What type of body armor are you wearing?

[ElJimmyStrappo]

I wear an American Body Armor level II vest. I wish it had a higher rating, but its dept. issue and I can't afford to buy my own. I have a soft trauma plate in it that came with the vest and a Second Chance trauma plate that is titanium, which I bought myself.

[The Tengu]

Originally Posted by headhunter

PT Armor LSG2, Level II, Style "Covert" CES3

It is a comfortable vest, but....

I have to vent on this topic. I personally think concealable body armor for patrol officers is rediculous. Everyone knows we're wearing it. I'm a big fan of tactical style uniforms, not the dress class A style uniforms so many of us are still wearing. I would rather wear a higher threat level vest on the outside of my clothing. Don't get me wrong, dress uniforms have their place...just not on patrol.

The libs would cry foul. Militarization, they'd say.

Yeah, everyone knows we wear it. That's obvious when you look at the increase in headshot LEO fatalities.

[hacker15]

Originally Posted by nhill0408

They don't issue you body armor? Damn...I'd find a new department......

In any event...I wear US Armor (Level IIIA) that's a custom made model for my agency. I've never worn rigid trauma plates, (mine are soft) but Level IIIA is all you need for most handgun calibers. You're not going to get rifle protection without going to ceramic plates, but now you're talking about a lot of weight which isn't exactly conducive to LE patrol duties.

The most important thing though, is get a vest, and WEAR IT!

Good luck with the rest of your academy.

+1 on that!

If you're looking for info on vests, try

http://www.galls.com/index.html

type in "ballistic vests" in the search box - 3 pages of different vests.

Also check out http://www.galls.com/index.html

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/topics/...or/welcome.htm

for a ton of info on the catagories of armor and various plates.

Good luck!

[HAPINAZZ]

Thanks for all the info, I'll be looking to buy a vest next week. As for paying out of my pocket to buy my vest yes I have too, but that's just for now when I graduate I'll be receiving $1600 from the department. I believe that is the yearly allowance we get for uniforms and equipment. This week I'm buying an XD 40 Tactical and an duty holster.

Now the bad news when I graduate I will only have about 30 plus days to use the vest. Then I'll be switching over to an IBA vest w/ ceramic plates. I'll be mobilizing to head out to Iraq. This is my fourth time to go on that side of the planet.

"Xtreme Duty for an Xtreme American!"

[The Tengu]

Originally Posted by HAPINAZZ

Thanks for all the info, I'll be looking to buy a vest next week. As for paying out of my pocket to buy my vest yes I have too, but that's just for now when I graduate I'll be receiving $1600 from the department. I believe that is the yearly allowance we get for uniforms and equipment. This week I'm buying an XD 40 Tactical and an duty holster.

Now the bad news when I graduate I will only have about 30 plus days to use the vest. Then I'll be switching over to an IBA vest w/ ceramic plates. I'll be mobilizing to head out to Iraq. This is my fourth time to go on that side of the planet.

"Xtreme Duty for an Xtreme American!"

Just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your service to our country.

As for brand and model of body armor, the most recommended armor to those "in the know" about these matters is the U.S. Armor Enforcer Classic. It is around $500 for level IIIA (with one carrier and a metal plate) and is 100% woven Kevlar.

Another option is the new Bianchi Lawman vests. They are 100% woven Kevlar, and their IIIA vest in the "Deluxe" package is about $550 and comes with two carriers, an undershirt, a soft trauma plate, and a carrying bag.

[bigun]

Gator hawk IIIa, its better than the old second chance IIIa's we had but not much.

[Lazarus]

Anyone using that turtleskin BA?

[The Tengu]

Originally Posted by Lazarus

Anyone using that turtleskin BA?

It does look neat, I like those MFA stab panels you can add in to your existing armor. I like the silver-impregnated carriers too, sounds cool.

Interestingly enough, I did find this picture on their site:

The white outline shows how much of the armor is allowed to be shot during NIJ testing. The rest of the panel is not a "fair hit" so it's not shot during the test.

[Lazarus]

Originally Posted by The Tengu

It does look neat, I like those MFA stab panels you can add in to your existing armor. I like the silver-impregnated carriers too, sounds cool.

Interestingly enough, I did find this picture on their site:

The white outline shows how much of the armor is allowed to be shot during NIJ testing. The rest of the panel is not a "fair hit" so it's not shot during the test.

What the heck? I wonder why not. Thats a small area.

[bigun]

That explains why the Weaver stance seems to be falling out of favor again, it exposes every week spot in the vest to direct fire.