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Body armor recommendations

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  • jordanmills

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Sep 29, 2009
    5,371
    96
    Pearland, TX
    Veterans Manufacturing makes the best plates. IMO they are the standard. I have a set of Level IV in my P.I.G. plate carrier. Paid about $400 for the set. It's the only manufacturer I recommend for plates. I participated in more than one of their product demonstrations when I sold guns and related products. AMAZING PRODUCT AND GREAT SERVICE.

    https://vetsmfg.com/
    nice first post
    Lynx Defense
     

    HKaltwasser

    Well-Known
    Rating - 100%
    8   0   0
    I just wanted to pass this on to anyone wanting armor.
    I have steel and ceramic plates but decided to get some Level 3+ PE that defeats m855 green tip and only weighs 4.6 lbs. My current ceramic level 4 is around 8lbs.

    Went with a slim concealable Chase Tactical plate carrier over the JPC.

    I just used it 2 days ago so it's good, but like everyone else, they're 40+ days out. 100% American made.

    !

    Tactical Scorpion Gear 15% off coupon code: thegunpenguin
     

    Asymmetrical

    The harmony of the Pen and the Sword
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 13, 2018
    57
    11
    Texas
    if you want to play around with this stuff, AR500 and similar types of armor will do, but if you have any thoughts of using it in a serious way, I would suggest delaying gratification, saving up a good chunk of money and then selecting the highest quality, lightest weight gear you can realistically afford. The old "buy once, cry once" saying applies here.
    I went with a set of Tencate 2000SA Special Threat plates in a Ferro Slickster a few years ago for a contract in Afghanistan, and I was very pleased with this setup.
    It wears comfortably even on the longest days, I can strip it down to wear under a shirt or scale it up to an assault carrier. I wore this setup for two straight years without a single issue or problem, and it was more comfortable than the issued Mayflower LEPC setups by an order of magnitude. I followed the lead of the experienced hands on my team, watching what they did, what they wore and how they wore it.
    There's no good reason to carry a bunch of extra weight if you don't really need it. MOLLE real estate is nice, but if you're not using all of it, why buy a carrier covered in it? that's just extra weight and snag points you don't need.
    Minimalist is the way to go, especially if you're attempting to go "grey man" in any sense of the phrase. A big, bulky assault carrier with huge cumbersome plates that weight a ton, coupled with a ton of MOLLE loops will print, snag weigh you down and generally ruin your life for the time you have to wear it.
    A low-profile, lightweight and versatile carrier will be infinitely scalable and suitable for any mission profile that calls for you to roll heavy, but it can be scaled down to go grey anytime you need that capability.
    Take the time to examine what you will be doing, what your armor setup needs to make that happen, and tailor it to that, without so much in the way of frills and extras.
     

    Jarhead0093

    Member
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Apr 26, 2021
    51
    11
    Justin, TX
    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?

    Get the lightest plates, that stop the threat you’re concerned with, that fit your budget.

    For a plate carrier, I’ve run a few but my personal recommendation would be the Crye JPC 2.0.
     

    Darkpriest667

    Actually Attends
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Jan 13, 2017
    4,489
    96
    Jarrell TX, United States
    if you want to play around with this stuff, AR500 and similar types of armor will do, but if you have any thoughts of using it in a serious way, I would suggest delaying gratification, saving up a good chunk of money and then selecting the highest quality, lightest weight gear you can realistically afford. The old "buy once, cry once" saying applies here.
    I went with a set of Tencate 2000SA Special Threat plates in a Ferro Slickster a few years ago for a contract in Afghanistan, and I was very pleased with this setup.
    It wears comfortably even on the longest days, I can strip it down to wear under a shirt or scale it up to an assault carrier. I wore this setup for two straight years without a single issue or problem, and it was more comfortable than the issued Mayflower LEPC setups by an order of magnitude. I followed the lead of the experienced hands on my team, watching what they did, what they wore and how they wore it.
    There's no good reason to carry a bunch of extra weight if you don't really need it. MOLLE real estate is nice, but if you're not using all of it, why buy a carrier covered in it? that's just extra weight and snag points you don't need.
    Minimalist is the way to go, especially if you're attempting to go "grey man" in any sense of the phrase. A big, bulky assault carrier with huge cumbersome plates that weight a ton, coupled with a ton of MOLLE loops will print, snag weigh you down and generally ruin your life for the time you have to wear it.
    A low-profile, lightweight and versatile carrier will be infinitely scalable and suitable for any mission profile that calls for you to roll heavy, but it can be scaled down to go grey anytime you need that capability.
    Take the time to examine what you will be doing, what your armor setup needs to make that happen, and tailor it to that, without so much in the way of frills and extras.

    I've said this for years and people don't listen. WEIGHT MATTERS.
     

    HKaltwasser

    Well-Known
    Rating - 100%
    8   0   0
    I went from AR500 to Level IV, to level 3+ that defeats M855A1 @ 4.5lbs. The difference in mobility is night and day. I dropped half the weight from the AR500 and quite a bit from the level 4. Much more swift and not so sluggish when moving. Level 3+ or special threats plates are where it's at IMO.

    Slim, being able to shoulder your rifle comfortably(thin straps), durability and comfort.
     

    Asymmetrical

    The harmony of the Pen and the Sword
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 13, 2018
    57
    11
    Texas
    I went from AR500 to Level IV, to level 3+ that defeats M855A1 @ 4.5lbs. The difference in mobility is night and day. I dropped half the weight from the AR500 and quite a bit from the level 4. Much more swift and not so sluggish when moving. Level 3+ or special threats plates are where it's at IMO.

    Slim, being able to shoulder your rifle comfortably(thin straps), durability and comfort.

    That last is worth repeating a whole buncha times! Those thicc ass LVL 4s and megachonk steel plates make shouldering a weapon real hard in a lot of situations, and if they're not properly sized, they'll make your life miserable getting in and out of a vehicle.

    Case in point, my first set of issued plates was a chonky set of LVL 4s that weighed in around 12 pounds apiece, and they were Large Shooter's Cut, so whenever I had to get in and out of my vehicle, the top of my plate ended up throat punching me every time.

    I got tired of that noise real quick and found a nice set of Medium SAPI cut Tencate 2000SAs used for a good deal, and once I started wearing those, life was gravy.
     

    Asymmetrical

    The harmony of the Pen and the Sword
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 13, 2018
    57
    11
    Texas
    I've said this for years and people don't listen. WEIGHT MATTERS.

    Exactly! Why carry twice the amount of weight if you can delay gratification, save up over time and buy the real deal armor that is engineered way better than the bargain basement stuff?

    A couple of the guys on my team asked me why I spent so much on my gear when gear was provided, and I said how much is your life worth? Do you trust issued plates that may have been dropped or that were improperly stored, not maintained, or tested for integrity? I sure as hell don't, and besides, why roll around with twice the weight and bulk if you can spend a little coin to be comfortable AND better equipped to do the mission?

    Bottom line, take a hard, objective look at the use to which you will most likely put your gear setup, and deliberately tailor it to match. Keep it minimalist, keep it light and keep it quality and you can't hardly go wrong.
     
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