Police armor rifle threat?

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bjones870

New member
The reason I'm asking this question, is because I might have an opportunity to purchase police armor (bullet proof vest) soon. Will a .223 pierce what police wear? What rounds will it stop? Thanks!
 
If it is just soft armor kevlar for example all it will stop is pistol rounds. Depending on the level it is there level 1, 2 and 3. i have a level 2a vest and it will stop up to 44 magnum rounds. in order to stop a 223 you would need a hard armor plate insert either steel or ceramic.
 
Ok, so what level will stop more? Can civilians buy vests and plates? Where would you get them? Thanks for the help!
 
I wouldn't count on it. That plate stuff the army uses isnt even 100% foolproof, and its a very small plate that doesnt cover your stomach or shoulders.

Edit- OP posted while i was

different states and municipalities may be different, but for the most part anyone except felons can own body armor. If you can own a gun, you can own body armor.

I've never shopped around for type 4 or ceramic plate vests. I have no idea for fair prices or good deals.

Also- its my impression that a ceramic plate will take one hit, get a crack, and be vastly reduced in effectiveness after that. So it will really only protect you for one shot, directly in the lungs, not from very close ranges, and even then only if youre lucky.

I realize im sounding very pessimistic. Please dont take it that way, I want a vest myself.
 
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Rifle armor is extremely expensive!!! I picked up a plate carrier vest just because I was sick of fumbling with mags when doing a run-n-gun course with my buddies! I threw in some pro-tec pistol plates just cuz a little extra never hurt.....;)

But try checking it out, these are the only cats I know of that don't require dept. credentials. http://bulletproofme.com/

P.S. This is more of a gear related question, so don't be surprised if it is moved of closed shortly
 
Ok, so what level will stop more? Can civilians buy vests and plates? Where would you get them? Thanks for the help!
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Lets take these questions one at a time.

What level will stop more? Generally, the higher the number, the greater the protection. Increased protection comes with increased weight. Linky here for a good chart.

Can civilians buy vests and plates? Sure. If you're not in the military, you're a civilian. Cops buy vests and plates, but generally the agency buys it for them.

Where would I get them? Galls.com That's one place to look. There are other places, like US Cavalry Store but you can Google around and find body armor.
 
nothing is bullet proof. its bullet resistant. The stuff the army wears is not all its cracked up to be. it depends on your level of defense and maneuverability that you need. the EOD bomb suit will stop allot of things. Kevlar is good at defeating pistol rounds. Ceramic plates are designed to handle just a few rounds because of how it defeats the round. When the round hits the plate it cracks absorbing the energy with every crack. From the tests I have seen dragon skin is at the top of protection and great maneuverability. The reason the army doesn't use it officially is because the resin holding the ceramic disks together melt in extreme heat like the desert, and punishes anyone severely if they get caught with it.
 
.223 Threat level IIIA vest nope goes right through and don't slow down much. To stop a rifle round you need a piece of Titanium Armor, commonly know as a trauma plate, or you Cord buy Dragon Skin. Plane Kevlar stops pistole rounds and not all of them besides if you get hit it's gonna hurt bad.

Mace
 
To the OP: Just curious why you want a BulletProof Vest?
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Why wouldn't he? I have two chest rigs that carry Threat Level IIIA body armor. They are sold by US PALM and I prefer them to rigs that don't have body armor.

It's like asking someone, "why do you want a firearm?"
 
Some .223 is steel core - I have some Israeli steel core .223. But I believe Wolf is also steel core (mild steel). I don't know if this stuff will penetrate ceramic or steel plates, but it will penetrate all other vests, from what I understand.
 
Wolf isn't steel core, it's just bi-metal. Steel core implies an armor penetrator is present in the core whereas a bi-metal bullet has a lead core, mild steel jacket with a copper jacket over the steel one. Bi-metal bullets aren't really any more effective at penetration than standard copper jacketed bullets.
 
Get a plate carrier and put soft armor under it. I have a IIIa panels in my carrier under the plates. Some people put layers of kevlar over their plates too, to catch spall (the fragments of the metal bullet jacket) from hitting them when struck.
 
theres alot of factors on what will stop what, to be sure of stoppin a .223 you need a plate, lvl IV is quite expensive but itll take a round (1) of .30-06 standard AP. of course after that the entire plate is going to be basically powder. they even make a lvl 5 now apparently, from what i heard itll eat a .50 round and theres not really much info on it. lvl 4 plate will set you back anywhere from 3-600 depending on material
 
Yea, the level III plates will withstand multiple shots from a 7.62nato while the level IV is usually rated for only 1 shot of M2 armor piercing.

There is a ceramic level IV I saw rated to stop multiple hits but it's allot of $$$. Realistically, who's going to be shooting at you with armor piercing .30-06? I'd say get III plates and your fine unless you expect some farmer to be popping shots at you with a .300 magnum or somthing.
 
In order to stop rifle rounds, stuff gets bulky and heavy fast.

If you can get a good price on a regular vest rated for handgun rounds, that's going to be probably as much as a person would reasonably wear. If you want to stop rifle rounds, I suppose you could get a plate carrier and plates (or just tape the plates to your back if need be :D).
 
Depending on what they are asking for it, I would say if you are getting a good deal then yes buy it.

The question is not if it will stop a 223 but if it will slow one down to give you a chance to survive depending on where it gets hit.


Look at it this way, will it give you more protection than if your not wearing one? And what are the chances of getting shot with a 223?

Jim
 
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Ok I can't justify any civilian wearing body armor unless you just snitched on someone high up in the crime totem pole. If you do use your weapon in self defenseand kill a bg what are you going to tell the judge or jury when the prosecution says this guy was looking for a fight he was expecting it why else would he wear body armor? Or when you take the stand and they ask you why you were wearing body armor? What do you you say? Ummmm uhhhh ummmm GUILTY... unless your law enforcement or military body armor is just stupid you just look like either a mall ninja or someone who's out asking for a fight. And I bet any body armor you buy planning to stop rifle bullets will be plenty bulky for the bad guy to see in which case he just takes a head shot. U gonna go buy a military kevlar helmet and add armor to that too? Cmon now that's just stupid. Then the police will see you, arrest you and have you sent somewhere for a psychiatric review. Cause I know damn well I don't want regular ccw permit holders walking around my nieghborhood with big ass vests on its just ridiculous. Only time body armor is really going to benefit you is at a time of war and there are no wars right now and if the war ever made it to you there will be plenty of bodies to take the body armor from.
 
unless your law enforcement or military body armor is just stupid
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Zack, I have to disagree with your assesment. You have been watching too much TV. Most body armor is worn underneath street clothes in the USA and it is the thickness of a heavy T-Shirt. Working in bad areas is the number one reason for wearing it, both by police and civilians. If you work a 7-11, gas station or liquor store would be an excellent reason as well as if you work in areas populated by drug dealers. I live in Chicago and there are over 365 killings from firearms each year here as well as 10,000 firearms confiscated from criminals each year by the CPD, sounds like a good reason to me.

Jim

http://www.safeguardclothing.com/15-bullet-proof-vests-body-armor?gclid=CIXFw7P4pqoCFRHGKgod4x6ZXQ
 
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