I would never assume all poly plates can stop 855 but some can.


I really would like to find a pair of small sapi sized poly plates for my wife's carrier.

Hesco 3600. Done.

That I can afford

Oh heh, yeah that's a different story.

ETA: RMA now makes a multicurve poly plate in SAPI sizes. $260 in Small, not too bad.

Remember, that most AR owners have M855. I'd be reluctant to own plates that dont stop one of the most common rounds for one of the most common rifles

That setup & a concealable handgun will get you through 99.9% of the realistic threats that will be faced by conservatives if the left ever lights off the Bugaboo. Getting shot or stabbed in the back by a commie scumbag while at work or shopping is exactly what commies like to do

This is not true. Sadly, any steel core 7.62x39 has been banned from import into the US since ~1994 after olympic arms made a 7.62x39 pistol.

All the current 7.62x39 is steel case, but lead core.

As far as the RMA plate, if you watch Buffman's testing, it did stop both solid copper 5.56 as well as 5.45 7N6.

M855 is the only common projectile it doesn't stop.

Now, wanting M855 protection is completely reasonable, and I totally get that.

But for those looking for the thinnest, lightest plates possible that stop 80%+ of projectiles, the RMA is a pretty compelling option.

To stop M855, you will end up with either a thicker (1.1"/non concealable) plate of comparable weight, or a heavier ~4.5-5.5lb plate.

Plates help prevent, from some angles, wounds that are either immediately incapacitating or fatal in a (relatively) short period of time

The latter isn't as big a deal for an individual without support - plenty of other wounds like abdominal stuff are likely to do you in eventually.

But the first point can make the difference between you and yours winning or losing a fight, regardless of how it turns out for you personally.

I just picked up a set of the BT Battle Steel lvl IV plates to stash as a loaner/back up set. From the YouTube videos it looks legit.

Ultimately want a set of $2k AT armor (4.8 lb 10x12)

Agreed.  That said, I think soft (IIIA), discreet armor is a better investment and more likely will be used during times of crisis that isn't a full-blown WROL SHTF scenario.  When it comes to plates, lighter is better.  Steel plates will work and I have a set, but they suck monkey-balls to train with.  They are, however, a great option if you feel the need to keep a plate carrier in your vehicle with higher temps (although ceramic isn't too bad either) or thrown around in an abusive manner.

I simply want lighter plates for training.  When it's above 90-degrees and extremely high humidity, you feel every extra ounce on your body when taking a class.  When your plate carrier sucks, it's very tempting to leave it in the vehicle for a class; comfort and weight are important to me to keep them on.

Realistically, armor is like a rifle.  Right now and even right after most localized SHTF situations (hurricanes, floods, etc.), having a CCW is likely the more logical choice (as is concealable soft armor); however, if you're heading into a gun fight, a rifle and plate carrier are very much the better choices.  Most people that wear armor are in classes or combat; few understand  how draining it can be to wear all day.  Even post SHTF, wearing a plate carrier 24/7 isn't practical, it requires good fitness, a competent risk assessment and threat-escalation decision matrix on when to decide wearing it, which gets me back to training.  A lot of guys have plates/carrier, but few train with them because it sucks, it’s heavy, and it’s bulky.  If you have your other basis covered and feel the need, fine, just don't spend the money and toss them in a closet for a rainy day...that is a wasted investment.  If you don't practice and train with it now, you won't be using it when you need to.

Armor/plates are fine, but I would much prefer an investment in night vision…far more practicality.

ROCK6

right it not effective against green tip a close range.I wonder how it would do at further distance say beyond 100yrd

I've read that M855 can penetrate level III plastic armor at 2400 fps.

What does that translate into? Like 2-3 hundred yards from a 10" barrel?

About 2500 FPS is the breaking point for most poly plates, varying by exact construction. Those RMA IIIA+ plates will likely have an even lower threshold for failure.

If you have a rifle and handgun for defense against people in SHTF,you should probably assume they may shoot back. Armor is that kind of important.

AR15 and 10 mags with a decent amount of ammunition
Dependable handgun 5 mags
Armor and load bearing equipment
NVGs
IFAK and training
Dependable communication
Physical fitness

If you don't have these but you have 20 AR15s and 200 mags your priorities are out of wack.

The RMA SRT 'IIIA+' is not going to be effective against M855 at any practical distance.

5.7x28 SS190 steel tip AP @ 2190fps was able to penetrate it at in Buffman's testing, and the tip of the SS190 was able to penetrate 1910fps.

M855 0.34 G1 @ 2950fps from a 16" = 1900fps @ 375yds.

So for all intents and purposes, it should be treated as not stopping M855.

As previously stated, to get the ultra lightweight, thin, and affordable nature of the SRT plate, you forgo M855 protection. Whether thats worth it is up to the user to decide.

To stop M855 you will need either heavier, or more expensive + thicker, plates.

Get something that will stop BOTH 193 AND 855.

Considering most members would probably stroke out if they had to run a mile, it's far more practical than doing cardio.   At least if the boogaloo comes the can serve you can use their body as a makeshift berm.

If you can't run fast and you're not wearing armor then I do not know what you are thinking. If you're already moving slow anyways, might as well increase your odds of getting there in one piece.

Physical fitness- stroke/heart attack seems more likely than zombies
IFAK and training- way more ways to die than shoot outs. tiny infections killed more people in the history of the world than I believe anything else, and still kills more world wide than wars or anything else. don't die from a septic splinter
Dependable handgun 5 mags- I CC 100% of the time I'm in the world. I've carried a rifle for emergencies/issues (not hunting) for about 30 mniutes lifetime.
AR15 and 10 mags with a decent amount of ammunition-yup makes sense, but a pistol in the belt beats a rifle home in the safe
Armor and load bearing equipment
NVGs- I finally got some. still learning, but I see it being a huge advantage in limited situations. A weapon mounted light of high quality makes sense in like 98% of the situations I can imagine.

I'm not 100% where I fall on comms. I don't have a group, just a small family. So I got nobody to talk to in an emergency.

I have radios and alternate stuff, just not into hamm or any of those fancy walkie talkies. need that.

I am starting off with a SyOnyx aurora digital camera set up. I have some time behind really good PVS 14s and for my needs, this hits it at 10% of the price. Especially once you add IR. I'm pretty urban, it's never fully dark. I'm figuring out helmet mounting but it's nice that i can use IR that typical cascade systems can't pick up. It's not as good in really really dark as the gen 3 was. However, in anything with the least bit of back ground lights (even moon) it's fine. and it was the difference between having something and not having something. I'm not able to drop $3k+ on a good set up that will get used maybe 1x a year. But this camera has been out every night since I bought it. Actually helped a neighbor find a loose dog the very first night it was here! It had bolted and I could see it in the foliage without issue and without scaring it off.

I finally goy my Hesco 3810’s.....wow, they are light...3.8lbs each.  Now when I pick up my carrier with 7lb plates I just shake my head.

Armor is nice.  Not getting shot at is even nicer.  In a SHTF even a .22LR to an arm or leg would probably eventually kill you once infection set in.  My plan is to be more risk-averse than an insurance company executive.

Why not both? Be risk averse and wear armor. Kind of goes hand in hand imo

I agree with the sentiment, but would also hazard to guess that there are a lot of people who have been shot that had no idea they were even a target until some point after impact.  If a person can afford it, why not use it where you can to help hedge your bets?

In order of importance....

Pistol, pistol training, rifle, rifle training, medical, medical training, armor..... then train train train.

Stay away from the steel plates in my opinion.... you can get lighter and better for slightly more money.

Just my .02

Apparently, you all are making it take longer for my order to come.... Last plate we purchased came in two days... Now its going to take two weeks from Tactical Scorpion Gear....

Im almost 100% sure Im going to pick up a set of Hesco L210 plates.  The only thing holding me back is what size as with most things in life, I fall between sizes perfectly

The 10x12 is going to give you the widest range of carriers that will fit it. Unless you're under about 5,7 that's what I would go with personally.

One thing you're going to run into is virtually all commercial carriers are made for plates that are around 1 inch thick, so having those at under .6 inches thick is going to leave lots of room. You'll definitely need some kind of foam or something to take up that extra space. They're also more of a swimmers cut, and most carriers are designed for a shooters cut, so it might want to shift around in there more if it's not tight.

I'm certainly no expert mind you, but that's the biggest challenge I've run into personally is finding a good carrier for any given plate that's a snug fit. That's why in the end I'm just going with used sapi plates because virtually every high quality carrier on the market seems to be made specifically for them.

Im 5'8" with a short torso

Yeah I was looking for PC for 8x10 plates and options are seriously limited.

8x10 nominal would be somewhere between extra small and small sapi. I'm guessing they made those with female police officers in mind, so probably intended for someone more like 5,4 to 5,6.

10x12 nominal is 9.5x11.5, which is the same width as a medium sapi, and approximately the same height. Most carriers made for medium sapi plates will also fit 10x12 nominal, so if you have 10x12 plates the vast majority of carriers will fit them. Makes it super convenient for us average sized guys.

Yeah, I made some templates of each size just not and 10x12 seemed to cover everything that needed covered while the smaller size really lacked in protection for vital areas.

RMA Defense.  Made here.  Their videos speak for themselves.  Their best LVIV plates are 4.3lbs.  Less then 15lbs w carrier.

https://rmadefense.com/product/level-iv-banshee-elite-2-0-system-w-model-1199-plates/

LD

@ROCK6

Fantastic points made here in your post. I'd have to say, have been very reluctant to consider armor due to all mentioned above. In speculating it would more than likely collect dust at my AO. Saving it for a "rainy day" is not so feasible if a guy doesn't wear it as a second skin training that is most excellent points taken on the body armor discussion.

So here are my 2 cents.  I was just like OP trying to sort everything out.  I ended up buying a banshee plate carrier with AR500 plates.  I then started to save money for some ceramic level IV multi curve plates.  Real nice but pricey.  Once I got those in my hand, I kept my steel plates and used those for classes and for physical training as they were much heavier but also didn't have the concern of being damaged.  Ceramic plates can be damaged or crack when in rough use.  This can lead to degradation of their stopping ability over time.  Military personnel never worry about this cause all they have to do is go to supply and swap out for some new ones.  Civilians don't have that luxury.  Just something to think about.

I've concluded that milspec ceramic plates are quite a bit tougher than most people give them credit for. I've also seen passed inspection stickers (meaning they were x rayed and put back in circulation) on some really old plates with lots of wear on the cover. I have a set of ESAPI side plates from 2007 that passed inspection in 2019.

For weight to protection level you cannot beat ceramic. I've done a mountain of research, and I think SAPI plates, despite their age, are still about as good as it gets, especially for the price.

It's worth spending the money for lighter plates.
It's worth it to think through what your needs are and spend the money on a decent plate carrier setup. Then train with it, because you won't learn any other way

If you have all other bases covered they’re a nice to have

1. What kind of shape are you in? They’re heavy.  Seriously heavy over time and when combined with other gear.

2. When do you forecast needing it?  Home invasion- no time.  TEOTWAWKI- too heavy for 95% of people out there and probably not worth the calorie / utility trade off.  SHTF- maybe?

3. Like anything if you don’t practice with it it won’t help you.  And practicing in armor is hard.

I believe it's practical. I just purchased the last plates I need to cover my family. Setup is eagle low visibility armor carrier. I can choose to wear iii a or add the iii+ PE. My vests required the SAPI cut vs the AR500 cuts. There is a difference.

Everything we get, is in fact insurance. Armor is part of the life insurance policy.

I was lucky to get all my armor shopping done with Highcom before they stopped selling directly to individuals.

I have a Level 4 ceramic set up in a plate carrier with 8x10 front and back and 6x6 poly side plates from skd's 2015 group buy.

Plus a lighterweight minimalist set up with a smaller minimalist carrier with pocket mags slick front ar1000 level 3+ 8x10 plates front and back

I also put together an ultra lightweight rig out of a Condor chest rig, top bib and a Level 3a 10x12 kevlar plate.