Posted: 3/29/2010 7:10:27 AM EDT
| I'm looking to put together a response vest for duty. I already have 5.11 large plate carrier and am looking for plate advise. I would prefer level III stand alone. Anyone know of any local people or good deals. So far I found a triple curve titanium alloy for $150 at DSG arms and a steel back plate for 120 at bodyarmor.com. |
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What do you mean by "response vest for duty"?
Steel plates are good for SHTF on the closet floor and that is about it. Most ceramic III plates I have seen are NOT stand alone plates, but many IV ceramic are stand alone. Due to the weight difference, I would tell you to get those. The only other time that steel comes out over ceramic is multiple hits. Steel will take more hits than ceramic as ceramic breaks to absorb engery. So, unless you plan on getting hit a lot, go with the ceramic IV stand alone plates. Your back will also thank you too. |
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Quoted:
I will add that some ceramics are multi hit, and that ceramics tend to have less spall compared to steel. Ceramic will also absorb an angled hit instead of deflecting like steel. Sorry to give the wrong impression about ceramic. They are multiple hits. III is rated to 6 308/7.62 hits and IV is 1 30-06. (It is gray for IV also covering all III, so mult is kind of questioned sometimes, but I would expect it to cover all III "threats"). When I said steel would hold up over multiple hits better, I meant past the 6 hits. Steel does NOT come in IV that is commonly available. (They get past 10-12lbs each for IV and that is pretty heavy for both the front and the back.) I know ceramic is 2x-2.5 the price... but these don't wear out (unless you get shot) like soft armor does from wearing it and over time... so it is a one time buy. Buy what you REALLY want the first time. |
| My understanding is that years ago the dept. was going to fork out money for the vests but our union shot it down beacause the stipulation was that it had to be worn then. Some of the old timers didnt want to be forced into wearing a vest. I'm sure now that it would be impossible with current budgets. I checked out level IIIa soft but didnt really feel it was worth it for the weight and cost ratio vs the difference type of pertection. By far we are looking at 38spl, 9mm, 40, 45, and 357mag all covered by level II. If some guy can put 4-5 rds of 44mag into center mass within seconds then I guess I'm SOL but would be IMO a much rarer event then AK,SKS, AR, deer rifle, slug which is reason for plates. |
| While 2a and 3a will stop similar threats, what you lqack from 2A is less backface deformation. IIRC, it only takes like 18 layers of kevlar to stop a 9mm, but 2A has 24, and 3A ?, the bullet shouldn't penetrate, but what the force does to your body is the difference. If this is something you plan on wearing everyday, and are in a LE line of work (outside of an office), why play around? Think of the added cost of 3A as an investment in yourself. |
On the other hand, there has never been a documented death from pistol backface deformation, and 3A vests are MUCH stiffer and uncomfortable than the same vest in 2A. So I wear a 2A. 
Yes, there was a death from a cop shot with a .45-70. Didn't "penetrate" the vest, but pushed the front panel through the cop (according to the rumor mill...not sure I believe it). |
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There are a few really nice threads in the Tactical Gear forum
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=10&t=310343 there was another really good thread, but I can't seem to find it now. also, try looking at bulletproofme there have been a number of threads on this company, and from what I can tell they do have some nice deals |
| A magazine (Wired, maybe?) recently published a comparison between a few brands of soft armor, and the bulletproofme.com stuff stacked up against the really expensive stuff. As a plus, they sell to anyone where allowed by law, so no elitism under the guise of "liability avoidance." |