I am new to "Hard" body armor....I am a police officer and am looking to supplement my "EDC" with an active shooter rig I can throw in my vehicle and have at hand for any SHTF moments....

I am looking at picking up either the SKD PIG Plate Carrier, or the Shellback Patriot Plate Carrier.....HSGI Double Decker Tacos, and a small med kit or probably just a tourniquet.

I am looking for curved plates, shooters cut, 10x12 as I believe this is what will fit me, 5'9" 175lbs....Looking for good plates, Ive seen some pretty big price differences...obviously I don't want to go cheap, but I also don't want to buy something and find out I paid more than I needed to either...

Any suggestions? Thanks.

If your looking for steel plates, level 3 ones are cheap on Ebay, just get the Duracoated ones from what I have read. PC is a personal choice, whatever style you think would best fit your needs really.

Spartan Armor Systems (formerly TheTargetMan) - https://www.spartanarmorsystems.com/

They make good stuff, have free shipping, and give you a bit of a price break if you order add-ons (like side plates, carrier, and trauma pads) at the same time you order your plates.

I'd recommend at least adding the pads to up your comfort level.  
You might wait and see if they run a sale on Memorial Day or the 4th of July.

LEO here as well, I'm running AR500 steel plates in a banshee with a 3x AR mag pouch and a med kit.  Rides behind the drivers seat bungee corded to the half cage.

1.) What threat level/bullet do you want to stop?

I would say I would want to atleast stop 7.62....As I feel thats a common round....light would be great but not absolutely necessary...Im fit but I suppose lighter would be better. From the looks of things, 250 seems to be the average per plate

Spartan Armor Systems seems to have good prices for what I am looking for. Will have to spend a bit more time on their site and researching exactly what I want/need when I have a day off work.

Any other recommendations and/or input are welcome

I would recommend cutting some cardboard to the plate sizes that you are looking at.  I found it a good way to visualize the coverage each size gave me.  Remember that some manufacturers base their dimensions on a flat plate and not a single curved/multi-curved plate so actual coverage can be a little less.  Basing plate size off what someone else of similar height/weight isn't the best thing to do as the plate size is really determined by your torso dimensions and someone of similar height/weight may not have the same torso size.  

Since you are a LEO you should be able to claim the armor/gear purchase on your federal taxes, so that should ease the pain a little.  

You might want to look into how really high velocity rounds act against armor. Common AR500 will stop 7.62x39 and 7.62 NATO, but M193 will punch right through.

Something to think about while you do your due diligence.


Years ago my dept did, what I assume was a careful assessment of the likely threats we'd face.  Based on past incidents, we wanted both an urban AND rural active shooter and set up.  As in responding to both the local high school as well as to a backcountry campsite 6 miles back.  They went with an decently lightweight HDPE (compressed dyneema) plate made by Armored Mobility.  They got shitty carriers of course but that's another issue.


Fast forward 6-7 years and the ONE round that plate doesn't stop - as in at all, ever - M855 (green tip) is now one of the most popular AR rounds.  It's not uncommon for even the dumbass scumbag methheads around here to  have a couple rounds on them.  No surprise since they steal everything.


So now we're saddled with a set up that does only one of two things right.  It hikes but doesn't reliably stop a common threat.


I came to this dept with my own ceramic SAPI plates and waffled between the both of them for a while.  I ended up finding a carrier that makes them feel much lighter, if that makes sense and carry them exclusively.

Ceramics offer better protection at less weight, but tend to cost a little more.

Using a coupon, you can get a pair of Highcom 4SAS-7 for a great price. Not much more than steel, in fact.

This. If you're in patrol and will be throwing this on over soft armor then check out the First Spear First-On PC. It's a minimalist low profile set up designed for LE active shooter rigs. SKD is where I got mine.

As far as armor does your department have a policy. For example where I work personally owned armor is approved but must be listed on the NIJ approved list. That pretty much rules out steel armor.

I will have to check my policy. I was looking at a minimalist carrier, but then thought about maybe a slightly bigger one, pulling double duty as my patrol rig and off duty home rig. It sounds like ceramic plates and steel don't expire like soft armor so I might as well get the best I can now instead of "upgrading" later.

FWIW, here's a picture of a Pig with Tacos (on the left). Right side is an LBT 6094. Highly recommend both.

A picture of the complete setup. You will see I'm running some soft armor panels in the cummerbund. The plates are Level IV stand-alone Medium SAPI cut.

Med pouch is an HSGI bleeder (same brand as the Tacos)

These are the plates I mentioned earlier. They have 25% sales all the time (sometimes even 30%), meaning you could get a 10x12 plate for $135 a piece.

If you're unable to find a code, drop them a note and tell them you're LE. They might be willing to help out with a code that way as well.

http://highcomsecurity.com/collections/plates/products/guardian-4sas-7?variant=361416603

I have a PIG with soft armor/plates that I use as my Raid Gear when I am assigned to the jeans and t shirt units. Now that I am back wearing a uniform I found a full PC over my uniform and vest a bit bulky.

I got the First Spear and put plates in it which left me with my PIG with soft armor for the range. Much lower profile over a uniform.

Well after much deliberation and consideration, weighing the pro's and con's of carriers, plates etc. and bugging SethP with multiple questions

I decided on the following...

SKD PIG BRIG with their level IV 10X12 single curve plates, with 3 mag pouch (Pig pontoons and shoulder pads as well)

I came to the conclusion that less is more in this particular case....I feel this setup will work best as my "Active Shooter" carrier, as it will be quick to don and doff due to the elastic cummerbund, that attaches OVER the magazine holder, instead of under a velcro flap. I didn't need a whole bunch of extras, as IMHO, during an "active shooter" role, I am looking to eliminate a bad guy, thats it....I carry a tourniquet on my duty belt which I will have with me and I carry an IFAK kit in my car I can quickly attach via carabiner;however, if its much more involved than a TQ, I probably shouldn't be doing it anyway

And for off duty, if "Red Dawn" happens, I have a battle belt with pistol/rifle mags, IFAK, etc...... i.e. enough to last me until I'm smoked by superior technology.

All kidding aside, I appreciate all the help and there are many great options out there....Hopefully I won't regret my final decision.

I was reading this, and came across this: SAPI - US gov't rating, 3 rounds of ball, 3 rounds of AP, exact test conditions are not available to the public. Not NIJ certified. There are no US marked “surplus” ESAPI plates. These are always stolen. Always. There are legitimate commercial "SAPI/ESAPI" plates, these are not marked US.

I have seen several places selling "Old" surplus ESAPI are they all stolen? I mean you would think that someone would have come looking? I saw one guy on Ebay selling like 10 sets, old as hell and he said they were from like 1993 era? Just want to ask that encase I come across a sweet deal.

Glad to hear you figured it out and that I could help you out some.

Also, I didn't know about SKD's new plate options. They look to be a good option as well. They're pretty new to market, so definitely let us know what you think of them.

If you still have time, I highly recommend multi curved plates, especially if you will be wearing them for long stretches of time.

I'd routinely wear my armor for 8-10 hours a day in Afghanistan and the multi curved plates are a bit more comfy.  Just my opinion though.  Best of luck.

They stop M855A1

193 and 855 went through magazines before hitting the plate.

If you have the money, go for some good ceramic armor. Steel... it's biggest advantage is being more affordable and high multi strike durability. That said, it's a hell of a lot better than soft level IIIA so if it's all you can afford, it's better than nothing. Just don't get engaged by anyone with a .22-250 or the like.

I just picked up a Mayflower APC this past weekend and its already on the way.

These sound perfect to fit the set up.