Scouter27, why does UMP45 need body armor? I can answer this one. He needs it for protection!
Semantics between Level III and IIIa are pretty significant. IIIa will stop virtually all normal handgun ammo and apparently will stop some minor rifle ammo and smaller shotgun pellets. It's official rating is really for handgun ammo, however. The rest of the information I gave is based on various "tests" and anecdotal accounts I have read.
Level III body armor will stop a lot of rifle ammo, up to .308 supposedly. Not that I would want to be in the armor when shot by .308, as the blunt force trauma would be severe. Second Chance's saves stories show various people, usually cops, who were shot wearing Second Chances gear. Some of the pictures shot the vest and the the shootee bare skinned where you can see the rather large and nasty bruising produced by handgun calibers. Some people shot while wearing vest are rendered unconscious by the the blunt force trauma, but survive with a goodly amount of bruising and soft tissue damage. Some have been shot and never knew it, finding slugs dropping out of their clothing back at the lockerroom when changing back into civi-clothing.
Asking a person why they need a ballist vest really is akin to asking why they would need a gun. I get it all the time and get it from fellow gun owners that I thought would have been sensitive to the idea of having appropriate gear to defend themselves. Body armor is a type of defense gear. I actually don't know of any cases where body armor has been used as an offensive weapon, although the person wearing it might have been on the offensive.
Why do I need body armor? I enjoy this question. I need it because I engage in a dangerous hobby, shooting. I wear it to the range. The range is the only place that I have ever been where I know I have had a loaded weapon pointed at me. In every case I know of, such incidents have been due to poor safety skills of the person holding the gun. Every year, several people get killed at ranges under similar circumstances.
You wear eye and ear protection because you know that loud noise pressure waves hitting your ears may cause hearing damage and you wear glasses because you know that cases and powder residue, target splinters, or bullet splatter from shooting steel targets can injure your eyes. I also know that a bullet shot from a gun that hits me may cause damage to me.
I sometimes have my armor in the house for home defense, but only after the carrier has been washed. I don't like the idea of bringing lead and powder residue into my home.
I bought my vest at
www.galls.com . It is level IIIa. I bought the cheapest wrap around vest (having side panels) in that rating. I was not sure if I would like having a vest or not and so I did not spend the extra money to get a later generation vest that would have had equal protection, but would have been thinner and weighed less. While it is a concealable vest, that just means it can be worn under clothing, not that people won't see it printing on you if you go out in public. The vest I bought was part of Gall's lite line of vests. Don't be fooled. The carrier is Gall's, but the panels are safariland brand, so they are quality where it counts. If you have the bucks, then go with the best and get Second Chance. If you don't have the bucks, you want the vest for defense, and you don't know what you are going to come up against, then at least buy the trauma plates that cover the heart on the front and back. Trauma plates have a higher rating than the vest and most will stop rifle rounds. The carrier for the panels should have pockets for the trauma plates.
If you are going to keep the vest for home defense, somewhere I read that the vest needs to be kept with all parts fastened (both shoulders and one side) execpt for one side. That open side will allow for you to be able to put your opposite arm through its hole, the head through its, and then you fasten down the loose side. If you try monkeying with all the fastening, such as leaving both sides unfastened, it is much slower to get the armor on and in the correct position.
Also keep in mind that softe ballistic armor is not rated for stopping knives or ice picks. They pass through fairly easily. The only benefit of ballistic armor against a knife is that it provides a few extra layers that the knife would have to pass through before sticking you. You could probably get the same result of knife protection by wearing 3 or 4 layers of denim.
If you do buy one and have a choise of carrier colors, do not go with while unless you plan on wearing the vest under a white shirt in public. I have one blue and one white. The white starts to look nasty very quickly. Plus, if you are using it for home defense, darker carriers will not reflect light as well and hence help keep you hidden in the shadows a little better.