I've been wanting to call http://www.bulletproofme.com/Body_Armor_Complete_Products_LIST.shtml#Tactical, just haven't done it and its hard to see what is what.

Lots of people here have personal body armor. Perhaps you should tell us what your intended use for it will be and we can help explain the differences along with pros and cons of different types of armor and setups.

The wife unit wants to get a couple sets of soft armor and a couple of plate carriers.  Her logic is better to get it now than after some dick head political attempt  to ban it causes a armor panic.


What would we use it for?  I have no idea.
Sort of want?

I have a Condor plate carrier (yeah, I know) with AR500 armor plates inside, a curved one in front and a flat one in the back.





Also attached to the front is a double AR-15 magazine pouch, a double pistol magazine pouch, and an admin pouch with a flashlight inside. The magazine pouches are filled with loaded magazines.  It is a heavy pig.





It offers peace of mind. I doubt I'd have time to put it on in a home invasion, but I like knowing that I have the option to stop bullets if everyday life gets dicey.

 

Eagle carrier with TAP Gamma Plus plates

Anyone think anti Spall jackets are worth it for steel plates?

If it works, absolutely.

Go put a ham or something similar below a steel plate target, take a few shots and look at the results.
Imagine that being your neck/face.

Oh I'm definitely aware of Spall just not sure if the jackets work.  When I hit the gongs at the range and see dust puff up on the ground 3 feet to each side of the target.  Ouch.

Just bout two of these, an XL for me and a medium for a normal person.  Damn good deal http://secure.cpgroup-inc.com/product-category/helmets/high-cut/whups, enter "helmet299" for the deal

bulletproofme has good stuff, no hoops to jump through.
I have an LBT 6094, multi curve lvl 4. they are the 6.7 lb $220 each ones here

Every time I hear the word "spall" I think about Jack Black in The Jackal.

These plates look very interesting..

http://dkxarmor.com/

A couple different people have youtube videos in general discussion with various stuff being shot at armor.



Some of it gets into the coatings and what not.



If you do plan to buy some run plenty of searches on wait times and codes for discounts.  I think one place the code was as simple as youtube.

I have a couple soft (concealable) vests and four hard armor setups. For soft armor, bulletproofme.com has some good deals and a LOT of good info. For hard armor, my original two were Osprey ceramic setups, but being surplus purchases, it's hard for me to completely trust them. I got them from a well-recommended supplier, but there's no way I can 'know' for sure that the ceramic plates in them are both genuine and completely intact structurally. They seem to be and probably are, but fact is, short of x-rays I can't know for certain. I mean, as far as I can tell by researching the details and markings of the plates, they seem genuine; but even allowing that, there's no way I can know for certain that they weren't handled roughly enough to create micro-fractures in the ceramic material that are undetectable without x-raying them all. And that was the kicker for me personally - being ceramic, there's no way I know of to test their ballistic properties non-destructively.

So a couple months ago I bought a trial set of steel in a plate carrier, and liked it so well that I recently bought another set. This last set is intended to be my personal setup, sized (11x14) and set up for me personally. One advantage of the steel is that they can actually be tested via rifle fire to determine their function. I haven't tested my last set; just received the plates last week and haven't had time to layer them up with extra thickness of spray-on truck bed lining for spall testing (really 'fragmentation' testing if I understand correctly) at the same time as ballistic-property testing.

Steel is heavier than ceramic, but steel lets a person test - and therefore know - that his armor really is up to spec. And with steel, you can get a set of lined plates and a carrier for under $300 nowadays if you watch online opportunities.

Just call and tell them what you need, they'll walk you through and educate you. I have a concealable vest from them, very simple process.

Those are great plates. Nice and light and offer good protection. For me its all about saving weight. Steel is to heavy and ounces turn into pounds really quick when you start adding mags, med kits, and whatever else you decide to load up on your kit. If your level of physical fitness isnt up to par youre going to be a slow moving target no matter how many bullets your plates will stop. Steel VS ceramic is kind of like Chevy vs. Ford or AR vs. AK. They both have there pros and cons and price is usually the determining factor for most people. If you want cheap indestructible plates that you can throw off the back of a truck and not worry about compromising the ballistic integrity than get steel. If you want to keep your kit as light as possible and save a few lbs find a good set of ceramic of composite plates. Those TAP Gama plates are a good match between price and performance.

Multiple soft panels
Ceramic plates in a  PIG carrier.

How much does that rig weigh?

I actually got very lucky. I was able to keep my Army issued IOTV and plates due to blood contamination. I was a line medic in Afghanistan. The chick at CIF when I went to turn in my gear looked like I was handing her a dead body when I told her what the brown stains were on it. She told me to throw it away and was taking it off my hand receipt.

I was also gifted a set of the Dutch body armor by one of their medics. to I did patrols with them on my off time with my Afghan Army Student Medics. I still have a Dutch Army uniform too.

I was told by my wife I was never allowed to sell them

This right here.

Mayflower carriers with E-SAPIs.

Call bulletproofme.  He'll talk to you and give you great suggestions on what you are looking for.  Won't try to upsell you.

Another vote for bulletproofme,they were very easy to deal with.
When I tried to order two XL plates they suggested that I try only one in the front (since they are non returnable) and if it was too big order a smaller size and use the XL in back.
It was like an extra $10 in postage for two shipments, but worth it.

What is the consensus on the level III polymer plates? I understand they are heat sensitive, but the weight looks great.

Banshee with lvl 4 ceramics.

I like SAPIs with Balcs behind it if I so choose. Level 4 plates were too heavy.

http://www.bulletsafe.com

I wear this under a uniform shirt at work. IIIA soft armor that is cheap.  Not a bad fit and comfortable enough for my 24 hour shifts and I sleep in it. Comes with pocket inserts capable of taking hard plates and combined with a level III plate supposedly makes it a level IV. I only wear the IIIA though because that would cover the typical threat I would face.