Everything I Know About Ballistic Armor
Which admittedly isn't much
As you get serious about prepping you’re going to run into lots of articles (usually paid articles) and forum posts (also the result of payola) extolling the virtues of some particular “plate carrier” or body armor. When you actually start doing some research into the subject you are hit with an overwhelming amount of often contradictory opinions which all usually end with you being told to spend hundreds of dollars you don’t have.
I’m not an expert in body armor but I’ve been around the prepper block a few times so I’m going to tell you what I know. I have never worn armor professionally or in harms way. I did start a collection of surplus armor but lost interest. I have been shot at with a handgun so I fully understand people’s desire for armor. This was in Newark NJ during the late 80s.
Here’s what I know:
Nothing is really bullet proof - All armor on the market can be defeated by something. Armor technology has come a long way since ballistic nylon was invented but so has bullet technology. Armor has ratings that tell you in general what it’s expect to stop under ideal conditions. You’ll in general want Level III “plate” as the actual armor is often called BUT many people’s financial situation dictates they end up with lower ratings. Level III wills stop rifle rounds, Level IIIa which is the most common I see around me is rated for up to a .44 Magnum fired from a long barreled handgun. The higher the rating the more the cost.
Flak jackets aren’t bullet proof - Nor were they designed to be however there are lots of these floating around and people mistake them for ballistic vests. A flak jacket or vest is designed to protect soldiers from fragmentation and maybe ricochets. In the old days they were popular with preppers because they were obsolete technology available for cheap on the surplus market. I started my armor collection (which like my gun collection is themed) with a used German flak vest I purchased from Sportsman’s Guide for $40. Now let me show you something:
Now the above test is imperfect because if the vest was on a person it would stop the vest from traveling with the round which disperses the energy. But it sure looks like my flak vest can stop some bullets … sometimes … in the right circumstances. Which is true of almost anything. It’s almost a corollary to the fact nothing is 100% bullet proof that many things can be made bullet resistant given the right circumstances. Books aren’t bullet proof, however if I tape 10 phone books together and shoot at something behind them with a .22 the books will stop the rounds from hitting the target behind it.
So take talk of effectiveness and ineffectiveness with a grain of salt.
You get what you pay for - My cheap surplus flak vest is an anomaly. Other flak vests on the market sold as inexpensive alternatives to body armor fail miserably in any test. The cheapest armor plates you can buy are steel instead of high tech materials. The cheapest of them don’t have “anti-spall” coatings. Spall is the fragments of bullets and steel that travel up the plate that’s hit and is very dangerous. Without the coating a plate needs a extremely robust carrier (a vest with pockets that plates slip into) to catch those fragments before they sever your jugular vein. A carrier that can do that will cost as much as a better quality plate.
This is one area of prepping where the amount of money you spend will actually translate into performance. If you’re going to buy some buy the best you can afford - unless like me you’re just collecting interesting pieces.
There’s a lot of variety of armor out there - Plate carriers are just what the cool kids are LARPing on the range with. There are armor plates designed to fit in back packs and messenger bags, there are soft and hard hand held shields you can buy. Personally I’m a backpack plate guy, because it’s more likely in my opinion that I’ll run into a active shooter while I have a bag on me than it is I’ll pull on my full military style kit at some random moment when evil decides to strike. Your mileage may vary but really think about what you need before making any purchases because it’s going to be one of your more expensive.
Modern body armor was invented for first world militaries - Remember this. Body armor was issued to people to keep them alive so they could receive treatment later. You can still be seriously injured even if everything goes right. Most armor covers your heart and lungs. You can still bleed out if hit below or above. The impact from a bullet can break bones. You won’t be Iron Man if you have some on.
Now I don’t know much more about this but there are some people I trust who put out information on this topic. They are:
Administrative Results - It’s a comedy channel but run by a guy who knows.
Garand Thumb - An excellent resource for lots of gun and gear reviews.
James Yeager - One of the trainers I recommend.
I recommend Hoplite Armor for direct purchases.
I have purchased military and police surplus armor from Sportsman’s Guide and been very happy with the service. Midway USA has amazing deals on armor but I’ve never bought armor from them. I do buy ammo from them on a regular basis and can vouch for them as a customer.
Maybe I’ll post pics of my armor on my Instagram.