What level of protection do the Level 3 steel plate + soft armor rated to Class IIIa offer?

I understand M193 can pass through either one, but can it deal with both of them?

I got 7.5#  10x12" steel plates inserted into soft armor.

M193 out of a 16 inch barrel will pass through both no problem. If something has enough velocity to punch through steel soft armor doesn't help. Frankly even with ceramics adding soft armor doesn't make much difference against rounds the plate is not rated for.

I see. I got two plates. Front and back for $80, how did I do? They are 1/4" steel and one plate weights 7.5 lbs, 10x12".

It was the cost-effective option.  There has to be something better on the market but likely an order of magnitude costlier.

Did you buy a steel like AR500 or the mil- whatever? Welding steel is barley better than pig iron and some handgun rounds may penetrate. I don't know where you'd get any kind of armor grade 10x12 plate for $40. I understand if you're on a budget, having done the how cheap can I make it route myself I can help you.

OP, I'm going to be blunt, and no personal offense intended: you basically decided that your life is worth $80. If you have to have steel for financial reasons, AR500 brand level III+ with the full Paxcon buildup  (not just the base layer) is the cheapest I'd be willing to go. And I say that being an owner of those specific plates. They were what I could swing with the budget at the time.

When you can, please upgrade to coated  AR500 brand level III+ at the minimum. They will stop M193. The coating will minimize the chances of spall injury. Other steel brands also sell level III+, but are not the same quality.  Note that III+ is not an official standard, and is a seller's designation only.

Ideally, you'll find the funds for some good level IV ceramic plates. Do some reading in the armor related threads on the first page of this subforum to get an idea of good ceramic brands. AT Armor, SKD, and HIGHCOM are places to look.

Doesn't look like level 3+ will stop M193.


https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/06/cameronz/draft-ar500-armor-lightweight-level-iii-plates-review/

Steel companies each have a different definition of level III+, some have level III plus M855, others have level III + M855 and M193 at whatever they think is a practical speed. Spartan armor will stop M193 out of a 24inch barrel, AR500 will stop M193 out of a 22inch barrel. Don't go with the build up coating, you can buy a yard of K-29 Kevlar for about 20 bucks and make it into a wrap for the plate, it lasts more than 6 rounds and is lighter. I don't know what the obsession with level IV is really about. Level IV plates only have to stop one M2 round, and they never specify what "multi hit" means. Level III plates have to be able to stop a minimum of 6 hits. Those cheap level IV plates are aluminum oxide and Kevlar, the cheapest construction possible and weigh around 7 lbs. I have B4C and PE plates, that's the most expensive option, but it's 4lbs for a thin level III plate.

Ok, a few things:

1: I said AR500 brand LIII+ plates. Nowhere did I mention their lightweight plates. If I was talking about the lightweight plates, I would have said so, and I would have used that term every single time I
   described the plate.
2: The article you posted means absolutely NOTHING. Where in that article did you see the reviewer mention M193 at all? He didn't, he used M855. Please watch the videos I posted below, which should quickly change  your misguided belief that these won't stop M193. They certainly do.

Video Evidence

Here's a Wound Channel (ARFCOM member) YouTube video of testing M193 out of a 22" barrel. The plate stopped the round, which was traveling at over 3300FPS.



Here's an AR500 YouTube video from actually testing the LIII+ Lightweight plate against Federal M193 and M855 out of a 16" barrel from 12 ft away. Two rounds of each ammunition was fired at the plate, and all four rounds failed to pierce the armor.



Another AR500 YouTube video testing the LIII+ Lightweight plate against 7.62x51 M80 ball out of an 18" barrel at 12 ft. Four shots fired, four shots failed to penetrate.

AR500s lightweight plates just have more metal removed from the shoulder and bottom corners. I'm of the opinion that the swimmer/lightweight cuts remove too much protection. Others think the weight reduction is worth it.

Yes definitely be careful of budget level IVs. Some of them will not take more than 3-4 hits. I did test one that took 2 M2AP, M80A1, P80, and M193, and M855A1 :D

Personally IMO, I'd be more worried about spall, rather than my steel plate being penetrated (if I ran one). Hot chunks of metal imbedded in your face, arms, or legs can dramatically reduce your ability to continue a fight. At the very least, you'll have a bad day. At the very worse, you'll have no more good days if a fragment finds a major artery or nerve cluster.

If I had to run steel, I would actually take a 3A backer, or a 10x12 kevlar spall shield (I've seen them on Ebay), and place it in front of the plate, not behind. The "anti-spall" coating that comes on steel plates these days are questionable in their actual ability to catch the majority of fragments, I do not trust them.

The way I see it, you have a few options available to you:

1. Ditch the steel plates, save, and invest in a quality set of new ceramics (or PE plates if weight is more of an issue to you than protection against M855).
2. Put a little money into some kevlar backer or spall shield for the front of your steelies.
3. Buy a set of used ceramics on Gunbroker or Ebay cheap. Many here will caution against the use of "used" plates, due to cracking concerns, or DoD "redistributed" items, but I'd rather hump a solid "used" SAPI over a set of steelies any day.