ballistic protection question

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Originally Posted by GunsRBadMMMMKay

That is what they usually issue to prison guards, is it not?

My experience with armor....it is extremely hot, uncomfortable, and a little on the side of bulky/heavy. Soft armor is lighter, but only stops "most" pistol rounds, while plate armor is even more bulky and heavy and only stops a few direct hits from rifles before it's soft armor.

Do I own...maybe. Would I wear it if necessary - certainly. Do I wear it every day "just in case"....hell no. Definitely agree that it is better to have and not need, but unless your job requires you to wear it every day I wouldn't.

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i agree but im not really talking about wearing it daily at all. but with complete armor available even on ebay, to stop up to 7.62, and complete with military helmets, neck protection, arm protection etc, i was just curious who has some and why, and if they don't, why not. like i said, it seems to me like something that although expensive could be invaluable to have sometime down the road. who knows. but with that thinking, we could all buy apc's too (which i do want funny enough, but can probably never afford). obviously there is a level of preparadness and we all draw the line somewhere different so its interesting to hear people out on their thoughts and beliefs.

Several sets of level IIIA wraparound, level IV plates in carriers, helmets, you name it...but then again, we work on ranges & in shoothouses for a living.

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Originally Posted by tmckay2

i agree but im not really talking about wearing it daily at all. but with complete armor available even on ebay, to stop up to 7.62, and complete with military helmets, neck protection, arm protection etc, i was just curious who has some and why, and if they don't, why not. like i said, it seems to me like something that although expensive could be invaluable to have sometime down the road. who knows. but with that thinking, we could all buy apc's too (which i do want funny enough, but can probably never afford). obviously there is a level of preparadness and we all draw the line somewhere different so its interesting to hear people out on their thoughts and beliefs.

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I would love to have an APC too - nothing wrong with that [Beer]

IDK if I would trust the ceramic plates off ebay....just saying.

I've got an old flak jacket and a k-pot...just cool to have around, I don't think I'll really ever need it.

The only armor I would ever wear would be IIIA ballistic ESAPI protection... it's enough to stop rifle rounds, and guess what, carrier with plates cost way too much to justify- I'd rather spend the money on an H&K MP5. LE I can understand, private security I can understand, but the common person, unless you're going around looking for trouble, you shouldn't need it. At the range your standard kevlar vest won't do diddly if the irresponsible person next to you is shooting a .223 or 7.62 rifle.

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Originally Posted by Ronin13

The only armor I would ever wear would be IIIA ballistic ESAPI protection... it's enough to stop rifle rounds, and guess what, carrier with plates cost way too much to justify-
ummm....the ESAPI you are referring to are level IV plates, not level IIIA.
Plate Carrier: $170 new
2 Level IV Plates: $1000

I'd rather spend the money on an H&K MP5.
MP5: Starting at $1800 post 86, $5K pre 86.

LE I can understand, private security I can understand, but the common person, unless you're going around looking for trouble, you shouldn't need it.
Agreed

At the range your standard kevlar vest won't do diddly if the irresponsible person next to you is shooting a .223 or 7.62 rifle.

Level IIIA does. read here

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My mistake on the III and IV difference... long weekend.
I know about IIIA, but I'm talking about mom and pop purchased kevlar vests designed for .357mag and lower caliber (standard police issue standards back in the 90's).
And on the MP5 thing, I wasn't saying they're comparable prices, I was stating for how much a full armor system costs (DoD standards) that money would be better spent toward something I actually want, not something that I probably would never actually use.

There are no published "DoD standards" on armor. The amount each service menber is required to wear is determined by their unit & METT-TC guided. ie...the normal fobbit will have to wear full vest, groin, neck, etc...just to go to the chow hall where the standard grunt may only have to wear a vest & plates and SOCOM can wear what they want (usually just plates, no need to wear level IIIA & level IV together).

Has anyone seen the vietnam era rifle rated armor? Literally looks like a turtle shell, made out of steel lol. (I think it was vietnam era - that is what I was told when I seen some being sold as a collectible once....)

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Originally Posted by coloccw

There are no published "DoD standards" on armor. The amount each service menber is required to wear is determined by their unit & METT-TC guided. ie...the normal fobbit will have to wear full vest, groin, neck, etc...just to go to the chow hall where the standard grunt may only have to wear a vest & plates and SOCOM can wear what they want (usually just plates, no need to wear level IIIA & level IV together).

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I'm talking about full system- what the DOD states is issued body armor gear... coloccw you keep retorting out of context, WTF? I'm full aware that unit guidelines dictate the level or armor SMs wear, I helped write it for our PSD team (with CSM approval). I'm more speaking in tune to the IOTV system with 4 ESAPI plates, the cost alone (well what .gov pays) would buy much nicer offensive gear- ie Guns.