armor plate carriers

[mecra]

Just an odd question, but do people buy armor plate carriers for their apoc / shtf collections? It's something that I've never really read up on and not even sure if it's legal for a citizen to own the necessary plates. Just curious what others thoughts are on them, if worth getting for your kit, if even legal, etc.

[yuppiejr]

They sell both the carriers and soft plates at Fleet Farm... I assume the reason people have it in their SHTF/Apoc. stash is that getting shot sucks, at least if you're wearing body armor you might just end up bruised vs. dead or dying slowly from a gutshot in the absence of proper medical care.

I don't own any body armor or carriers so I'm just speculating, so my perspective is worth exactly what it costs. I should probably lay off the coffee... wheeee.

[Seismic Sam]

IIRC, I believe the sales of AR500 steel are tracked, as OGC bought tons of that stuff (literally) early last year for the 100 yard range and the Short Range. We didn't have to fill out any paperwork, as we were a gun range and not some fly-by-night LLC, so it was no big deal for us. If somebody wanted to come out and see where it went to, all of it is clearly visible on the 100 yard and Short Ranges.

That being said, I'm not sure if much would happen or not if you went in and bought a cut 12" x 18" piece of 1/4" plate. The best thing to do would probably call up one of the vendors in the Twin Cities (there are at least 6 of them) and ask them if you could buy a plate like that.

[Ghost]

They sell both the carriers and soft plates at Fleet Farm... I assume the reason people have it in their SHTF/Apoc. stash is that getting shot sucks, at least if you're wearing body armor you might just end up bruised vs. dead or dying slowly from a gutshot in the absence of proper medical care.

I was shocked when I first saw them at FF, i'm ok with it but was still shocked they had it. I also agree it's probably primarily for SHTF but I have considered it for use at gun ranges after seeing how well disciplined others are.

http://bulletproofme.com/Legal_Terms_of_Sale.shtml

Oh and don't forget this
http://armorednutshellz.com/

[xd ED]

They sell both the carriers and soft plates at Fleet Farm... I assume the reason people have it in their SHTF/Apoc. stash is that getting shot sucks, at least if you're wearing body armor you might just end up bruised vs. dead or dying slowly from a gutshot in the absence of proper medical care.

I was shocked when I first saw them at FF, i'm ok with it but was still shocked they had it. I also agree it's probably primarily for SHTF but I have considered it for use at gun ranges after seeing how well disciplined others are.

http://bulletproofme.com/Legal_Terms_of_Sale.shtml

Oh and don't forget this
http://armorednutshellz.com/

I think your time and money would be better spent finding better places to shoot. When a gun range is a greater hazard than the street something there is very wrong.

[Boone]

Depending on what training you are doing you might need a plate carrier or even a helmet. In Minnesota citizens can own body, however felons are not allowed to own it.

[jshuberg]

Don't use steel plates in a plate carrier. Not only are they very heavy (~10 lbs each), they're more prone to ricochet. A 1/4" Ballistic steel body armor plate is only rated at NIJ Level III. You would need to use 1/2" steel plates to achieve Level IV protection, which would weigh ~40lbs front and back for a 10"x12" plate. This isn't very practical.

What I'd recommend is a high quality ceramic stand alone rifle plate. Many rifle plates require a Level III-A vest supporting the plate in order to achieve a level IV rating. Stand alone level IV plates can be dropped into a plate carrier without the use of a Level III-A vest, carrier or panel and still provide level IV protection. Of course if you already have a vest or carrier that provides Level III-A protection (Interceptor vest, etc.) you wouldn't need a stand alone plate.

Prices for stand alone ceramic plates vary depending on size and weight of the material. At BulletProofMe you can get a set of new plates for as low as $300 that weigh around 17lbs front and back, or up to $2000 for triple contour plates that weigh 11lbs
http://bulletproofme.com/RP-Level-4-Stand-Alone.html

Here's a cool video of an independent test of some Level IV ceramic plates:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2Y1I4ZQ_A

[yuppiejr]

Mythbusters just had an episode in which they were stopping bullets with those 1" mesh backed sheets of ceramic bathroom tiles set into shape with a fiberglass imbued plaster (less than $5 in materials). Was effective stopping 9mm, .45 ACP and buckshot - not so much a .223 rifle bullet or 12 ga. slug.

[mecra]

Thanks for the thoughts guys.

What do you think of:

http://www.policehq.com/Products/COND-DFPC

I'm not sure how quality Condor products are. Compared to the other sites listed in this thread, it's significantly cheaper than some of the other options. But it is a carrier with side panels and a full front of molle.

Another questions, would you guys think that it would be best to get the rifle protection or would the more flexible fabric pistol armor be enough? I could go either way. A lot of people in SHTF situations would have pistol grade ammo, but there would definitely be those with rifles. If one's considering such a purchase, might as well go for the full monte?

[LumberZach]

Get a banshee plate carrier and some ar500armor.com plates. That is all.

[yuppiejr]

http://www.tacticalassaultgearstore.com ... dium=email

Banshee:



Plate Kit:

http://www.tacticalassaultgearstore.com ... ckage.aspx


It's even got room for lightsticks in case you run into an operators-only rave in the middle of the next apocalypse or zombie outbreak.

[Seismic Sam]

Considering what "going the full monty" actually means, I think it's the opposite of the concept you are talking about. Just sayin'...



And if we are talking about a REAL SHTF situation, then afterwards anybody with the brains left on the insides of their head are going to be keeping their heads down and not wandering around where they could take a body shot to begin with, so I'm not sure what kind of situation you are considering.

[yuppiejr]

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/naked-and-afraid

[mecra]

yeah. It's a thought adventure on if something like this is worth the expenditure. I mean, if you are putting money into a SHTF back, for several hundred more you could protect yourself. Otherwise, your just a partial prepper for the end. -shrug- Not sure if I'll dive in but it's been an interesting thought experiment. (kind of like getting high quality gas masks)

[mecra]

Considering what "going the full monty" actually means, I think it's the opposite of the concept you are talking about. Just sayin'...

And if we are talking about a REAL SHTF situation, then afterwards anybody with the brains left on the insides of their head are going to be keeping their heads down and not wandering around where they could take a body shot to begin with, so I'm not sure what kind of situation you are considering.

So you're not interested in any protection during a REAL SHTF situation? because you've been in one?

Frankly, I don't think any of us are really going to be prepared for such a situation. Full monte, IMO is just going the whole way. (however, maybe the wrong term in general. It was something my mom used to say. ) It could be like a prepper with a bunker and such. Some people are buying weapons for such a situation. It kind of makes sense to spend a % of that on actual body armor because if you can get it light enough, it would be something you could wear every day. (Like some law enforcement.) Like I said before, gas masks also fall into this line. The threat of nuclear is real. Is $150 on a gas mask too much ifyou are really concerned about being prepared to a certain degree? Anyway, it's been an interesting thought experiment. Where is the line in prepping for a SHTF situation? How much is too much and just becomes stuff that collects dust on your mannequin in your basement?