I apologize if these topics have been beat to death on here.... But I'm finding it very hard (even with significant internet searching) to figure out what will best suit my needs.  I'm looking to purchase my first set of plates as well as a carrier.  Quick background.  I'm 6 feet tall and weigh about 215 lbs.  I have an athletic cut with pretty broad shoulders.  I think my chest measurement is around 46" if that has any meaning with how the carriers fit.  I am not Tactical Timmy.  I'm an avid shooter (handguns and rifles), but nothing over the top.  I get to the range about 2-3x per month.  I do have some friends that own land, but 90% of the time I'm shooting at public ranges where I'm essentially regulated to bench shooting (or prone shooting at best).  My primary purpose of the equipment will be home defense, but I'll also be using it for training/workout purposes (so comfort is a big priority for me).

I think I have the armor itself pinned down.  Well.... at least the brand/level... but not the cut.   I'm looking at the Spartan Armor steel core level III+ AR650 Armaply 10x12.  Looks like fully coated, the shooters cut comes in around 8 lbs. per plate and the swimmers cut around 6 lbs. 7 oz. per plate.  I think this is a good balance of price, weight, and protection for me.  But I'm struggling with the shooters vs. swimmers cut.  Does anyone have any advice on the tradeoff between coverage and comfort/maneuverability and how you made your choice?

Then there's the plate carrier.  I want something simple in it's base configuration, but something I can mod moving forward if I ever choose to "build-out" my set-up.  I've had my eyes on the LBT 6094B.  Would that fit 10x12 plates?  And do I need a special version if I go with the swimmers cut plates?  Or are there any other carriers you would suggest?

Sorry, I know that's a lot of questions.  It's just so hard to make $300-$600 in purchase decisions without the ability to see or try-on anything.

Shooters cut isn't quite as flexible as swimmers cut. Please don't buy steel. If you're not in Connecticut send me an email at [email protected] and I'll set you up with some level III ceramics for less than those steel plates cost. For a plate carrier most fit 10x12 plates. Even ones that are made for SAPI plates. SAPI medium is 9.5x12.5 and large is 10.5x13.25. I like the mayflower APC, but there are plenty of good PCs in the 200-250 range, I think there was another thread about that.

@sawlaw1 I am curious as to why you like ceramic over steel as steel can take more hits. Is it bc of the fragmentation potential of the rd hitting steel?

Not just the spall mitigation, it's lighter and you don't have to fear any high speed rounds like M855A1 or TSX. A level III ceramic plate can take at least 6 hits of .308, if you let someone shoot you in the chest more times than that I'll put you up for a Darwin award. Some ceramics even stop M61, I haven't tested too many against that, but that's because I haven't been able to get my hands on very much M61.

I would go with level IV ceramics as steel plates are just a half measure and the price difference is negligible these days. AT armor, highcom security, or midwest armor should get you taken care of.

Figure out what you want to mount on the carrier if anything that will narrow down the carriers you are looking at. Once you have a carrier picked you then buy the appropriate cut/size of plates to fit it.

If your primary objective is home defense you may want to look at something with greater coverage than the average plate carrier like an armor carrier that takes large soft armor panels like BALCS or concealment cut panels, because at home you will be stuck in a small area with minimal to no real cover.

If it's pulling double duty for training and home defense I would run it slick and just throw a chest rig over it or on it when necessary. This allows you to run just the chest rig in class/training and everything is in the same place as if you had the armor on without actually suffering through wearing the armor.

I am just a dumb civi so take that into account with my advice. This site has lots of helpful people with industry and real world experience that know much better than I do and they should be along shortly to assist.

I'd recommend a ceramic LIII or III+ that comes in a SAPI size large

Not sawlaw1, but ill chime in.

Ill assume we are talking the standard options most people buy, namely level 4 ceramics vs level III/III+ steel. Ceramics offer a few advantages over even modern steel options, namely they resist some threats better, like M855A1, m193, .22-250, .30-06 M2 AP, among others, so for the same weight and price, you can get level 4 ceramics that stop higher threats. Also, the lining on plates seem effective initially, it breaks down fairly quickly. To boot, there are a number of reports of the rough anti-spall coatings chewing up plate carriers over time.