VTG Level IV IRCS.

[biggie24420]

For the longest time I have been wanting to get myself some decent body armor. I have a Second Chance soft armor that was expired and upon receiving the body armor I found out that the material it's made out of is not something you wanna trust your life with. I did some research and found the ASP-C sold by U.S. Palm. It was a good deal for about $425 because you got the carrier and both stand alone level 4 plates. The plates are military surplus I believe and U.S. Palm doesn't have a warranty or anything and no returns. So if your plates are damaged because they were dropped (I guess the only way is to Xray them to check for cracks) you're pretty much SOL.

I recently found out about VTG and found out that they have a nice level 4 for $395 (each plate is roughly 8Lbs. it looks like )and it has lifetime warranty. Body armor is not something that I need for a job or anything but it's cheap insurance if something was to happen..... something that required me to have the need for armor. I also like to have protection when I go shooting. I have done a lot of research so I know about soft armor, mobility, and what you gain and loose with whatever type of armor. For me, I want the best I can afford in the highest class. I want something that will stop an armor piercing round that is not that uncommon like the 5.56 or .308. I contacted VTG and asked if they sell to civilians and they said as long as it's legal in the state and the customer is clean (no criminal background) that they would sell to the civilian market.

Also since I am a bigger sized guy, I don't wanna deal with getting sized for soft armor. It is easier for me to wear something like the VTG and it's a plus to be able to attach my gear on the carrier. I can also conceal the armor under a big jacket, rain poncho, jump suit etc. I really like the VTG plates better because they have the shooters cut so I can shoulder my rifle better and not have the upper edges of the plate get in the way.

IMMEDIATE RESPONSE CARRIER SYSTEM - TACTICAL GEAR

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[Decker]

Daddy likes

 

[biggie24420]

I'm getting two of them next monF.... Ye Ye lol

 

[knuckle Head]

Nice and that is a very good price for what you are getting

I have 3 level IIIa's I bought used, I talked to he amnufacturers personally through my former job and they told me they have to put dates on them but there test show they are good for ever. I also have a level II.

btw, I keep a level IIIs in my truck at all times, a person never knows,

Also, most truck bed spray in liners are blast and bullet resistant as well, nothing is truly bullet proof or blastproof, they just work to different degree's or levels of testing <broken link removed>

 

[biggie24420]

Well I finally placed my order with VTG on 8/2/12. I checked my status a few days later thinking it was gonna be shipped soon but no luck.... all I was seeing for order status was PENDING. So I got a hold of someone on facebook and they told me that it was gonna be shipped on the 8/15.

I am not in a hurry so I don't care how fast it gets shipped but if anyone is interested, there might be a bit of a delay from the time you place your order to the time it gets shipped.

On my OP I had mentioned something about my expired German police vest... well if I didn't get into detail... it's a German police vest by Second Chance and based on some of the things I heard online, I guess the panels (IIIA) were made from Zylon and apparently Zylon does not last as long as Kevlar. I am aware of vest usage, how much it was exposed to heat and moisture etc. So I recently went shooting and I decided to shoot the front panel and I was very surprised to see that the vest held up pretty good.

We shot it with .22lr, 9mm fmj, .40 S&W fmj and jhp, and .45 acp fmj. All the rounds were stopped and I was very excited. We also decided to shoot the vest with some 5.56/.223 and 7.62x39 and of course it went right through because level IIIA is not rated for those rifle rounds but we did it anyways lol. Oh we also shot the vest with 12 Ga. bird shot and it did not go through (our buddy only had bird shot, no slugs or 00 buck).

I will post some pics when I get the VTG IRCS for anyone that might be interested in getting one.

Also some people might think why someone needs level IV plate armor or any body armor for that fact. Well..... my job does not require me to wear body armor (hard or soft) but I think body armor is something that a lot of people don't focus on. We buy guns, ammo, food, and medical supplies to be prepared for "SHTF" but in my experience a lot of people don't consider body armor. Well either that or they just keep it on the down low and don't mention anything about owning body armor. In my opinion it's cheap insurance and it's kinda cool to own some armor. Also with the way things are going now days, who knows if they try to make them illegal for the civilians.

 

[knuckle Head]

Yeah I want to get a coupld of IV's, I keeping hoping someone I know who works for one of th e bases will say hey I just come across a couple of new for sale real cheap, want them???? Legally that is, it is amazing how the USG makes mistakes and sometimes auctions stuff off and discards perfectly good items.

 

[biggie24420]

You wanna hear some BS? so I was told by VTG that my order was gonna get shipped on the 15th of Aug. I called them on the 15 and Steve (one of the head guys) told me that he was gonna check my order and get back to me. He called me back 45 mins later and told me that I was gonna have to wait four weeks for my vest to get shipped out to me ! I kept it cool and got off the phone. After doing some thinking I decided to call VTG back to cancel my order. I placed my order on the 2nd, I wait 13 days to be told that I have to wait 4 weeks? F that!
So when I called for the second time, I asked Steve to just cancel my order and put my money back into my account.

I told Steve that I decided to go with another company and that the other vest that I was interested was actually on sale and $50 cheaper. Steve asked me who I am interested in doing business with and I told him and there was a few seconds of silence hahahaha. Mr. Steve knew that he lost my business to someone else because they dropped the ball.

I have actually decided to go with the U.S. PALM ASP-C. I know in my OP I mentioned that there are no warranties but after talking to someone with SGCUSA.com they insured me that if there were any issues that U.S. PALM was good at taking care of their customers.

I had spend $413 for the VTG IRCS plus s&h and they said they were returning my money back into my account tomorrow (8/17/12). With the U.S. PALM with s&h it's gonna be $366 for stand alone level IV plates, and the carrier (carrier actually looks better).

So in conclusion I personally can't recommend VTG for your tactical needs and their customer service was fair.... nothing to drool over for sure. Will I do business with them in the future? at this point in time I will say NO.

I just need to find a place where I can get someone to x-ray my plates just to be on the safe side.... maybe at the airport? lol put the TSA to use lol.

This is the U.S. PALM level IV I have decided to go with (well in black).

 

[knuckle Head]

So in conclusion I personally can't recommend VTG for your tactical needs and their customer service was fair.... nothing to drool over for sure.
This is the U.S. PALM level IV I have decided to go with (well in black).
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I could not find the setup you show and mention priced out, can you send or post a weblink??

Thanks,

KH

 

[biggie24420]

So in conclusion I personally can't recommend VTG for your tactical needs and their customer service was fair.... nothing to drool over for sure.
This is the U.S. PALM level IV I have decided to go with (well in black).
-----------------------------------------------

I could not find the setup you show and mention priced out, can you send or post a weblink??

Thanks,

KH

<broken link removed>

 

[boxer13]

US PALM makes some great stuff, have their defender and its great. If you don't need a back armor, their desert one looks good has two side panels and front with 6 AR mag pouches or MOLLE.

Plus with open back it allows for use with a backpack more easily.

 

[knuckle Head]

Actually I was considering getting the mulitcam, currently it is the absolute best multi purose on the market from what i have been able to determine.

 

[biggie24420]

Also from what I can tell you don't have to pay extra for the multi-cam design either. I think down the line I am gonna get the 10x12 IIIA inserts so that way I have soft and hard armor because I can just take out the plates and put the soft inserts in. I am thinking about getting a two pistol mag holder and one AK mag holder to mount on my carrier.... and I got the blackhawk QD adapter so all I need is the molle adapter to attach to the carrier and I can chest mount my Glocks.
I just have so many options with this kinda carrier... I can conceal or external carry it.

To have level IIIA and IV stand alone armor for aprx. $500 is one heck of a deal if you ask me. This vest will go great with my German Kevlar helmet.

Keepshooting ( German Kevlar Helmet - Military Issue - Keepshooting® ) has nice OD green Kevlar level IIIA helmet for $90 FYI. I got mine and it was in great shape, just some scuff marks on the helmet.

 

[knuckle Head]

<broken link removed>

I just placed my order for one, blew my budget again, next month I plan to order another one.

 

[biggie24420]

I blow my budget all the time lol.... with all the guns and ammo I have been buying, now armor, I'm surprised the feds haven't knocked on my door lol. I am running out of room in my safe for crying out loud lol. I need to focus on a good medical pack, some more food (caned and MREs etc.) for at least a 72 hour deal... and some water. I already have a MSR water filter and it's pretty nice.

 

[knuckle Head]

I blow my budget all the time lol.... with all the guns and ammo I have been buying, now armor, I'm surprised the feds haven't knocked on my door lol. I am running out of room in my safe for crying out loud lol. I need to focus on a good medical pack, some more food (caned and MREs etc.) for at least a 72 hour deal... and some water. I already have a MSR water filter and it's pretty nice.

I have been prepping like you for a couple of years, most of my food things are taken care of, MRE's are actuallu pretty good. But are not meant to be stored in extreme cold or heat. I keep some life boat rations in my bugout, ghb and or bags, I also have few case of both Mainstay 1,200 calorie and Datrex 2,400 calorie at home, they are good for a minimum of 5 years, and not affected short (5 years) buy extreme heat or cold, they actually taste pretty good, check them out here Emergency Food Bars I bought a couple of each individual bars, tried them and said yeah not bad, especially for what they are and what get nutrition wise.

They are gereat for the hour gig and easily fit easily eaten and shared with family members

 

[biggie24420]

I have been prepping like you for a couple of years, most of my food things are taken care of, MRE's are actuallu pretty good. But are not meant to be stored in extreme cold or heat. I keep some life boat rations in my bugout, ghb and or bags, I also have few case of both Mainstay 1,200 calorie and Datrex 2,400 calorie at home, they are good for a minimum of 5 years, and not affected short (5 years) buy extreme heat or cold, they actually taste pretty good, check them out here Emergency Food Bars I bought a couple of each individual bars, tried them and said yeah not bad, especially for what they are and what get nutrition wise.

They are gereat for the hour gig and easily fit easily eaten and shared with family members

Cool... yeah I been hearing about this stuff for a while but never got around checking them out.
Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Coolhandluke]

I have a full Protech system, including 7.62AP plates with side plates.

 

[biggie24420]

Here is some info on the ASP-C Airsave plates.
<broken link removed>

 

[biggie24420]

I just got my ASP-C and it's pretty nice. The plates are nice but they don't look like the pics I posted (they are not green with DO NOT DROP written on them) and the plates were made in 2012. They are all black, and the front of the plate looks like it was coated in Rhino liner. The whole plate is covered by something and the edges were a little rough but it was not a big deal... I just cleaned up the edges and put some Gorilla tape around the edges.... it actually looks better.

I am able to shoulder my rifle without any issues, so for me it's not a big deal since the plates don't have a shooters cut. I do have to be honest though, for someone my size, this plate carrier looks a little small.... so I am gonna buy a plate carrier vest (something like the Condor QRPC). I would use the carrier that the plates came with if I was gonna conceal carry it. I think if I didn't conceal it, people would point and laugh at me if they saw me with the ASP-C on lol.

I will post pics soon!

 

[biggie24420]

I am 6'2" 310 lbs..... like I said, if I wore this vest concealed, it wouldn't be a big deal but if I didn't conceal it, it would look funny on me unless I had a black shirt on and even with the black shirt IMO I would look funky. I just ordered a plate carrier vest (Condor/modgear GRPC for $60 on cheaperTHANdirt). I guess I could either get IIIA inserts and have a concealable vest with the current carrier or I could sell it. Heck to be honest.... I really just wanted the level IV plates. They are heavy but once you have the vest on, it's not that bad.