Body Armor options - protect yourself!

[Peahi2]

In light of the legislation being pushed, AB 92 and AB 301, what body armor options are you considering to protect yourself? There goes the armor for kids backpacks and people who want it for their school and work bags lol. One fear I have is of the "big one" and the following period of lawlessness. I was in college with the big 6.9 quake in the bay area in '89. I remember having no power at college for a few days. Eating cold cuts in the cafeteria for a couple of days was no fun. But the benefit was no class, and people putting their couches out on the lawns at their house and partying it up.

Anyhows, we already have regular assaults, car jackings, smash and grabs, home invasions, murders, and looting on a daily basis...easy enough to see on the nightly news. I hate to think of what it would be like after a natural disaster. I could easily see that going out to the store or gas station could be death defying, possibly facing the risk of being bonked on the head with a baseball bat or worse while you are out. Even worse is people trying to get into your home, with no police around, and possibly no cell service and power. You know the looters are gonna be at best buy, costco, the mall, etc. right off the bat..its a given...but what about when they turn to the next easy opportunity, defenseless homes and other dwellings.

I'm thinking I would want some body armor that stops green tip ammo...since that would be the worst common ammo to face on the street. (Hell green tip 556 is bulk ammo! Its nothing special and isn't the most accurate to shoot at the range) Granted handgun ammo would be the most common of course. There is a dizzying array of plates, soft armor, and plate carriers out there. I know that that type of ammo is gonna cost a pretty penny if I don't want to be lugging anything other than steel plates.

[OCEquestrian]

In light of the legislation being pushed, AB 92 and AB 301, what body armor options are you considering to protect yourself? There goes the armor for kids backpacks and people who want it for their school and work bags lol. One fear I have is of the "big one" and the following period of lawlessness. I was in college with the big 6.9 quake in the bay area in '89. I remember having no power at college for a few days. Eating cold cuts in the cafeteria for a couple of days was no fun. But the benefit was no class, and people putting their couches out on the lawns at their house and partying it up.

Anyhows, we already have regular assaults, car jackings, smash and grabs, home invasions, murders, and looting on a daily basis...easy enough to see on the nightly news. I hate to think of what it would be like after a natural disaster. I could easily see that going out to the store or gas station could be death defying, possibly facing the risk of being bonked on the head with a baseball bat or worse while you are out. Even worse is people trying to get into your home, with no police around, and possibly no cell service and power. You know the looters are gonna be at best buy, costco, the mall, etc. right off the bat..its a given...but what about when they turn to the next easy opportunity, defenseless homes and other dwellings.

I'm thinking I would want some body armor that stops green tip ammo...since that would be the worst common ammo to face on the street. (Hell green tip 556 is bulk ammo! Its nothing special and isn't the most accurate to shoot at the range) Granted handgun ammo would be the most common of course. There is a dizzying array of plates, soft armor, and plate carriers out there. I know that that type of ammo is gonna cost a pretty penny if I don't want to be lugging anything other than steel plates.

You want rifle plates then because plates are the ONLY thing readily available that will stop rifle rounds...

Read this thread and you will learn everything you wanted to know and a lot you didn't think you needed to know about body armor: https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/...d.php?t=498169

[sigstroker]

Level 3+ stops M855. Level 4 will also, obv.

[twinfin]

Consider a two-step approach. Level IIIA soft body armor for elevated but lower level threat (pistol) scenarios. Its concealability allows you move about without drawing attention to yourself. The second step would be a plate in a carrier that you can throw on over your IIIA soft vest for maximum protection in a high risk setting (rifle) at the expense of comfort and concealability.

Take a look at "special threat" plates like the Hesco L210. It covers a range of common 5.56 and 7.62 ammo but not some of the high power calibers. The tradeoff is that you get a lighter weight plate that would be less fatiguing to wear. If you want more out of hard armor, go for what you think covers the scenario you anticipate.

This topic is sort of like the "what backup generator should I get?" threads. It comes down to what you want to spend, what you want to achieve and what you expect the threat environment to be like for you. Everybody will have unique circumstances.

I took the two-step approach.

[Peahi2]

You want rifle plates then because plates are the ONLY thing readily available that will stop rifle rounds...

Read this thread and you will learn everything you wanted to know and a lot you didn't think you needed to know about body armor: https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/...d.php?t=498169

I have been looking at the tail end of that thread...Buffman's videos on youtube have been every informative. The man is thorough and he doesn't cut corners on his videos.

[OCEquestrian]

I have been looking at the tail end of that thread...Buffman's videos on youtube have been every informative. The man is thorough and he doesn't cut corners on his videos.

I have three basic set ups...

1) level 2a concealable armor to be worn on the DL under regular clothes / suit that will stop handgun rounds and has a light weight titanium trauma strike plate built in.

2) Lo-Vis military military issue armor carrier for BALCS or SPEAR cut Level IIIa soft armor panels and standard issue SAPI rifle plates. I can use it with just the soft IIIa inserts when faced with a likely handgun only training or threat environment and it will accept SAPI/ESAPI rifle plates if the situation calls for it.

3) Std full battle rattle tactical armorer carrier that accepts my IIIa soft inserts and my plates. Useful in unknown threat environment.




What armor and carrier you get will depend on the scenario you are preparing for. No one set up will do everything which is why I have three. As for plates, if you are only going to have one set, get get level IV plates; Ceramic, Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE)/Ceramic composite or if you go with level III plates the UHMWPE plates will work and are much lighter than ceramic plates.

DO NOT get steel plates.

[Tere_Hanges]

Medium or 10x12 level 4 plates for .30cal AP.

10x12 L210 "special threat" plates for M855 green tip.

L210s are probably enough to stop the punks with AR and AK pistols but they wont stop the fudd with a bolt action hunting rifle. You need level 4 plates to stop .3006 and up.

If you buy one set of plates get ceramic multicurve preferably SAPI cut. Those will be the most comfortable and concealable. Single curve plates are really uncomfortable and stick out.

[NapalmCheese]

L210s are probably enough to stop the punks with AR and AK pistols but they wont stop the fudd with a bolt action hunting rifle. You need level 4 plates to stop .3006 and up.

I won't tell anyone want to buy, but I will say this: If you're wearing overt (rather than covert) armor, you're a target. If you're defending the US as part of the militia from an invader, or walking your property on some sort of security detail in a post apocalyptic wasteland that used to be your hometown; you're a target.

Now sit back and think how many Big 5s are in your area. Now think of how many 7mm Rem Mag and .30-06 rifles they've sold to people in your community. Now think of how many of those 7mm RM and .30-06 rifles exist tucked away, unlocked, in a closet; just waiting to be stolen from abandoned, recently evacuated, or otherwise easy targets.

IMO, if you're going to have an overt plate carrier for some sort of SHTF event, you might as well have level 4 plates.

[tabascoz28]

Unless you get the newest more expensive level 4s, I have read that ceramics are more fragile and have a 5-10 year "shelf" life. If you plan to run around, shoot and work out with it and possibly drop it, may not last. I think I'm on year 4 already.

I have no experience with ceramics. I bought metal and got the anti spall spray and sleeve. Says it could last 20 years, heavier but cheaper and less bulky.

I actually started out with a pretty concealable carrier only setup, sits underneath a sweatshirt no problem. But at the range, having it below a rig with ammo and pouches suck so I upgraded. A good carrier makes things much easier but stands out. Around the neighborhood I just wear a heavy backpack. It doesn't sit at all like a vest but you won't get looks.

[neouser]

I've been looking at the Safe Life Defense FRAS armor. I'm balking at the price, but it looks like it provides good coverage and it stops rifle rounds. It's the closest thing I could find to the old "Dragonskin" armor.

https://safelifedefense.com/fras-flexible-rifle-armor/

[tomk556]

Nothing anyone has said is incorrect. There are pros and cons. Merits to having concealable armor and a plate carrier. What I would say is to borrow someone’s kit for a weekend. Then see how long you can keep it on before it annoys you and you take it off, then consider if that’s something you want to take into consideration.

[Peahi2]

Thanks for the good discussion folks. I can see a place for soft armor and plates for sure. One thing is for sure though, if the right to purchase in the future is gonna be taken away by Sac, I will buy what I want now. Its a sad state of affairs.

[Regular guy]

You can also wear ceramic up front and soft lvl IIIa in the rear so you can get into and navigate vehicles better if on the move.

[enorbit3]

hesco L210's are a solid and affordable choice

[Peahi2]

I ended up ordering some RMA RF2 plates, III+ & multi curve. For a carrier, I wanted something lightweight and got a crye JPC 2.