I want to buy one to use for CQB home defense. Figure I can throw a mag or two for my rifle on it and throw it on. More and more armed home invasions in my area. Three guys broke in and shot a guy to death last week. Wouldnt hurt to have one for civil unrest. Whats the difference between systems? Did USGI ever have a IIIA? Which set up is the quickest to put on?

Interceptor armor is good for 9mm. It is roughly equivalent to level 3A, but will not stop handguns such as 44 magnums. Thats the soft armor. The SAPI plates supposedly will stop three rounds of 7.62.

I thought IIIA Stooped 44 mag? Did they change the materials of the armor since the interceptor came out? Are some IIIA and some II?

I THOUGHT they would hold up to NIJ lvl. III standards. I am not sure, bump for a expert. I would like to know as I run IBA soft armor in a TAG spartan. I like the spartan but really want a Spartan II that will hold side plates. I however am pleased with the Spartan, as it is my first real piece/entry into the tactical gear world. Thanks, LT.

You're definitely not going to just "throw on" an IOTV. I think that you're best bet would be a plate carrier. Smaller, lighter, and, with a decent set of plates, still a good bit of protection.

 

Well let's see. My IOTV reads:

 

Curiosity are they rated to stop knives????

no, no soft armor is rated for knives, the plates will though

The next sentence reads:

Best advice is to wear it 24/7.  Except while showering or doing PT.  Speaking of PT, don't forget to wear your PT belt from dusk to dawn and sometimes in between.

Head on down to the local surplus store, pick up a few sand bags and begin to fortify your place.  Always work on enhancing the area.

That's the first thing when I read the OP. Kevlar for "home defense."

Here you go

For your application I would suggest a IBA with plates and molle pouches. quick and easy on/off, relatively inexpensive. IOTV  and CIRAS are both superior kit in terms of comfort but take longer to put on/off and will cost you quite a bit more.

Yes it will.



 

Can you attach the sides and Deltoid protectors ACU from an IOTV onto an interceptor USMC coyote tan carrier? How would they attach?

Does 44 magnum fall under 9mm or lesser threats then? I don't know how your threat scale works, but mine says 44 magnum is on the "9mm or larger threat" side of things. Everything i've looked at says it won't stop that caliber.

So whatever i guess. Put on a set and get your buddy to shoot you with a 44 mag. Make sure and post it on youtube.

Disclaimer: That was a joke and should not be attempted.

I think it goes by velocity as in a 44 mag with a long barrel.

The 230 grain 44 mag load(IIRC is the load used in the NIJ test, unless its changed) is usually easier for soft armor to stop than the higher velocity 9mm load(think its in the 1400fps-something range).

Something to note when comparing different armors is that the ratings systems are all independent of each other.

The NIJ rates armor with their IIA, II, IIIA, III, IV and "special threat" categories.
Only a piece of armor submitted to and evaluated by the NIJ gets one of these ratings.
(The NIJ being the "National Institute of Justice", these vests are typically law enforcement oriented)

The military uses its own system and standards for most (all?) of its armor.
Hence, the Interceptor and other military armor systems do not have an NIJ rating.

The military vests are built to meet the threats specified by the military, these threats and methods of testing do not necessarily line up with what the NIJ does.
Some manufacturers will submit their military vest to the NIJ and get a rating for it, then sell it on the LE market.  Those military vests may have an NIJ rating.  (I want to say that Paraclete did with their quick release vest, but I may be mistaken).

Bulletproofme offers both "mil spec" and "NIJ IIIA" versions of the Interceptor and according to their website, the IIIA version is thicker in order to meet the NIJ spec.

Also remember that the NIJ spec deals with back face deformation.  I am not familiar with the military standards, but to meet the NIJ standards the deformation must be under a limit for each level.
(A level II vest may stop a 44mag, but it might break some ribs and cause major injury even in the event of a stop, the IIIA level limits the deformation to a less injuring degree)

ETA:
When you're looking at rifle plates, check if they are "in conjunction" or "stand alone".
The NIJ will issue "level III in-conjunction" or "level IV in conjunction" ratings for plates.
The "in conjunction" means that the plate meets the NIJ III or IV standard, but _ONLY_ when backed up with IIIA soft armor.

Don't put one of these in a plate carrier.

Buy soft body armor instead.

You have a valid point, everything i've dug up states 1400ish fps for 9mm projectiles. Faster projectiles have a higher probability of passing through the armor. The military ratings and the NIJ tests are different, I don't believe interceptor OTV is NIJ rated however.

The 9mm or lesser threats could be misleading, unless you were referring to a field proven ballistics threat chart as it applies to body armor.

A vest should be much more effective against a slower, bigger round like a .45 than a lighter faster round such as 9mm.

Cue the 1911 guy saying "Why my .45 could shoot straight through a bradley with a light load, you whippersnapper!"



I would say OTV armor without the SAPI plates, (which would usually be the condition you actually found a set) would pretty much be " soft armor".

lots of accurate info...a rarity for GD!

a couple of points:
1.  the 9mm that the OTV stops is at higher subgun velocities

2.  most .45 loads are easily stopped by Level IIA armor

3.  the armor package for the IBA and IOTV is the same (22-26 layers of Kevlar KM2 or equivalent)

Yes, but I imagine that you would sustain quite an injury, even in the event of a stop.
I did some googling, couldn't find any real good backface deformation injury info with soft armor, but I did find this study with some info on backface deformation injury with a .308 and uhmw plates.
http://www.ciop.pl/19593
A quick browse on my part, but it sounded to me like you could expect broken ribs, cracked sternum, "moderate injury" (.308 vs plates).


I've been thinking for a while that, as a civilian, concealable soft armor (with optional plate pockets or carrier over that) would make more sense than an all out tactical vest if you are envisioning a civil unrest scenario.  For a bump in the night, I'd imagine that you'd mainly want something easy and fast to put on.  (I think this would depend more on the particular model of vest than concealable/tactical, but don't quote me on that)