Body armor recommendations

[TxKronik]

I was issued a IBA and IOTV in the army.

I looked into AR-500 plates, I like what I saw.

Is there any other brands out there making comparable plates?

Plate carriers, anyone have any recommendations?

My entire department used them good products.

 

[Mohawk600]

Why is that?

I had a hip replacement in December that did not go well and have been out of work for 5 months. I just started working again 2 weeks ago. So......I am broke.

 

[baboon]

So with all this talk of body armor what are y'all doing to protect you heads & groins? Years ago I was doing some hefty bank drops by myself, so I bought a soft vest. I wore it about 8 times for les then 2 hours per. It sucked IMHO. Still have it it & 2 carriers. They have some anti taser shit in the carriers.

 

[cycleguy2300]

So with all this talk of body armor what are y'all doing to protect you heads & groins? Years ago I was doing some hefty bank drops by myself, so I bought a soft vest. I wore it about 8 times for les then 2 hours per. It sucked IMHO. Still have it it & 2 carriers. They have some anti taser shit in the carriers.

I have a milsurp groin protector.

You also have to realize you cannot protect from every threat and lack of mobility will get you killed as fast as anything else. I.e. dont get hung up on deltoid/groin/etc protection. It's nice to have at times, but it will slow you down and wear you out faster...

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[baboon]

I cannot remember who coined the shoot for their groins if they are in body armor. I figure if you fear 7.62 groins & headshot are as big of a threat

 

[EZ-E]

Ive got a helmet but no groin protector.
Hopefully my lower body would be behind some type of cover...or ill be moving for new cover. I guess then i gotta worry about being shot in the ass.

 

[baboon]

A buddy gave me an old PASGT Helmet when I first got night vision. It had the old ratchet strap shroud on it so I figured why not take it. I remember the next morning after wearing for 4-5 hours. My neck, shoulders & upper back killed me. Way hotter & heavier then I liked. I upgraded the suspension with a rather expensive upgrade. Next trip out was only slightly better.

I ended up with a Team Wendy Carbon Exfil helmet.(yeah I know they are as evil as Benchmade) Not sure I would want to run around with plates & a helmet. Depending on what gun I have it & ammo is chore enough if on foot. I have a real nice London Bridge Trading vest I would wear when we went out on foot hunting hogs @ night. My hats off to the GI's toting around a full load out.

 

[BMF500]

I'm curious about these AR500 plates, are they covered in a spawl liner?

Paxcon is the trade name, XS-350 is the name of the in house blend recipe. Same product we sprayed on the interior of all of the exterior walls of the Pentagon for blast mitigation.

 

[BMF500]

You can make your own steel reinforced plates in whatever shape, thickness or configuration you want. They are intermittent layers of Kevlar fabric and plate steel bonded with urethane glue and then encapsulated with the outer layer of polyurethane as final stop for fragmentation and of course aesthetics.

ETA: The boding is only the outer edges of each layer, not the entire surface of each layer so it has flexibility when absorbing rounds/shock.

 

[smittyb]

I had a hip replacement in December that did not go well and have been out of work for 5 months. I just started working again 2 weeks ago. So......I am broke.

Sorry to hear, but when you get a few bucks saved up, keep an eye on
http://www.bulletproofme.com/Bullet_proof_Vests_Catalog.shtml
they get police surplus in quite often.

 

[majormadmax]

A buddy gave me an old PASGT Helmet...

You need to try an ACH.

 

[majormadmax]

PASGT:

ACH:

PASGT helmets were effective but extremely uncomfortable. Wear one for anything more than a half an hour and you'll find yourself constantly trying to adjust it. They also had a bad tendency to slide forward when you leaned over, especially when wearing body armor. Some individuals got rashes from the leather helmet band. The chin straps also had a reputation for coming unbuttoned...

The ACH pad system and clipped adjustable chin strap work much better. About the only downside is that the pads will absorb sweat after a while and will get nasty, but they are washable! The one above has the improved brow pad.

 

[baboon]

PASGT:

View attachment 210747

ACH:

View attachment 210748

PASGT helmets were effective but extremely uncomfortable. Wear one for anything more than a half an hour and you'll find yourself constantly trying to adjust it. They also had a bad tendency to slide forward when you leaned over, especially when wearing body armor. Some individuals got rashes from the leather helmet band. The chin straps also had a reputation for coming unbuttoned...

The ACH pad system and clipped adjustable chin strap work much better. About the only downside is that the pads will absorb sweat after a while and will get nasty, but they are washable! The one above has the improved brow pad.

The upgraded suspension systen I bought is pretty much all those pads seen in a ACH. The helmet is still heavy & hot to wear for my needs. It's just something else I need to sell.

 

[zackmars]

Get ceramics. Look around for level 4 hescos

 

[cycleguy2300]

I cannot remember who coined the shoot for their groins if they are in body armor. I figure if you fear 7.62 groins & headshot are as big of a threat

If you're in a firefight where you are that good of a target, you have bigger problems Hahahaha

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[Mohawk600]

I'm curious about these AR500 plates, are they covered in a spawl liner?

yes

 

[Old_Sarge]

I had a hip replacement in December that did not go well and have been out of work for 5 months. I just started working again 2 weeks ago. So......I am broke.

hang in there, hope it gets better and here is a link to something affordable with plenty of tests on youtube to verify performance, lighter than AR500 too
https://botach.com/battle-steel-level-iv-10x12-ballistic-plates-free-shipping/

 

[Old_Sarge]

I cannot remember who coined the shoot for their groins if they are in body armor. I figure if you fear 7.62 groins & headshot are as big of a threat

 

[baboon]

Actually it was G Gordon Liddy who I first heard it from.

 

[jordanmills]

hang in there, hope it gets better and here is a link to something affordable with plenty of tests on youtube to verify performance, lighter than AR500 too
https://botach.com/battle-steel-level-iv-10x12-ballistic-plates-free-shipping/

View attachment 212197

Good old botach. That's almost tempting.