not going to go back and forth due to your incomprehension.
I clearly stated it was unlikely in the case of a home user.
Why? Because they aren't packing it in a cruiser and prone to having shit thrown on top of it, banging around during pursuits or otherwise rough handling.
I even further stated that if cost wasn't a concern, ceramic would be my choice.
A cracked ceramic plate doesn't work as well as an undamaged steel plate.
I seem to remember hearing somewhere that SOP for service members was to turn in their plates after every deployment and be issued new ones, so the used plates could undergo X-ray inspection to look for cracks. So the military clearly thinks its an issue that at least needs management, which civilians don't have access to.
I personally think steel armor isn't a bad option for a civilian, and might be the best option in some scenarios. The "pros" of steel (good forever, great edge protection, affordable) outweigh the cons (potential spalling, weight) for someone who doesn't wear armor for their job.
Between the frag coatings and the nylon carriers, I think worrying about spall damage is a little overboard. For it to be a problem, you just took one to the vitals. The odds of taking life-threatening shrapnel through the coatings and plate carrier are pretty low, but that steel just stopped a bullet. I'd be glad I had it even if I was pulling some copper jacket out of my chin.
As far as weight goes, yes they are heavy. But you can find some metal plates made from different alloys that aren't too bad. I have some frag coated steel alloy plates at 6.5lbs per plate. That's not really much heavier than everything else, except maybe poly.
Again, anyone who works in plates should have the best, and in that case it is not steel. But I disagree with those who would argue steel is worse than nothing at all.
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