Ballistic Shields for Civilian Home Defense

A

Anthony

New member
Merry Christmas Everyone,

Massad Ayoob covered the growing use of ballistic shields by patrol officers in the January, 2001 issue of "Guns and Weapons of Law Enforcement" in his First Responder column. Although he doesn't suggest civilian use of ballistic shields, it started me thinking.

At LFI-I, Ayoob laid out his idea of the well stocked home defense kit for civilians and their safe room. It included a ballistic vest for each combatant. He also laid out tactics for retrieving children and ("if we insist") valubles from locations outside the safe room.

The possibility of having to leave the safe room can be very high if you have a family, and if I had a choice of going out into "no man's land" with or without a ballistic shield it would definitely be with.

Has anyone else thought of this before?

Does anyone else have one in their home defense kit?

Are there any police officers that use a ballistic shield on a regular basis and could offer some insights from actual usage?

Does anyone have brand suggestions?

Thanks for all the help.

- Anthony
 
It would be interesting to know the effectiveness and cost tradeoffs between body armor and ballistic shields if anyone has that information.
 
Ballistic shields are heavy, expensive, and require additional training to use effectively.

Further, I have to really start stretching the scenarios in my mind to come up with a justification for using one.

They simply are not needed unless you are the point man on a multiple member team, IMO.
 
My partner and I carry one in are car and it gets used fairly regularly. I echo what's already been mentioned.

Pluses: Mobile ballistic protection - Your first form of cover should be your personal vest. Covers your face looking through viewing port.

Not so plus: Heavy (even with extra arm workouts), expensive, big (hallways aren't always), Level II only (and no, Level II shield plus Level II body armor doesn't equal Level IV protection - that stuff is really heavy), difficult to shoot accurately, two hands - 3 tools (shield, light, gun)

Shield 1600, Second Chance Ultima 800 or so. Go with the body armor w/the titanium trauma plate.

On a side note, another agency we work with is testing full see through/plexi ballistic shields that you can shoot through, yet they still provide ballistic protection the other way. Haven't heard anything real world about em yet though.
 
We were also looking into the shoot thruogh sheilds, and windows, they are cheaper put I would worry about some 20 year old getting 7 bucks an hour putting the handle on the wrong side...:D
 
What about hardening your concealment?

Once you decide what threat level to protect against, you can rather inexpensively make some corners safer than others.

Assuming (with all dangers) that the BG is much more likely to fire towards a target obscured behind a wall, the downsides appear minimal. Plus, only *you* will know which surfaces are hardened.

As a thought-provoker, do you know how many inches of dry newsprint it takes to stop a 9mm?

With sheetrock or 1/2-inch ply on the backside, you may be surprised!

Then there are the remote-wired flash-bangs on the opposite end of the house. A few of those might be better than a shield...
 
I don't think "need" is the issue here. It is more "want". As in if I have to creep down my hallway to gather my nieces up to take them back to the saferoom, I WANT to do it behind a ballistic shield.

- Anthony
 
BP Vest Prices

After looking for one for a while, I've finally purchased a 3A vest on eBay for $165 (including S/H). I should get it next week. My questions are as follows:

1. I'm looking for a surplus, clearance, or used rifle plate. I think the pocket measures something like 13" x 13". I've seen 11" x 12" plates advertised. Does anyone know of a cheap source for one of these? If I have to spend more than $50, I'm just going for scrap steel plate.

2. Has anyone heard of Marric? They are out of Mexico. They made my vest.

3. My thinking is that for the general public, in the city, 99% of self defense would occur with a CCW or lesser weapon - carried either on the person, in their truck, or in their bedroom. There are reasons to keep a 3A vest and a military rifle. Among them are riots, and the original intent of the 2nd amendment.

4. What rifle ammo is best for penetrating light armor? I've seend 30-06 AP listed as the qualification for Level 4. I've also been told that a .308 is just a shortened 30-06. Can .308 be as potent as 30-06? I've got plenty of SS109s, but I'm loosing faith in them as 3A body armor becomes easily conealable. My next rifle will be purchased expressly for the purpose of setting aside with a large quantity of AP ammo.

Thanks,

AndyTheGunNut
 
Woah, this is an oldie. There are two plus' that I can see from a ballistic shield over a vest.

1) With proper training/use, can be effectively used to deflect molitov cocktails commonly used in gun-free "safe" countries.

2) Can be used to protect multiple would-be-victims from an assailant without sacraficing so0meone as a "human shield". This is the most likely scenerio if you are concerned with rescuing family members from another part of the home.

Note the use of the word "can" in both situations above. The shield can be useful in the right hands. In the wrong hands, it can be as useless as boobs on a grizzly.
 
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