Body Armor

[Mwill75]

Since I'm planning on being on armed duty pretty soon, I thought now would be a good time to invest in some armor. I figure if I get it I'll get the most protection available. In other words for right now I'm not concerned with sacrificing comfort for protection So IIIA, with optional trauma plates. My question is which companies are known to make reliable, uniform, defect-free, products. I am concerned about price, but that is only secondary to safety in this case. So the least expensive item with the maximum amount of safety is what I'm looking for.

Any ideas?

 

[tunatuk]

What kind of armed duty are you going to be on? That will help make a determination what kind of armor you really need.

 

[Mwill75]

I'm pretty set on getting IIIA as my first. I figured I go for the most protection I can get, and maybe go get a slimmer, more conceilable design later on, for times when I don't need that much protection.

I'm not sure which place I will be working yet, just told that it will be very soon. It's very posssible it will be multiple places, as multiple contracts continually come up. It could be anywhere from an armored truck, to a bank, to an airport, ect.

All in all I'm worried about the companies. Which ones are dependable.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

It has very little to do with the companys and a great deal to do with what the armor is made out of and how it is cut. By Trauma plates I'm assuming you mean the small Trauma inserts and not full blown rifle plates? You really need to base your decision on mission, budget, and threat and not who makes what you want to buy.

 

[Mwill75]

It has very little to do with the companys and a great deal to do with what the armor is made out of and how it is cut. By Trauma plates I'm assuming you mean the small Trauma inserts and not full blown rifle plates? You really need to base your decision on mission, budget, and threat and not who makes what you want to buy.

well I assumed that, like with firearms, some companies have a good reputation. IE: they have proven themselves time and time again in combat situations.

In other words I don't want to be the human test dummy for a new brand of vest or something. I'm not worried about the name of the people that make it as much as their reputation.

I don't put a budget on things that have to do with safety. Or more importantly, budget doesn't come first. For instance, I prefer glocks because I feel you get the maximum amount of quality, dependability, and utility, with the minimum amount of price. That's the type of vest I'm looking for.

What materials are best for armor? What cut should I be looking for, just one that fits me?

 

[Narco]

Second Chance is good stuff. But most vest require a break in period to conform to your body.. Important to hang it open to dry nightly.. I use a tv dinner stand rack to hang mine to keep the panels from touching and let airflow dry it out. Febreeze is a plus.

 

[SeventhSon]

I bought mine from galls.com. The armor is Second Chance in a Galls carrier. Good value and about as comfortable as armor can be. Ive worn it daily for weeks on end and its not too bad. One gets use to it after a few days.

 

[Barney88PDC]

.....right now I'm not concerned with sacrificing comfort for protection ........So the least expensive item with the maximum amount of safety is what I'm looking for.

Any ideas?

Go buy two 1" thick steel plates aout 18" x 36" and cut out your torso profile with a plasma cutter, put some straps on the top to go over your shoulders and you will be good to go

 

[tunatuk]

http://www.bayoushooter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2080

Not my ad, but for $300 you won't find a better deal.

 

[Mwill75]

Go buy two 1" thick steel plates aout 18" x 36" and cut out your torso profile with a plasma cutter, put some straps on the top to go over your shoulders and you will be good to go

 

[Narco]

I think i have an old vest 9+ years in the closet..

 

[topgunz1]

My old lvl2 vest was pt armor it was better than nothing. My new lvl3 is by american body armor and is nice

 

[CajunTim]

http://www.louisianasportsman.com/classifieds.php?sec=classifieds&act=full&adID=50929#pictures106048

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

NIJ certification trumps manufacturer. You want a vest made from good old Kevlar, or one of the newer fibers like Dyneema or Twaron. Avoid the laminates like Zylon. The Laminates suck against contact shots and don't do well with heat and humidity. Kevlar is heavy and not all that flexible but its still old reliable. I don't think you really need IIIA but thats your bag.