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Bullet Proof Vest

8K views 45 replies 15 participants last post by  MikeyPrepper 
#1 ·
Hey Guys,

Hope all is well. I have a question about bulletproof vests. I want to purchase one but there f*cking $$$ lol. I mean 250.---400.00 is nuts. Any where i can get it cheap??
 
#4 ·
I was gonna say that too. There is only armor- like as in no guarantees. I can shoot any armor made with my rifle and it's gonna get defeated. Soldiers with M4's and AR-15's will have trouble getting through a good armor setup but then again even the best helmets made won't stop even that. Helmets stop stuff more like glancing blows and rocks falling and to protect from someone swinging a ball bat at your skull or falling off a vehicle and bashing your head. They don't really stop bullets, SURE as hell don't stop rifle rounds of just about any kind. And you have to keep in mind, too- if you are wearing just a vest and helmet, and the helmet doesn't really stop bullets, WTF happens when a round clips you in the shoulder socket or god forbid takes a kneecap out? Maybe hits a femoral artery? Now those guys who robbed that bank in LA and challeneged the whole police force, they were wearing some high tech serious balls-out full body armor. Even they were taking rounds in the feet and hands and that's what eventually got them.
 
#15 ·
^--- Do you belive everything the Discovery Channel or Nat Geo puts out? If so, you'd have long since decided that all preppers are crazy.

OT: If you're looking at body armor, don't go cheap. That said, the prices aren't that bad. Ebay has a ton of SAPI and ESAPI plates for decent prices, ie, couple hundred for a set. A vest and soft armor will cost more, but honestly body armor is not something you want to go cheap on. Cheap will equal at least one of two things: more weight, or much lower quality. Neither is good.

As for rifle plates being useless after a few rounds, that's not exactly true. I can't find the video they do with .308, but this video shows the testing with 5.56, and it wasn't until two rounds landed on top of each over that they had penetration:
 
#18 · (Edited)
lemme tell you first hand, dragon skin is not the answer. Breaks very easily. sapi plates on the other hand. after about 1 or 2 rounds of 5.56 hitting it turns it into a paper weight .. at least a military version. i got lucky a couple times. but just know as expensive as they are not always a necessity . . theres a lot you can and can't do with a plate carrier.. weight and mobility play a big part. I guess its just important to know if you really need one?

When SHTF its always a good thing to have but will you need it?.. the 1,000 to about 1,600 dollar question.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Make sure you get a good helmet to go along with the fancy ballistic plate. Kind of a game around here to see who can head shoot deer, longest shot. My best so far is 225 yards with the 270. I'm not even in the top ten. Pretty tough neighborhood.
 
#21 ·
For low end in the price range your mentioning your likely only to find Threat Level II vest which is I remember correctly are rated up to most non magnum caliber handgun cartridges. A Threat Level III vest is going to cost you about double that on a good day and if I remember correctly is rated up to 44 Mag. The higher grades of body armor that can stop most common rifle cartridges are big stupid dollars, most are heavy and pretty bulky as well.

If you live in a world thats so hazardous you need to wear a vest I wouldnt wear anything less than a Threat Level III. PS...it still hurtls like the dickins when you get shot with a vest on!!! When I got shot in Iraq, after returning fire I was on the ground a couple seconds afterwards gasping for air like a guppy outta water and the proud owner of the ugliest and most painful bruise I have ever had or seen.
 
#24 ·
Yeah I am glad too, but dang did that sux big time! Could have been worse though, right?

The ultra light versions in each catagory are a good bit more but worth it for the comfort and mobility you get if you have to move around a lot and are not always in the standing position. Plus you wont feel as much like the "Michellin Man" either, ha ha ha. While many will wear it in a tactical situation on their exterior, I prefer to wear mine under my uniform shirt...I dont want to be encouraging someone to start taking head shots at me. When I do wear my vest under my uniform, I also make it a point to wear a cotton T-Shirt. You sweat a lot less, there is something to absorb the moisture you do get, it keeps your vest much cleaner and its a lot more comfortable.
 
#36 ·
The vest here doesn't look too bad, assuming the collar and shoulder crap comes off. Armor does weigh you down, but when you're back to 19th century medicine (like we would be in any long term SHTF situation), a bullet wound to the chest/stomach would likely be fatal, while a shot to the plates wouldn't be. I'll take my body armor.
 
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