first day with the new (used) bullet proof vest,,,

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280PLUS

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i got an extra large size safariland IIIA

while it does fit, it seems to border on too small for me,,,

do they make any larger sizes?

years of strenous work, regular exercise and the italian based love of eating too much good food have created a heavily muscled me with a 50" chest and a 44" waist on a 5" 8" frame

theres some padding hanging there too,,,i won't lie,,,

the velcro's are just making it and i feel like maybe its not covering as much as i'd like (large gaps at the sides, e.g.)

of course it does provide some impetus for me to get off my duff and back to regular exercise,,,i've been a bit lazy last few months and its really starting to show,,,

it's amazing that with all the walking, carrying and climbing i do every day i STILL need to exercise to keep the weight from creeping up,,,

those of you who've never fought the "battle of the bulge" should count your blessings

once upon a time i consumed thousands of calories a day in an effort to put on some weight with no results

now (30 years later) just looking sideways at food is enough to pack on a couple of additional pounds :mad:

and those darn ben and jerry guys aren't helping either,,,

:rolleyes:

any info is, as always, greatly appreciated,,,

:D
 
Even when they fit properly, they seem a little small. Part of it is psychological. :uhoh:

You think that it should cover all of your upper body, but they are not designed that way. If they made them big enough to cover all of you, bending over to tie your shoes would not be possible.
 
According to some of my LEO friends, most major vest companies have "custom sizing" available.
 
a correcctly fitted vest will stop serveral inches above your belt line...that is so you can sit ing your car without choking yourself out when the vest rides up into your throat
 
280PLUS:

I hope you don't truly believe your 'new' vest to be "bullet proof". You could be in for a very unpleasant surprise...

But, you already knew that. ;-)

jb
 
My question is:

Unless your LEO or a gang banger, why would you want to?


(Okay, it's probably just me, but was curious. No flame intended.)
 
rusty,,,

it was recommended by others here for my new P/T job as range officer at our local range

in case of some newbie accidentally/negligently sending one in my direction,,,

you never really grasp how inept some people are with firearms till youve done a couple of hours helping the noobs straight out of the general public

after seeing the vest i just got i'm wondering if i shouldn't just opt for the complete bomb disposal suit

:what:

:D

point well taken jonny,,, hows about we call it bullet "resistant" as opposed to bullet proof
 
"Unless your LEO or a gang banger, why would you want to?"

I wear mine at the range. I do not wear it on a daily basis.
As 280PLUS states, you see some scary stuff at the range.

All it takes is one "oops" from the guy next to you, and that vest could save your life. It certainly is not a sure-thing, but it was cheap insurance.
 
(I'm glad I asked)

.... THAT does make lots of sense!

Know what you mean about the mid-section and the scary range stuff! (Wonder if they make 50 gallon oil drums in tactical colors? ha.ha)

Good luck and be safe,

Rusty
 
You can probably get a larger carrier. It`s the panels that are expensive.

Losing a few pounds might be beneficial too said the pot to the kettle.:what: :D
 
"...bending over to tie your shoes would not be possible..." Snicker. That's what velcro is for. A Safariland vest won't help you if the FNG has a rifle. Especially a used one. Kevlar deteriorates as it ages. Make sure the prescription for your glasses is up to date. Seeing trouble coming is way better than relying on an iffy vest.
 
280plus,

You've mentioned that you don't have good coverage on your sides. Most newer vests try to get at least some coverage there, but if you can't find one that does protect that area, I suggest turning towards the most likely looking idiot at your range! :D

-Teuf

Seriously though, you might want to see if you can find one that will properly fit a man or your build.
 
"You can probably get a larger carrier. It`s the panels that are expensive."

That's not going to help the coverage though.

BTW 280PLUS, what date is your vest? Mine was made in 2001, and has very good side coverage. (Safariland IIIa)
 
I've wondered that myself. Pretty much all of the vest I see on tv n in movies seem kinda small for the people wearing them.
Mobility is a big part of it but another is the assumtion that you would be facing the threat, thus bp vests are deesigned to cover your vital organs, n not the lovehandles many of us have ;)
Nik
 
the vest is dated 1994,,,

what is the average maximum servicable life of a vest of this type?

i know it's never going to be the perfect solution but i'm guessing its better than nothing

i'll hold no illusions of invulnerability but consider it having at best an outside chance of saving me if it's my lucky(?) day...

keep talking to me folks,,,tell me more...

:D
 
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You might look into adding some of the plates that raise the stopping ability of a vest, many are a hard material and should not break down. I don't know vests well enough to know if yours would have the pockets for these or not. I would think they could be added though.

Another option might be some new kevlar pads.

Whatever company is doing a sorta recall on one type of vest they sell mentioned they will give the owner some more material to make the vest thicker. There was something about the material breaking down too fast and it was not kevlar material, it was some new one that did not have a lot of testing done on it yet.

And by new pads I don't mean replacing what you have, I would simply add them on behind what is already there. I have no clue on the cost of a pad but it seems to me you could buy a pad for the front and after you saved some more money you could get one for the back or side or whatever.

And for uses, some folks who ride motorcycles have wrecked while wearing a vest. I have no first hand experiance and did not meet the person but I was told the vest took a lot of abuse that a quality leather jacket would normally take. It ruined the vest, but now the guy has a new vest and a quality riding jacket for riding his bike on the street. I also sometimes hear this in articles when motorcycle police are discussed and their protective wear comes into question.

In today's world I really don't think it too odd for some home owners to keep a vest nearby in their closet. I consider it something that could be useful if you are trying to barricade yourself in your room and someone shoots through the door or something. Now some people consider keeping a loaded gun in the bedroom odd, so I just don't worry about those who think it odd that a normal person would see a reason to own a bullet resistant vest.

And I would love to know how many years most vests average for a lifespan. I know it varies by how much it is worn, sweat can degrade it. And I think just being out in sunlight might also affect it. I was also told just having one sitting on the shelf gets its lifespan started. But I don't recall the normal lifespan for a vest that is worn regularly but never shot.
 
The recall is from Second Chance, and has nothing to do with Safariland vests. The vests in question contain a material called Zylon, that was not working as well as they hoped... My vest has a Kevlar and Spectra mix. I don't know if 280PLUS's vest will have the same mix, as it is several years older.

Plates and pads go into pockets on the carrier, not on the panels themselves.
Some plates are ceramic, some steel, some pads are soft. They have different ratings and functions.

Wearing the vest a lot and sweating a lot into it will cause more degredation than it sitting in a closet, but they still have a finite life span. How long the life-span is depends on the materials. If you call the company, they're gonna say that a 10 year old vest should be replaced (They are trying to sell new ones after all).
 
I have a used vest that I have used a few times. Feels darn good when LEO backup is 30 min away and Sheriff's dispatch asks ME to to check out the Church with 3 cars outside at 11:30pm and two more off road in field with lots of folks running around. (Of course I refused even armed with a vest I would NOT go that far)
 
Unless your LEO or a gang banger, why would you want to?
Click to expand...

Aside from the afforementioned, people in the emergency medical field tend to wear them, I wear a Second Chance Triflex IIA. Why? Because gangbangers and LEO's don't seem to watch where their bullets are going these days.
 
it does have a "trauma plate" on the front

well,,,i obviously have to look into all this a bit deeper,,,we'll just say this was my first step into the world of body armor and should suffice for the moment,,,i'll look into a newer vest after i research the product a little more

i do agree however that a vest hanging in the closet does give some added feelings of security in terms of home invasion

although, with only one,,,i'd be handing it to the SO to put on,,,

;)

incidentally, a few years back a CT trooper was killed (Russel Bagshaw)
when he surprised a couple of dirt bags burglarizing a gun store

he was just as surprised, i believe, answering the alarm but not taking it seriously...

they shot him through the door of his cruiser and the papers claimed the bullet just found a weak spot in the SIDE of his vest

it's obvious to me now that the "weak spot" was the gap between the front and rear of the vest

it reminds me of playing catcher,,,you never turn sideways to a wild pitch, thats how you get hurt,,,you face it and let your equipment do the work its supposed to

unfortunately Trooper Bagshaw never had the chance to face his assailant, he never made it out of the car,,,

:(
 
I apologize if I made it sound like the used vest may be in need of the recall, I was thinking more along the lines of getting the add on panels for the recalled vest and adding them to the used vest.

Thanks for the info on the plates.
 
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