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Looking to buy a bulletproof vest , any suggestions on a particular model, whats popular today. Looking for something that wont expire as quick. Ive bought the Ar500 plates vest but returned it cause it was wayyy to heavy.
 
There are more than a few manufacturers out there making IIIA PE semi-rigid armor, I run a III plate in the front and a IIIA soft in the back, mostly so my pack isn't just shoving the harder plate into my back all day long.

NcStar is currently selling soft panels made by an OEM I've done work for in the past.
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This is more or less the same panel I'm running (I bought mine from the same OEM). They are bulletproof, however they generally don't meet the NIJ standard for the penetration into the clay, so they may not come up as "certified armor by NIJ" but they are bullet proof.

The 11x14's fit in the same pouch that a 10x12" plate will fit into, because they're that much thinner, I think they weigh <2lbs (I think it's like 1.4lbs) the III front plate I'm running I think is 3-5lbs in a 10x12".

Really the steel armor out there weighs so fscking much, and it's really not that much cheaper than UHMW plates and other materials that are out there.
 
I have thought about buying one several times. But there is just always something that is more important:confused:

I've been doing a lot of training stuff lately, so I'm at the range surrounded by armed morons, it seemed like pretty cheap insurance. I also run side plates, and there was a vest that had been used during a training event that the main part got shot up, but the arm/sleeves were untouched, so I put that on my carrier. It looks a little funky, but it works.
 
LVL III plates will stop rifle, but won't stop AP ammo.

LVL IV will stop AP ammo, but it's more complicated. I've seen a few manufacturers offer stand-alone LVL IV plates, but I haven't looked into it too much. The US-MIL armor package uses the ceramic plates, and then uses a ballistic backer (technically a LVL II soft panel) to catch any stray fragments of the ceramic to garner a LVL IV rating.
 
If you want something that doesn't expire AR-500 is about the only way to go although even that has a printed expiration date as I recall which I believe is a requirement for NIJ certification but don't quote me on that. The reality that you will have to accept is that to get lightweight armor with the same level of protection you're going to pay quite a bit. This is one of those areas where there aren't a lot of cheap solutions. The AR500 is cheap but as you stated its painfully heavy. Also keep in mind that Ceramic plates require xray inspection if they are dropped onto a hard surface of receive other hard impacts that may result in cracked plates.
BulletProofME.com Body Armor - RIFLE Plates Overview Check this site out they have a wide selection of price ranges and levels of protection.
 
The "expiration" is an expiration of the certificate, not when the armor expires.

And yes, ceramic plates are fairly brittle, this is the advantage of the newer UHMWPE (spectra, dyneema) plates. They're also light enough in some cases to float.

In most cases you don't need to X-ray the ceramics, grab the corners and torque it, while holding it up to your ear, if it makes any noise, it's probably time for a new plate.
 
The "expiration" is an expiration of the certificate, not when the armor expires.

And yes, ceramic plates are fairly brittle, this is the advantage of the newer UHMWPE (spectra, dyneema) plates. They're also light enough in some cases to float.

In most cases you don't need to X-ray the ceramics, grab the corners and torque it, while holding it up to your ear, if it makes any noise, it's probably time for a new plate.

Yeah I have shot plenty of expired armor and all of it still performed to its rating as expected. I would also hazard a guess usage will have a huge effect on how long the armor will last. Armor stored in the closet and rarely worn will likely last far longer then armor worn daily in the sun and heat getting soaked with sweat.
 

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