Body Armor Discussion Thread

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Do you have any? If yes, what level and brand do you own? Is soft IIIA as good as hard IIIA? Where do you get body armor? What's a good brand name for body armor manufacturers?

If you don't have body armor, why not? Do you feel you have no need for it?
 
I wore a vest every day for 25 years. (Safariland, level lllA)

I no longer drive a car with a siren and bubble-gum machine on the roof, so I no longer feel the need for armor.:)
 
Do I have any ? Ain't sayin'.

I'm certain more knowledgeable folks will provide good info for you but you need to understand the differenced in types of armor.

Best for me to point you to Bulletproofme.com and their FAQ page.

You can purchase armor on the interwebz. Check the laws where you live first.

You must also understand plates go over soft armor to mitigate spalling (when boolets fragment on ur plates) and soft armor is merely boolet resistant, not boolet proof ; as in it will stop most handgun rounds but not most rifle rounds.

That's what plates are for.

Edit to add: None of this addresses the effect of something called...IMPACT TRAUMA. which is what happens when your armor catches a boolet. But that's a whole 'nother discussion.

If you feel you might be caught up in say, civil unrest, a terrorist event or a revolution (not advocating anything here) or just have the bad luck to live in a high crime area then YOU NEED armor.

What other folks say about the NEED vs WANT of armor should not influence YOUR decision.

Best wishes and good luck.
 
Yes started with IIA (that's what the Dept issued then) ended with IIIA plus a Paraclete RAV with plates from my time on the tactical team. If I didn't occasionally teach in a shoot house I would sell it.

I have no desire to go back to wearing it every day. If things got bad enough where I live that I thought I needed to wear it again, I'd move.
 
"If you don't have body armor, why not? Do you feel you have no need for it?"


NO.....because I live in reality... I am not a cop or a soldier.....


Just remember the advice from the late...great .."Gunkid"...and duck tape extra trauma plates to the backside...to stop the 308 rounds
 
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yes, i bought it because i signed up for a carbine class that involved a shoot house, and they required armor for the shoot house. (live rounds, not force on force)

I was advised to get a stand alone Level 4 plate and carrier. I have no use for level IIIa stuff and don't want the extra weight and bulk of something like a CIRAS.

It's unlikely i would ever need it, but who knows? public ranges are getting pretty sporty from what I hear. maybe wearing armor might make you look like a goofball, but could be worth it

I bought mine from Appalachian tactical. they're a good reseller, not a manufacturer.
 
NO.....because I live in reality... I am not a cop or a soldier.....
Click to expand...

because cops and soldiers are the only ones who use body armor?

i guess the hell with those security guards, money handlers, people in high crime areas, people who do advanced training, citizen who is ready to protect his country.
 
"i guess the hell with those security guards, money handlers, people in high crime areas, people who do advanced training, citizen who is ready to protect his country."


Not any of those either.....with exception of protecting my country....body armor will not/did not help me do that either
 
M-Cameron said:
because cops and soldiers are the only ones who use body armor?

i guess the hell with those security guards, money handlers, people in high crime areas, people who do advanced training, citizen who is ready to protect his country.
Click to expand...
or students, lawyers, military recruiters, people celebrating an office Christmas party...
 
"or students, lawyers, military recruiters, people celebrating an office Christmas party..."
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lets not forget kids going to school...wife's shopping...ok ok...everyone NEEDS body armor in todays environment.....
 
Everyone can make their own choices.

I don't own armor, because my plan is to avoid any and all high risk situations where one might bother to wear it. If I lived in a big city or had any real chance of encountering a higher risk situation, I might feel differently.
 
If you don't have body armor, why not? Do you feel you have no need for it?
Click to expand...

I've talked myself out of buying body armor several times. I was using a dept vest when I started reserve academy, but was too busy with my day job to keep it up. If I stayed in, I would have bought a nice setup, but it would be a novelty to me now.... Kinda like cuffs.
I'm not restraining anyone and I'm not running to gunfire.
 
I have some IIA armor, it's hard to wear in 75+ weather and I'd be anticipating action if I were wearing it anything higher than 80. I don't have any plates yet but maybe someday, I'd want some of I ever fought a battle.
 
Had some soft armor,
Bought it from a friend who wore it while repossessing cars.
Had it for ten years. Didn't wear it a single time.
Not looking to get another. At this point I have no use for one. If I needed to wear one I would seriously reconsider whatever I was doing or where I was living to necessitate it, since I'm not military, security, or LE and I have no interest in repossessing cars.
Might be neat to have one "just in case" but as things stand I won't be putting any effort into acquiring one. More guns or ammo instead, please.
Maybe in the future, but I hope I will never feel the need.
 
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Yes, I have some.

I always laugh at how people who consider the prospect of getting into a gunfight laugh at the idea of body armour. I mean, seriously, let's use logic and reason to stand back and consider this.

All the people who know they have and will never have need for body armour, you don't own any firearms for self defense either...right?

Yes yes I know firearms can be and often are used to (justifiably and lawfully) defend against an attack that is not done with a firearm, but still...c'mon



That said I never wear it because it's simply over my personal threshold for convenience and comfort. But I have it, just in case.
 
I have 3 sets, a couple IIA and one old SWAT set. The old SWAT vest has snaps instead of molle, and weighs a ton.

Work supplies them.

I wouldn't pay my own money for a vest.

FWIW, they trap heat. It's like wearing a wet diaper Velcro strapped to your chest. The vests stink, you stink, and when you move right, it poofs stinky air out the neck hole right up into your nose.
 
I ordered some between the Ferguson riots.

After weighing price, protection, and weight, level III seemed to be the best value. Level IV was way out of budget, IIIa offered less protection at a (usually) higher price than plates and a carrier. The only drawbacks I found with level III are that its heavy and uncomfortable. I used level III ATC plates from TheTargetMan.com

I didn't like my previous plate carrier, and recently went with a Condor Sentry. Its got just enough webbing for a few mags and a IFAK. Doesn't restrict access to whatever I have on my belt or in my waistband.

The carrier, plates, pouches, IFAK all together cost less than a used Glock.
 
Zach S said:
I ordered some between the Ferguson riots.

After weighing price, protection, and weight, level III seemed to be the best value. Level IV was way out of budget, IIIa offered less protection at a (usually) higher price than plates and a carrier. The only drawbacks I found with level III are that its heavy and uncomfortable. I used level III ATC plates from TheTargetMan.com

I didn't like my previous plate carrier, and recently went with a Condor Sentry. Its got just enough webbing for a few mags and a IFAK. Doesn't restrict access to whatever I have on my belt or in my waistband.

The carrier, plates, pouches, IFAK all together cost less than a used Glock.
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This is about the main reason I'm interested in getting armor: civil unrest. I agree, I think Level III is the best armor that civilians realistically need. It doesn't protect against armor piercing rifle rounds, but if I ever get shot at with that type of ammunition, then I have bigger problems than just a couple looters.

Weight is an issue tho and the lightest armor I know of that's Level III is made by a company called DKX. The weight for one plate of LIII is 3.5 lbs I believe, significantly less than the usual 8 lbs.
 
I looked at DKX plates, for about 20 seconds. At around $500 each, I'd rather spend half that on two coated steel plates and deal with the extra weight - so that's what I did.

My PC weighs 26 or 28lbs. Not unreasonable by any means.
 
I wore body armor almost every day for 22 years (and started back when you had to purchase your own since no departments issued them -My first one was an early Second Chance...). When my department finally issued them I was glad for the up-grade....

Now for the stuff you won't hear about armor.... I've never worn a vest that wasn't un-comfortable and tough to live with..... Can't tell you how glad I was when I finally retired out and never wore one again (and that was 20 years ago for me..... I was 47 then...). I have lived and worked down here in paradise since 1971 - my police career started the last week of 1973 and ended in 1995. The heat alone made wearing a vest daily a chore - many that I knew (particularly bigger guys) simply could not wear a vest daily.... No matter what my job was -on the street or inside behind a desk - day or night, I was always armored.... To give you some idea of reality - in 22 years I only fired one shot on the job (and spent six months in and out of court over it.... not fun at all.....). Most of the officers I knew would never fire a shot in an entire career - and probably never had a single round coming their way... This was during the height of the cocaine wars down here.... But a few that I knew seemed to always be in the brown stuff and did get in a number of very bad incidents.... No, not the sort of stuff you hear or read about, but the reality is that most never got in tight scrapes (and very carefully tried to avoid them - I did as well once I learned just how bad things can get if you're not thinking survival on the job...).

Now for the ugly part.... Yes, a vest can save your life and keep you in the fight -if that occurs - but there are entirely too many vulnerable areas that a vest doesn't cover.... I think for those who've never worn a vest they're a symbol as much as a piece of gear.... In my era we had three cops a year killed on the job (this was counting Dade and Broward counties as a single unit for funeral purposes....). Three a year for 22 years. I quit going to funerals, period. A significant number of them were wearing vests when they went down...... I'm not including suicides, angry girlfriends or wives, or mis-adventures in these figures -only cops killed on the job. Not all were killed by gunfire (a car can kill you just as dead as a bullet....).

Every now and then I read of someone considering body armor and figure if they don't really, really need it... That new piece of gear will be sitting at home or in the trunk of a car most of the time....
 
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