[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Interceptor Body Armor (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 8/7/2007 2:31:17 PM EDT
| So I know a guy who is in the Marines and has what he said is an "extra" Interceptor body armor. I don't really remember how he had acquired it. Here's where it gets iffy: he is trying trade the Interceptor with me for something I have (thats only worth about $300 or so). From what I've seen, the vest looks like it's in pretty good condition, possibly new. How legally legit do you think this guy is? I'd love to have the vest, but I'm definitely not willing to risk doing anything outside of any legal boundaries that may exist. Any thoughts? |
He's telling you that if you want plates, he'll rip them off from someone or from supply. |
IBA will protect you from the first bullet, possible the second and third Bullet too, after that the plates are compromised. There are better Body Armors out there, Dragonskin for example. As for example being cited, no I can't, but there is a reason there is a huge controvery going on right now between what is better for our soldiers |
I'm admittedly somewhat ignorant on all the history/controversy over Dragon Skin, but didn't it have some issues? I seem to recall hearing about it failing Army trials, or having adhesive issues, or something like that. |
yah There was some problem with a adhesive that was used to hold the plate together, supposedly it has been fixed. The vests were coming apart after being repeatedly hit in -60 and 160 degree F temperatures |
Uh, I believe it is... Might not be under the same name... Anyone know for sure? John |
They blew their chance at providing armor to the military when they refused to provide samples for testing by the Army, hence the reason that Dragonskin is specifically prohibitted for use by members of the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. |
It is. Bulletproofme.com had a sale on it last month. |
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BulletProofMe.com Had IBA with throat, shoulder and groin protector discounted last month for the sub $500 price I think. |
No I have had family and friends die in Iraq, though it wasn't due to failure in IBA, IED's can be a bitch, and after college I play on joining myself, not trying to be a "internet" commando, just telling you all what I have heard. |
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA Dragonskin is only cool if you believe the dipshit host of Future Weapons and their bs testing footage. Dragonskin refused to give samples to the DoD for testing, which is not good. Hence the reason the DoD said FUCK YOU> |
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No offense, but I think you have met the definition. 
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Opps then 
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I've had good friends serve in the sand boxes and all I've heard about the stuff has been good. No, not good. Great. There is nothing faulty about IBA unless you're listening to that snake oil salesman pushing his Dragonskin by bad mouthing a good product. BTW, do you know how much a set of Dragonskin weighs? John |
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The IBA is the best thing we have; I've been in the field and i can attest to the effectiveness of the IBA. As for DragonSkin; it might be superior to the IBA, but only in controlled conditions; field testing done by the Army showed tha the DS is not up to standard. As for your buddy trading his extra IBA; as with most body armor in the field; soldiers and Marines sometimes get double issue and some of it is not in the books, so it "disappears" (kinda like the thousands of AKs and pistols that the Army can't seem to account for). Most of it is tagged as "field loss" and it simply vanishes; only to reappear on eBay; Hell; I have an extra MICH helmet that was issued to me through RFI; when I got out of the unit, I brought the RFI stuff to turn it in with the rest of my TA-50 and they told me that they did not know if they stuff was returnable (basically telling me to "keep" the RFI stuff); contacted the unit and nothing. Now I have a duffel bag full of new gear that was issued to me and I have no use for it. No, don't ask for it; I am not selling it.  |
You stated that the IBA "sucks the big one" and that "too many soldiers have died because that crap is faulty" In all my time in the military, I've never heard of even one soldier dying because of a faulty IBA. I can think of at least one whose torso inside of his IBA was the only thing intact after an IED blast. Having worn the PASGT vest and the IBA, I can say this. The IBA/SAPI combo is a Godsend. There are multiple soldiers and Marines alive today who would have died if they had not been wearing it. In the future, you may find it helpful to restrict your comments to subjects that you have real knowledge about if you expect not to be called on your info. |
This guy has a point ! I wish you guys would get off that other posters back and explain this situation . If you guys no so much about the stuff ,then explain weather or not this stuff from that source is legal. I've seen several people with Intercepters that were in tan and olive drab,and they swear they are completely legal to own . I'd like to have a little more relevant information from anyone that has it . I know this is ARFCom and the tradition seems to be that many sit around here waiting to shit on someone about something or other by proving someone else wrong. That's what really pisses me off about this site. Instead of doing that ,how about some of you try helping out the rest of the community by informing us a little ? If you feel the need to prove your pecker is bigger then someone else's then get out of your armchair and go pick a fight with a street bum somewhere !
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I fought a street bum once, kicked his ass good 
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Lmfao Are you serious? Thats not the "IBA being faulty"....anything is going to weaken when you shoot it multiple times from a high-powered rifle. Are you fucking serious?  Its obvious you have no clue what you're talking about. The ONLY reason anything is being said about "whats better for our troops" was the lack of side armor to prevent side shots. The 75 or so Marines they autopsied, they figured probably 45 would have lived if they had side armor on them. So what do we have now? Gay ass 18# worth of extra side armor plating. Lack of side armor plating is not "IBA being faulty".
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Pics or it didn't happen ! |
read here |
Probably how it was obtained. You can't buy it from Uncle Sam, and it would be theft of .gov property if one were to obtain such a vest without it being issued. I don't know anything about the legality of IBA's on the commercial market, but there is probably some sort of subtle difference between what is available commercially and the actual .mil issue item, most likely different markings. If the armor in question has US Govt property markings, then it's probably not something you should buy, because of the possibility that it is stolen property. Perhaps one of us is going to have to ask the folks at bulletproofme where they get their IBA's from. |
OK so i guess that right there makes moot the fact that there are no "Government Property" markings on the vest. How is it that other websites can advertise the IBA for sale to civies, too? I was starting to get my hopes up. |
Except the person who was conducting the tests has ties and associations with Pinnacle's main competitor: Interceptor. What do you think is going to happen if Toyota had to get their cars approved by Ford before they could be sold? There are a lot of erroneous data with the original testing done. Namely the fact that the DoD won't disclose the actual testing parameters as they have been classified as top secret. Regardless of that, Aberdeen Test Center conducted another test on July 11th last month. Here is the Defense Review's article on it.
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the interceptor most certainly IS sold to civillians. there have also been more than a few sold out on the surplus market. they are out there. that said, NOBODY in the .mil has an "extra" laying around unaccounted for. there have been many instances of CID showing up at peoples house to reclaim stolen body armor. i'd run like hell from that one. |
you aren't bald and host a show on the military channell by any chance? don't believe the hype, DS is NOT the end all be all of body armor. the weight alone makes it almost useless for ground infantry. |
I could see the .mil closing the case on (if this were true) a body armor being better designed and standing up to much harsher conditions than the IBA. The .mil isnt going to want to let it out that they bought hundreds of thousands of body armor that "isnt the best" in the peoples eyes. |
Even so, that does not cover the diesel fuel issue, a VERY serious one. Having led a platoon of mechanics in Afghanistan, every one of us, even me, by 3 months in had IBA that was exposed to diesel in one form or another, and washing/degreasing the outer shells was a monthly routine. Plates that break down after exposure to something as simple and common as diesel? No way. |
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My unit came back from Afghanistan with a bunch of 3-color desert IBAs. They were intended to be given to the terps, but we had extras. Since they were not Marine Corps issue, CIF didn't want them, and neither did battalion supply, so the supply guys ended up giving them away. I guess they are technically "stolen property", but they don't really belong to anyone. |
Is Diesel Fuel immersion part of the ESAPI FAT testing? I don't think so. The first time the Dragonskin was tested it was supposedly there for FAT testing. But all sorts of non-standardized testing occurred on it. But it IS a valid concern. I just want to say I am not for/against Dragonskin / IBA. However after reading documentation and accounts of the original testing and the letters submitted subsequently and watching videos and now Auberdeen's testing lead me to believe there is a credible direct conflict of interest in the DoD testing of a competing product. Which if one knows their history is VERY common in the DoD procurement process. |
It is all about costs vs. effect. How much does a dragon skin vest cost vs. an IBA? I think for the price you can't beat an IBA. It works. Proven. Period. I've seen photos here of the shoulder strap stopping a 7.62 x 54 round (or was it calguns?) either way its battle proven which means a heck of a lot more than a drawing board and numbers on a piece of paper to me. |
I'm talking about nowadays. The .mil isnt going to want to see a better, cheaper version of body armor come out and would do anything in their power to suppress it. 
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Well I guess since everyone's arguing over which system is better than which, I have to ask what are the differences between the Interceptor (being able to defeat up to 9mm without the SAPI plates) and some $350 Level IIIA soft body armor I might find on eBay? I'm pretty much gonna have to say "bye bye" to this IBA, but are the eBay ones basically a crapshoot? |
Better AND cheaper would be a PEO Soldier wet dream. |
Its not the actual carrier that makes the IBA so good, its the plates. The IBA itself is just a kevlar vest with plate inserts. The steel/ceramic plates are what keep you alive that go inside the vest. |
Better. PB's IBA is tested only to 9mm IIIa standards. NIJ IIIa standards include .44 mag. Bulletproofme's IBA, for instance, is rated at NIJ IIIa. Does this mean that a PB IBA won't stop 44 mag? It probably would, but it isn't tested for that threat. |
You're telling us IBA's are crap and then recomending Dragon Skin? How many lives has the IBA saved? How many has Dragon Skin? Body armor is not the end all, people will die wearing it, but how many of those deaths are from vest failure? The IBA is battle tested and it works well, DS faired poorly in testing and hasn't been issued in a combat zone. I'll stick with my IBA. To the OP: I'd be cautious of .mil selling "Like New" anything (esp an IBA) that's Government Issue. The odds are too high that it came into their possession through other than proper channels. |