I'm getting ready to purchase one or two plates for my carrier.  My current steel plates are too heavy for extended wear call outs.  At 9.8 lbs each, it's just to cumbersome.   I've decided to go with lighter ceramics in the 4-5 lb range.  Most of the plates in this weight range seem fairly thick however,  at an inch or so.  How does this affect shouldering a rifle, and/or manuverability in general?

Any other ideas or thoughts?  The plates I'm looking at right now are the lightweight sapi's from bulletproofme as well as their level 3 ultra-light poly plates at 3.2 lbs.  That's a huge weight difference,  but the sapi's are .5 inch, compared to 1.15 inches.  The other one I'm looking at is the lightweight  AMI SAPI3 from Appalachian Training.

Thanks.

For ceramic plates that are SAPI cut (never used steel myself) the two methods I've tried are indexing the stock on top of the plate or shoulder it higher than you would if not wearing armor.  Either one works fine for me, but the high shoulder can be a real issue depending on your optics setup.  Some people can get a decent "pocket" for the stock against the side of the plate, I end up searching for that spot if I do it that way, so stick with the other two, which will be cut down to one once I decide which I like best.  Indexing off the front of the carrier is slippery for some people, so a rubber buttpad is a good idea.  For me at least, I put the stock all the way in to index off the front, a fixed stock of normal length wouldn't work well.  Definitely get out to the range and train with your armor.

Other than learning a different method of shouldering a rifle, I can't really tell any difference in maneuverability, but that will vary some with how quality of a carrier you have.  I can still do pushups, pullups, situps, and squats while in full armor.

Thanks for the help.

Im really not sure which route I'll go.  1/2" sure doesn't sound like much, but im sure the difference is noticeable.  I may just decide to go with something in the 5-6 lb range that is about 1/2" thick overall.  6 lbs/plate is better than my current 9.8 lb steel plates.  (each)

Are you an LEO wearing soft armor also? Making a point to buy an ICW plate will likely save you a pound or so per plate, and some thickness, compared to a stand alone option.

As far as shouldering a rifle, my experience is that any plate gets in the way. Learning to shoot with armor on is a task in itself, people generally find they need to adjust stance and buttstock position when using hard armor.

Yes Sir.  I will always have an older IIIa soft vest on underneath my clothing.  

I measured my Spartan AR500 plates last night and they're right at 1/2" thick.  Ive shot with them before, and remember that it was a bit different.  I can only imagine the difference of another inch or so.  I believe that Im gonna stay with something around 1/2" thick due to this.  

I have a few picked out now at AT.  I guess a phone call to them is in order to get a few more questions answered.

the plates from bulletproofme, if im thinking is what you are looking at are MAYBE 5/16ths thicker than what you have now

The 2 specific plates Im looking at at Bulletproofme are the:

1) Lightweight SAPI:  5.3 lbs, .5" thick for $390

2) 10" x 12" Level IV w/vest: 9.5" x 11.6", 6 lbs, for $210.  I just dont know how thick this one is.  

Ive also got 4 in mind through Appalachian Training.  My carrier is a Mayflower APC, fyi.

What size APC do you have?  The size of the carrier dictates which plates you use, although I can guess you probably have a S/M carrier.

It's actually a lg/xl.  The cummerbund is a bit big and it's a large I believe.   I'd have to go pull my receipt from SKD, but the APC for sure is the lg/xl.