I was looking into getting new body armor. Right now, I have a Second Chance Lev.II it's about two years old.  I was wanting to get a Lev.III vest.

Hey Lawman,
I see your looking for a Level 3 vest....... Hmmm. Well You can always go with classic level 3 hard plates( ceramic or steel),IMHO  though they are heavy and limit the area of protection(depending on the plate) they still do the job. But if you want the vest best and probably most expensive I would get the Pinnacle SOV-1000 or 2000. They are soft body armor (no plates) and are rated Level 3. But they will stop some level 4 rounds. Hope this helps.

[url]http://www.pinnaclearmor.com/new/body_armors.html[/url]

What is Boby Armor?

I think you mean Lvl IIIA armor. Lvl III armor is capable of stopping rifle rounds and requires a steel or ceramic plate like previously suggested.  Lvl IIIA is the high end threat level for concealable soft body armor. Every company that makes soft armor makes this threat level so it won't be hard to find some. The newer fibers make them extremely light and flexible (and a little more expensive).

You can get a Lvl IIIA Point Blank for a large male from Botach Tactical for about $380.
 http://www.botachtactical.com/poinblancona.html

I've been wearing a PACA Lvl II for the past few years and will switch to this one as soon as I have the money. I got a buddy that wears one and he swears by them for comfort. Keep in mind that he works in Texas, climate similar although more humid than Oklahoma.

Whatever you get, wear the damn thing every time you wear your uniform. I'm having a hard time convincing the guys I work with (North Dakota, I migrated from Texas) that they can't choose when they get shot so they shouldn't try to pick and choose when to wear armor.

Check six and get home.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IIIA OR III? YOUR DEPT CARRIES 45 SO WHY THE UPGRADE? I USED TO WEAR
A IIIA AND I STILL HAVE A LEVEL IIIA RAID VEST
BUT FOR DAILY WEAR I WILL STICK WITH MY IIA.
ACCORDING OT RICH DAVIS(OWNER OF2ND CHANCE)
A POLICE OFFICER HAS NEVER BEEN KILLED BY A BULLET PENETRATING A VEST. BELEIVE ME IIIA IS
REALLY HOT, I KNOW HOW THESE OKLA SUMMERS ARE.
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO GO IIIA I WOULD STICK WITH A 2ND CHANCE ZYLON VEST(ULTIMA). IF YOU
COMPARE WEIGHTS PER SQUARE FOOT THEIR IIIA IS
ACTUALLY LIGHTER THAN SOME COMPANIES LEVEL II.
A COMPANY IN AUSTRALIA IS MAKING A VERY GOOD
LOOKING LEVEL IIIA VEST WITH A VERY LIGHT LEVEL III PLATE. IT IS CRAIG INTL. YOU CAN BUY A VEST AND CERAMIC PLATE IN THE 500-600 DOLLAR RANGE
OR ABOUT A HUNDREDMORE FOR THE ULTRALIGHT SPECTRA PLATE. HOPETHIS WILL HELP.  

Sorry, It was a long day! .........LOL

WELL MY EXPERIENCE I WAS WEARING LEVEL IIIA FROM POINTE BLANK WHEN I ENTERED A HOUSE ON HIGH RISK DRUG WARRENT I WAS THE BREACHER I HAD JUST STEPED IN THE DOOR AND TOOK 3 ROUND'S TO THE CHEST FROM AN ILLEGALY MODIFIED AK-47 AT ALMOST POINT BLANK RANGE AND ALL IT DID WAS DENT AND HALF PENETRATE THE TRAUMA PLATE IT DID HOW EVER BREAK 4 RIB'S AND ONE OF THE RIB'S PUNCTURED MY LUNG BUT HEY THAT'S THE NATURE OF THE BEAST YOU TAKE ONE INJURY THAT CAN PROVE TO BE FATAL AND TRADE IT FOR ANOTHER THAT STILL HAS A CHANCE TO BE FATAL.

"REMEMBER IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL YOU HAVE ROUNDS COMING UP RANGE"

I say you buy the best level of protection within your pricerange. Also keep in mind that the higher the level, the heavier and (More importantly) warmer it will be to wear. Stay Safe.

For a comfortable level 3a vest, these two are really nice:

Safariland Zero-G Platinum

American Body Armor X or ZX

Both available at www.swatgear.com

The Second Chance Level IIA is my choice as well. It offers adequate protection and has some options. I like the alternative carrier that you can get for it. If you haven't already seen them, the carrier basically looks like a sleeveless t-shirt. Is is designed to be cool in Summer and warm in Winter. I'll tell you, when wearing that stuff around all day when it's 90 or above and standing on the blistering highway, that's something worth considering. I always say the best vest is the one that you have on. Comfort helps to assure you have it on when needed.

I am currently wearing a PACA vector Z3. This is one of the newer zylon vests. very thin and light. Add the Armor Ice inserts and you are set for the 100 degree Indiana summers.  Well as set as you can be in any vest that is. It is much more comfortable and cool than the two i have had previously. It is level 3A. However i beleive it was fairly pricy. I think sheriff paid about $1200.00 for it, but dont quote me on that. Wear Point Blank Interceptor Level 3 on ERT team.