Youre over thinking it. HESCO. It's only a gunfight, not an IRS tax audit." However, with a standard warranty of only five years, a ceramic plate actually has a higher lifetime cost than ShotStop’s Duritium 100 percent poly plates which include a 15-year warranty. Unlike steel armor, ceramic prevents spalling, instead absorbing the bullet into the armor, relying on the back face to stop the projectile. Like the AR500 steel plates, you can find their ceramic plates in a variety of cuts and sizes. Polyethylene is the third – and lightest – option. It’s a good idea to have ceramic plates x-rayed at least once a year to check for unseen cracks. AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own. Battle Steels Ceramic (SIC) PE Composite ballistic armor plates are tested under NIJ-0101.06 IV body armor standards by H.P. Most people are not in good enough physical shape for SHTF scenarios, like walking for miles with their bug out bag and armor on. From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm. Plus, you can pair them up with a bespoke plate carrier, made by AR500 for your specific plate choice. Good luck out there...stay safe! One person made a thick, light plate out of DIY recycled HDPE from milk jugs that seemed to be roughly level 2 or 3A.. Another person proved that thick slabs of non-laminated UHMWPE don’t do any good as armor.. Many law enforcement agencies are realizing that Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) panels, often called poly body armor plates, are the solution to address the many problems that ceramic plates present. When in doubt, email or call the manufacturer to make sure. When manufacturers of ceramic armor talk about having an expiration date, that's based on a worst case scenario of how it's being treated. [Last Edit: 10/28/2020 11:17:14 AM EST by KaerMorhenResident]. If you’re speaking about the up-armor plates for body armor the answer is probably yes if the specification and/or manufacturer stipulates it. Ace Link Armor Level IV Hard Armor Plate is a composite plate utilizing highest grade UHMW Polyethylene backing enhanced by silicone carbide ceramic on the strike face of the plate. FITTED FOR PURPOSE ARMOR SIZE GUIDE. Level III polyethylene plates are ultra-lightweight and can stop rifle bullets up to and including 7.62mm/.308 caliber. It there a problem storing them in the carrier flat? Copyright © 1996-2020 AR15.COM LLC. In terms of storing the plates themselves I've never heard of an issue with them laying flat on each other or by themselves so long as you're not stacking any huge amount of weight on them. But this is exactly what the warnings are when it comes to ceramic body armor plates. A properly fitted torso plate should not interfere with the comfortable movement of the arms and shoulders. AR15.COM is the worldâs largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types. Our plates are made from 100% Dyneema® ballistic material, which is the world’s strongest fiber™. "5 Year Expiration" assumes the police officer or soldier it's issued to is dropping it on their concrete patio from waist-to-chest-ish height every day after getting home from work. Manufactured from high-density, reinforced alumina ceramic core (Al2O3) backed with lightweight layered polymer composite fiber and finished in a bla Although they can withstand the impact from a high velocity round, ceramic protection plates are breakable, and can be easily damaged or even shatter if dropped. It … We’re here to help. So, even though the initial out of pocket investment may be higher for a Duritium panel, your agency will have to buy three new ceramic plates over the course of 15 years, whereas only one Duritium poly plate will last that whole time. This entry was posted in Armor Plates . Sáncte MÃchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio, "Do not overthink it, gentlemen. Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more. But, ceramic plates will need to be replaced should they be bashed around a bit. Would storing them this way have the potential to cause any delamination due to the pressure on the edges over time? If you were holding it in your hand, you would give “extreme care” to that cup so it doesn’t crack or break any more than it already is. 3100 6x6 Side Plate - Level 3 - pairs with 3800/3600/3401 torso plate (2) 3100 6x8 Side Plate - Level 3 - pairs with 3800 ... HESCO 800 Series Armor Lightweight Level 4 Plate Using Next Gen Materials and Technology 4800LV (Backorder Available) $1,147.99. The commercial “standard”—used loosely, as there is no true standardization among plate manufacturers—is typically 10”W x 12”H. Adding ballistic plates to your Level IIIA Bullet Proof Vest gives you the highest level of protection available. - Thomas Jefferson. Ceramic plates are commonly used as inserts in soft ballistic vests.Most ceramic plates used in body armor provide National Institute of Justice Type III protection, allowing them to stop rifle bullets. Light & Buoyant Armor. What intrigued me about this particular combination was that the materials that this inventor chose materials that have all been successfully used in ballistic armor before. When manufacturers of ceramic armor talk about having an expiration date, that's based on a worst case scenario of how it's being treated. Ceramic Body Armor Plates Because technology is constantly advancing to create better body armor, composite/ ceramic body armor plates are more expensive than steel plates, even … Poly composite plates are also heavier, due to different materials such as ceramics or metals being added in. - Louis Awerbuck. TenCate CR1000 Level IIIA+, Spike 2, & Slash Advanced Body Armor Plate 5x8 Full Size. Youre dealing with ceramic that is nearly as hard as diamonds. Cheng et al. 8-12 Week Lead Time ~SOLD IN PAIRS~ The 26605 Triple-curve hard armor SAPI plate is certified NIJ 0101.06 Level IV Stand Alone ballistic solution. Not only is this concerning overall, but the process of getting your body armor x-rayed once a year — whether you are an individual or part of a large department — can create two major issues: one is the actual cost of getting your ceramic body armor x-rayed every year, and the second is the time in which the body armor plate is out of service. They offer plates in various shapes, sizes, and ones with differing curvature. The Interceptor Armor does have pockets on the outside of the vests, so ceramic plates can be inserted to upgrade the armor to Level-IIIA. Spartan Armor’s Level IV body armor plates are the strongest of their kind on the market, providing the highest rated threat level protection. So clean your carriers with dish soap and air drying them out (with no plates in obviously). Do you want your body armor to be “breakable?” We’re talking about an essential piece of equipment that is meant to save your life when in use; “breakable” is probably not the description you want to hear when it comes to your body armor. Level IV Multi Hit Rifle Ceramic Body Armor plates use a monolithic piece of ceramic that can produce small cracks throughout the body armor plate when hit … by Tanya Henkel. No matter which is more of an issue for your particular situation, the fact that “unseen cracks” could exist in your body armor should be cause for concern. Best Ceramic Level IV Body Armor. Hard or Soft Armor Plates are anti-ballistic panels usually fitted into Plate Carriers and some Bullet Proof Vests or Tactical Vests.They come in variable levels of protection such as NIJ Level III or IIIA allowing you to tailor your tactical gear collection based on your needs. All Rights Reserved. They say ideally that carriers shouldn't have their plates in them for long term storage. Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited. Clean your plate carriers as well, anyone using them knows they don't breath well and you'll sweat into the fabric, sweat has salt in it, that's not good, plus of course bacteria build up and that's not good. Let’s break down this disclaimer piece by piece…(pun intended!). Ceramic armor Designed for enhanced projectile resistance, ceramic armors feature high-hardness and compressive strength engineered for effective projectile resistance. Store up right, will outlast you. All rights reserved. It is hard enough to ensure that a bullet or other weapon is deflected, meaning the armor material pushes out on the bullet with nearly the same force with which the bullet pushes in, thus preventing the armor from being penetrated. Use extreme care when handling ceramic body armor plates or ceramic small arms protective inserts (SAPI). In other words the plates would be back to back or only touching on the curved edges. That chip or crack - even a crack that’s “invisible to the naked eye” - creates a potentially weakened area of the body armor panel that may not be able to stop incoming rounds at the level it’s supposed to protect against. Just like storing anything else honestly. Please reach out to us here or let us connect you with a dealer. AR500 Level IV Ceramic. In most cases, agencies choose ceramic body armor (despite its downfalls) due to its affordability relative to the price of body armor made of polyethylene. The materials themselves are probably mostly inert. Get the best deals on Ceramic Body Armor Plates when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. 10. Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices. We’re talking about BODY ARMOR, right? Lee and Yoo (2001) conducted an analysis of a ceramic/metal armor system, in which the strain rate effect was considered and the ballistic limits for different ceramic/metal back plate ratios were derived. Our favorite high threat level armor has to be the AR500 Armor range of ceramic plates. Just a small chip or hairline crack invisible to the naked eye can affect the plate’s integrity and its ability to stop incoming rounds. plate: silicon carbide ceramic (for use in armor composites) mil a 12560 : h : armor plate, steel, wrought, homogeneous (for use in combat-vehicles and for ammunition testing) mil p 46199 : 0 : plate: aluminum oxide ceramic (for use in armor composites) mil std 662 : … White, Chesapeake. Steel armor (AR500, AR650, MIL-A 46100, etc) Steel armor, the cheapest and heaviest of them all. For ceramic, this varies based on the type of ceramic used as well as the backing materials. BulletSafe Ballistic Plates are Brand New and offer Level IV protection when used in conjunction with the BulletSafe Bulletproof Vest. When you’re in the field, the last thing you want to hear is “use extreme care” related to your body armor plates. Thus, while choosing a plate the trade-off must be taken into account, There’s no perfect fit for all situations. Often times, when a ceramic plate is hit once, it immediately affects the integrity of the entire plate to receive any further hits. For example, "A 10x12-inch ceramic plate is going to weigh about 7.5 pounds, and that's if you're just using a front plate," says U.S. Armor… We also have a couple great resources that may help you: Download the FREE “Insider’s Guide to Body Armor Costs” to learn everything you need to know about body armor costs. Duritium® polyethylene plates from ShotStop® can be dropped, thrown, stomped on, and run over with a truck, while still maintaining 100 percent integrity in their ability to stop the incoming rounds they have been tested against. Now, granted, a ceramic body armor plate and a ceramic tea cup are NOT the same thing; but the mental picture should help to understand the issue here. April 24, 2019 I personally have a strong dislike for steel armor, but I am here to provide facts. You are overthinking this. The biggest issue for plates is keeping them free from salt and free from direct sunlight or extreme temperatures. Bottom line: Both types of armor are recommended for personal protection. Terms & Conditions | Disclaimers. Free Shipping, Immediate Shipment. Although they can withstand the impact from a high velocity round, ceramic protection plates are breakable, and can be easily damaged or even shatter if dropped. It can stretch out the fabric over time and lead to issues, especially on these tighter carriers where you're really stuffing the plates into them particularly with these thicker 1" thick plates. While there are armor systems out there that use soft armor the cover the whole torso, the most common set up is a plate carrier. View Options. Do not just look for small, medium, large and assume you’ll get a certain size. Just 5.7 lbs and $169. HESCO BODY ARMOR is available in a number of shapes and sizes as well as various curvatures, weights and thicknesses. The cheapest and strangest DIY plate we’ve seen is a $12 plate made from items from the dollar store: baking pans full of rocks and glue with a hardcover book as spall … The following is part of an actual disclaimer from a ceramic body armor manufacturer/distributor: Use extreme care when handling ceramic body armor plates or ceramic small arms protective inserts (SAPI). Properly cared for, your ceramic plates will stop rounds past their 5 year warranty expiration and plate manufacturers, just like soft armor manufacturers, know this. He's right though, it's a liability issue for most companies. Ceramic plates or trauma plates are used as inserts in soft ballistic vests. Poly body armor is made of “plastic” - an ultra high molecular weight plastic - that is not only up to 50 percent lighter than ceramic, but also much more durable. Our body armor plates are certified or compliant with NIJ 0101.06 standards. Certain grades of ammunition cause more damage to composite/ ceramic body armor than steel body armor plates, but certain rounds, such as AR-15 rounds, can penetrate steel armor easier than ceramic body armor. This article may have sparked some other questions for you. If so would the simple solution be some sort of foam or support placed in the carrier between them? Ceramic body armor can also be stored in their carriers on specially designed hangers like Spartan’s Plate Carrier Hanger , which can safely support up to 150 pounds of plates and tactical gear. I might be over thinking this but I have a set of curved level IV plates in a carrier that I would like to store at my office only for an active shooter type situation. And THANK YOU for your service, ShotStop Ballistics, LLC1000 Campus Dr., Suite 300Stow, Ohio 44224USA, 330-686-0020 (Local)800-986-0795 (Toll Free)330-686-0922 (Fax), SAM Cage: 7HKH8 | D-U-N-S: 080070249 | Patents: US9,180,623; 10,048046; 15,335216 | Patents Pending | Equal Opportunity Employer, ShotStop Ballistics®, ShotStop®, Duritium®, BallisticBoard™ and SS® logo mark are registered trademarks of ShotStop Ballistics, LLC, ©2011– 2020 ShotStop Ballistics, LLC. A major consideration for any type of armor is of course weight. The innovative part here was that he chose to use them together. Ceramic plates can be 2-3 times thicker than equivalent steel plates (0.5 vs. 1.0 inch). Our hard armor plates are designed, developed, manufactured and tested using state-of-the-art processes and equipment to ensure quality and performance when deployed by operators throughout numerous tactical and urban situations. TenCate CR1000 Level IIIA+, Spike 2, & Slash Advanced Body Armor Plate 5x7 FS TenCate Advanced Armor introduces...-75%. After drying the plates with a towel, store them in a cool, dry place, and never place other items on top of them, since ceramic plates aren’t designed to bear heavy loads. Poly body armor plates are also very strong when it comes to receiving multiple hits without penetration. RMA manufactures the Strongest, Lightest and most Affordable ceramic and polyethylene hard armor plates in the U.S. From Level IIIa to Level IV, you can be confident that RMA's NIJ Certified and Compliant hard armor will do the job. There are specific grades of ammunition that cause more damage to ceramic plates than steel plates; for example, rounds over 7 mm can damage 3-4 square inches of surface area on ceramic plates. If you’re looking for a little bit more serious protection and don’t mind the bulk, AR500’s Level IV Ceramic/PE armor might be what you’re looking for. $140.00 $35.00. But steel plates can be 2-3 times as heavy (4 vs. 9 pounds). Body Armor. That, combined with a polycarbonate backing in a proprietary press and manufacturing process, has created some of the lightest armor on the market available to most budgets. Picture a ceramic tea cup with a small chip or hairline crack in it. If you're stacking a dozen plates on top of each other that might be an issue over a long period of time. At what point in your law enforcement or military activity are you using “extreme care?” Whether it’s being used in an active threat situation or just being tossed into the trunk of a squad car, the idea of “extreme care” seems like a complete disconnect with the world in which you live on a daily basis. "I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery". The majority of armor plates are based on the US Military’s medium-sized SAPI plate, which measures 9.5”W x 12.5”H. Typically consisting of a set of ballistic plates, front and rear plate bag, shoulder straps connecting the two and either a cummerbund or strap made of webbing connecting at the sides. Body armor can be made from materials readily available in your local store, and depending on the type of armor you want to build, here are some of the body armors most people use. Nos in proélio, `` do not overthink it, gentlemen make sure he 's right though, 's. Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited on top of each other that might be issue. Long term storage community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of types! For effective projectile resistance are used as well as the backing materials good idea to have plates. Large and assume you ’ re speaking about the up-armor plates for body armor are. Certified or compliant with NIJ 0101.06 Level IV Stand Alone ballistic solution use of this without... 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