AR500 Body Armor 

Aint it crazy how far plates have come in both quality and price , just since this video 3 years ago?!

Sootch passing off bad info as per usual. These were not tested by the NIJ. Their web site clearly states its “in house tested” with NIJ standards. You do more harm than good with your videos I swear.

Just purchased 2 front and back and 2 side AR500 plates on ebay for $112!!! I hope they're the real deal :/

If the bullet does not KILL you then the FRAGMENTATION (spall) most certainly WILL. An anti spall coat is essential & adds to the cost of the plates. (Warning: Ebay sells multitudes of plates without mentioning an anti spall coat placement). The bullet breaks into many separate fragments when it hits steel. Those pieces will enter the cranium or limbs as deeply & fatally as the intact bullet would have. Purchase anti spall with your plates or do not bother buying the plates at all.

Figured they would cost way more than $85... That's a steal.

Thanks for the review sootch00, +1 to the fragmentation comments though, it beats taking the round through a vital but it would be a good idea to find something to capture or otherwise shield yourself from the frags.

It seems like the bullet shrapnel would fly up and hit you in the face though. Is that what would happen?

Oh how far things have come. AR500 still going strong!

Buy 30 of these and turn your dumpy little compact into an APC for $1950!

If at all possible, could you test 5.45x39? Ive noticed a lot of penetration from 5.45x39 over other rounds.

"Long live the republic", good man. Too often you hear people, whether it be on the television or radio, combine "democracy" and "United States" in the same sentence. One of the more increasingly popular media outlets, Democracy Now, actually founded their name based on this common societal misapprehension. It's just refreshing to see somebody who refuses to be fooled. Great video.

I have shot one of the plates with a .338 lapua and all it did was put a big ding in it. AR500 plates are awesome!

Clash of Clan players!! The clan "Guns Of Liberty" is a Constitutional Clan. 2nd Amendment American Patriot types needed.

Hey ***** are the plate carrying vests adjustable? Didn't see a sizing chart on AR500 site.

Sweet!

+sooch00 Curiosity got the best of me. I took an AR500 plate and tested to see what can stop the spall, and be replaced. Using standard 5.56.......Test 1, 15 layers of gorilla tape. (fail) test 2 was 25 layers of gorilla tape (fail) test 3, 40 layers of gorilla tape (5/8" thick!).... success! Curiosity satisfied.....

3 Aug 16 - Update to my comment below. AR500 received my ammo pouches on 12 Jul 16, still have not received replacement .308 ammo pouches. Just tried to call them, been on hold for 10 minutes and their phone msg is ANOTHER 20 minutes. Don't think so! Have requested an RMA to return all their stuff. A good product with bad customer service equals a bad customer experience and I am tired of dealing with them. Will buy some gear from their competitors, customer service can't be any worse.

9 Aug 16 - FINALLY received my .308 ammo pouches. As I stated below, AR500 received back the wrong ammo pouches they had sent, on 12 Jul 16. So, nearly a month to send the replacement pouches. They did NOT send me an RMA to send all their gear back to them. They sent me a $30 gift certificate to make up for the incompetence. Don't plan to spend it, life is too short to wait on their stuff. I'll let you determine if all that is good/bad customer service.

I've a lot of reviews of AR500 armor, mostly with plates from AR500Armor.com, and I was wondering how Cati Armor ( www.catiarmor.com/# ) stacks up? It claims to be AR500 and AR600 steel, but I'd never heard of it before a friend asked me about it. I definitely like their multi-curve design better than the more well known multi-curve plates from AR500Armor.com. I was wondering if you could do a comparison?

This is the armor I would recommend to anyone. They do make three sizes, 8x10, 10x12, 11x13. There is about a 7 week lead time which I think is how long it takes to put your order together. I live in phoenix az so I just went to the store and bought my full kit the same day for only $412

I like the armor and the carrier, but their customer service stinks. I ordered the body armor with the carrier and additional .308 ammo pouches. They sent the wrong ammo pouches. Notified them of their error and they sent a UPS label for return. Been waiting over two weeks since they received my returns for the replacement ammo pouches, but it seems they're "busy." Hell, who isn't! If I had it to do over, I would NOT oder from them and would seek out one of their competitors. Maybe they're not too "busy," to take care of their customers. I contacted their customer service four times now. Twice they did not respond, now I keep getting a different story. Getting ready to send the entire lot back and start over.

What country do you live in and what is it that you can't buy? I've been working on some hillbilly "SAPI plates" based on other people's testing of PEI grade 5 porcelain floor tiles. I would NOT consider them as good as Level III or IV NIJ rated plates or AR500 "armor" but so far looks like it would work ok if your choices are limited. I'll continue testing and posting my results but I think you could make a reasonably effective plate from two PEI grade 5 tiles and bed liner.

Take it easy on that dude. I have a feeling he's gonna go apeshit. He started spamming the shit out of me with a bunch of PMs claiming how he was a Marine and he's fighting for my freedom and all and telling me how I should spend my money. He seems to be taking this shit REAL seriously. I let him know that I've been down range myself and that I wasn't interested in "advice" from a supposed service member with "sarge" in his name. Then I looked at his channel. Nothing but airsoft poser stuff.

Kinda. First off, that energy is no more than the energy imparted to the shooter's shoulder when the round was fired. Simple physics. Second, the energy is dispersed over a wide area and significant mass. Ceramic plates can actually produce some back face deformation and are lighter. Although a shot to a ceramic plate wouldn't hurt much, either, it can actually hurt a tad more than with a steel plate. It is also recommended that you wear a steel plate in conjunction with a Kevlar backer.

Search "UNOFFICIAL DIY Armor and stuff thread *PIC HEAVY*" in GD. A few guys tested with bed liner. Cliff's notes: Surface preparation is critical. Herculiner of at least 1/4" works well for a few rounds. Herculiner of at least 1/2" works well for dozens of rounds. Line X also works well but can be expensive. Duplicolor is total shit and not worth trying. At the end of the thread floor tiles are discussed as field expedient or low cost plates. Promising results. See my channel for one test.

Got a link? I did a test with calibrated gelatin: /watch?v=LNoKHNHuWQk The fragmentation could cause a pretty serious wound, possibly even life threatening if a large enough piece of jacket hit the femoral, brachial, or carotid arteries. As mentioned above, Kevlar and/or Herculiner bed liner do a fantastic job of stopping the fragmentation.

We've tried quite a few combinations of adhesives and materials to contain fragmentation on our armor. We can say with confidence that High Density foam won't do much. The good news is that we've found a combination of materials that does help contain bullet fragment =), we'll be posting details on this shortly.

Maybe I'm just a privileged white guy living in a non-violent section of a major city but it's hard to imagine actually needing this as a civilian that doesn't have a job in law enforcement or something that requires me to carry. Anyway, great review and thanks for uploading. It seems like a really good product and very affordable.

Basic physics. Assuming the plate is not penetrated by the bullet, you are unlikely to have any injury from the impact itself. The plate is heavier than the rifle which fired the bullet and distributes the impact over a much wider area. The fragments of the bullet could cause significant injury.

You're right about that. OIF/OEF is about our very survival. As a rule, I generally take things that people say on the internet with a grain of salt. When people start beating their chest and hollering about how they are/were a service member, I generally assume they're full of shit.

Sootch, I'm afraid this one is a swing and a miss. You have no protection from spalling with a bare plate. You won't get a round through your chest, but your face and arms are going to get torn up if you don't mitigate the spall.

I was just looking at some of these on eBay. The ones I found were suddenly removed though. Made me wonder why. I am definitely getting one for my MCR1 chest rig. Thanks for the video and link!

I'm sorry, Sport. I'll be sure to run all my purchases by you first to make sure it meets your approval. Good thing you know what other people should be doing with their money.

Our carriers by themselves do not offer ballistic protection; they are designed to accept ballistic inserts. Most of our carrier packages include our level III AR500 Armor plates, however.

Someone probably should mention that you need a spray shield around these. Other wise all those shattered bullet fragments just got into your neck and groin. Then you're just as dead.

agreed. Iv seen ar500 defeat 30.06 from 50 yards. Like sootch said I rather have some fragments in my chin than a sucking chest wound and MASSIVE trauma.

I work for a steel company so AR plate is easy to get and cheap for me I can get these for half of what this video says helps being in sales making my own for my family just need to get the vest !!

After reading the comments a lot of you aren't familiar with this product and don't know what you're talking about. How about going to their website and reading what they tell you about it

I feel for you, though you might be surprised about the last part. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a LOT of guns squirreled away.

As mentioned earlier, Herculiner does a good job if you do a good job of surface preparation and apply it at least a quarter inch thick.

I haven't personally tested the Herculiner but there is a thread running on AR15.com now where several people have tested it.

just ordered my AR500 armor, Urban Go Plate Carrier and pouches, cant go wrong for the price

Quick question Sootch, what do you think of the soft spall blocker pads that you put in front of the steel plate to reduce spalling injuries? Do you think these would also be an effective spalling protection measure? I tend to think that even if the bare metal plate stops the bullet you could still be severely injured by the pieces of copper that fly out in every direction. If you are out in the woods hunting (legally of course) when an accident happens that could still be a fatal injury. Thus I think some extra spalling protection would be desirable for at least the front of the body.

I'm trying to figure out- if you get hit while wearing this, do you still get the audible ping sound? :)

I got the same holder and the new plates . Mine is Metal with the coating . And it says 20 year shelf life . So what dose that mean ?

Don't use this shit please!!!!

Fragmentation protection is coming very soon! keep an eye out. We appreciate all the interest!

Love the video. I agree with your idea of home defense necessity. i purchased a Palm armor vest which is rated level lll 3A. I then purchased some International Armor Titanium/steel plates to up armor to level lll. I wanted to get some AR500 plates, but they were to big for my vest. You are right though, You can't beat their quality and price point. Keep up the great vids. Be Safe:)

Am I the only one who is considering that steel is going to deflect the projectiles. Which means it will splatter in all directions. Potentially contacting arteries in the legs, or the face and neck? Not trying to be a hater, just throwing it out there. I have ceramic plates in a banshee carrier as well though.

Yes, the price is extremely attractive, but the are VERY heavy. I am currently running SAPI plates @ 6.5 lbs each in a Condor Modular Plate Carrier with a full load out, and my shoulders ache for 1-2 days after wearing for 6+ hours a day. I am seriously looking at upgrading to a lightweight option like DKX Max Level III @ 2.9lbs each. They are stand-alone level 3, absorb some of the bullet energy (metal plates just transfer it to you- resulting in more trauma) and they float! YMMV :)

I shoot ar500 steel all the time and have never pierced it yet. I have a video of a bunch of friends and myself putting 7.62 x51, 7.62x39 and 5.56 rapidly in to ar500 steel with no penetration. Over 1000 rounds total, durring one day of shooting. Now that is good!

Solution to fragmentation is coming! We'll be posting details soon on our new product!

I agree with OEP great find! Sure these guys are going to get a ton of business now

Nice. I was looking to get a plate carrier and some plates....everything was priced at more than $600. I think it's a good buy! Gonna order 1 or 2 soon :D Thanks for the review!!!!!

I live in Portugal. I haven't checked the legality but buying kevlar might be off limits. Herc liner, I'm sure there's comparable products available but it's not like trucks are that common. We're also limited on ammunition and it is expensive. I'd also have to cross halfway trough the country where some friends have property where we could test plates. It's also not that realistic to expect being shot when SHTF in this place. I'd worry more about molotovs and knives tied to broomsticks.

It's called spalling. Yes it happens and if you watch their test videos you see the spalling blowing out the sides of the plate carrier the plates are in. However, after a long bit of research I found an instance of a law enforcement officer shot 14 times in the plate at close range and suffered minimal injuries from the spalling (he was struck in the body with 3 of the shots but survived). A way to mitigate the fragments escaping the vest you can purchase an old test vest and wrap the plates

>do you live under a rock? they happen everyday, literally! Not in the same place. Where the hell do you live if you have to fend off hurricanes, earthquakes and mobs every day? >if you have time to put on sappi plates then how could you claim self defense The Korean store owners had time to climb their stores and stand on their roofs to fend off the mob. This is for SHTF. Want to use it for SD? Fine! But I'd prefer to use this when there is no rule of law and survival > legality.

Fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and really angry mobs etc. are not exactly common occurrences, but they happen. I think this is more guided to the prepper (sootch even mentioned the advantage of re-using on a situation where you can't buy any more plates). It's a stretch to assume this is marketed towards everyday use. If people can have firearms to protect their life from situations that aren't that common, why not plates?

Im a former active duty usmc and worked on ballistic armor and design. I see what your trying to say here with the plates being flat as opposed to curved but there are significant advantages to these plates over the Esapi's you guys are using. As he annotated in the video they are working on retro fitting the plates so that they reduce the bullet fragments from tearing into you. These new plates are a real game changer. You will likely see them being fielded as a replacement for your sapis.

Please forgive me if I seem ignorant but currently I wear a 3a Kevlar SBA (soft body armor) with an external carrier. Would it not make more sense to have a soft body armor with plate inserts rated to level 4? Because of the nature of solid plates it doesn't give full protection on the sides and closer to the armpits.In addition to the level 4 protection identical to the product shown in the video.Plus it's added layer of protection and SBA is lightweight so it would not add much overall.

Sootch! Be advised with those steel plates. Youll want to buy yourself some kevlar to wrap around it. When the plate is hit with a round you get extreme spalling ie fragmentation that essentially blows out in a circle from where it impacts the plate. The spalling is basically shrapnel and unless its captured inside kevlar, you could get hit and get shredded up by the sharpnel. Theres numerous threads online where people are discussing how to do it. And apparently kevlar fabric is somehwat cheap.

A MAJOR problem i see with these any shooter can pick up on. What happens when the the round shatters or deflects. YOU WILL get hit in the arm, maybe a leg or head/throat. Go shoot a steel target and see what happens. The round SHATTERSs or DEFLECTS on a vertical plane and any part of your body breaking that plane is fair game and will be hit. Ceramics may be good for one to a few hits but they catch the bullet. Dragon skin armor is expensive but can handle a barrage of gunfire.

Be prepared for a backlog and a fairly long wait time. I ordered 4 plates in mid november and they were shipped last night (Feb 13). Sootch has undoubtedly increased order volume for this great Arizona company so the wait may have gotten even longer. The low cost and marked effectiveness is worth the wait though.

Thanks I really appreciate this video. I have been in the market for home defense armor for a while and it is difficult to know where to star. There is a lot of information and company's out there and if I am going to be trusting my life to something I want to make the right choice. Your video helps me know what questions to ask while shopping

sootch, I appreciate the heads up on these, they will be my next purchase ... waiting on PFI to get the gunslinger 2s instock and get mine shipped out. I wear a backpack everyday so that option is great too. I just need to figure out a carrier. b/t you and Nutn' I have my homework cut out for me.

Better yet AR500 make a Kevlar Pouch that is removable/replaceable so when the plate takes a hit the whole thing doesnt need to be replaced. I would love one of these plates but cannot trust my safety to something that will almost definetly cause me to bleed out from a arterial wound.

I assume only the standard plate is offered for lefty shooters due to the curvature of the advanced shooter option. Great video, your channel is awesome.

I looked into the thread you directed me to, interesting stuff as I've never read past the first few pages. The Herc + kelvar would be something I'd do if I wasn't in such a restrictive country. You have some badass gel tests too.

Just so people know, I ordered my plates and carrier w/ upgraded spalling protection on 2/27 from AR500 and have yet to receive it. Also, US GRUNT GEAR INFIDEL WAR BELT ordered on 2/23 and have yet to receive it.

I might be "old fashioned", and "old school" about some things, and others, I "get" rather quickly. Explain to me the reasons that would serve "John Q./Jane Q. Public", and me, well in purchasing body armor.

As much as we all try it is not possible to prepare for every possible situation. Medically speaking I do not care what type of vest or protection you have. If you take a hit to the carotid you are DRT

Also i saw a video of someone shooting a plate numerous times while it was in a plate carrier. After so many rounds the plate almost fell out of the carrier that was torn to shreds from the spalling.

I bought a set of 4(2 - 10x12 and 2 6x6) off ebay, 147.50 that was shipping and all, beveled with combat cut, comes with left and right combat cut and you just put the cut you don't need in the back slot.

i love all of the claims that received these and swear that they are " great" and "worth the money" how many of you bought these and then proceeded to end up in a firefight with them?....

Thank you Sootch! Just purchased from plate + 2 side plates. Will get a back plate later. I saw some super light one's from DKX Advanced Manufacturing. 1 lb each! Can't beat that.

Sootch! I own a pair of these in the ASC and they rock! Very comfortable to wear with the right vest and a standard load out of 4 mags and 3 pistol mags. Great review and great company

So how do you protect your face? If you get hit in the chest, that bullet is going to fragment, so how do you protect your head/arms/toes anything that may get hit by lead shrapnel?

Be sure to coat your plate in a rhino lining type material to help with fragmentation. Or buy some kevlar and run a layer in front of the plate to help prevent ricochet and frag.

yea but the fragmentation would tear the hell out of your face arms and legs..... where all the vital artery parts are exposed. This plate without kevlar is a death trap.

Hey Sootch. I remebered you were from South Carolina. I have made a video for the Gun Rally today and would appreciate if you could share with your viewers. Thanks so much!

The spalling is easily fixed. Some kevlar fabric and done. I have done it, tested it and now use it in my get home kit.

AR15 dot com has a few threads of people using kevlar to stop splatter for a few rounds. There's also some talk about truck bedliner but I've seen no testing.

Any answers on 6x8 plates sagging out, i read someone saying 6x6 did not.

Open wound to the chest or the bullet fragmenting and possibly injuring you....ill take the chance. Its a good economical choice and better than nothing.

It's better to have so JUST IN CASE you get into a firefight, you don't die the first time you get hit! Is it that hard to understand?! Sheesh...

Cant imagine how painful it will be getting the bullet remains in the face, neck and so on. Guess its better than getting shot, but still?

Ar500 is great one disadvantage its heavy i prefer ceramic plate only 2 kilos lightweight

A properly applied coat of Herculiner will contain the fragments.

Price went up?

Sweet I would like to have some! They do make multi hit cause I have some level 4 multi hits that test multiple hit 308

Good review. Although you should have got the build up they offer for fragmentation. You can also buy spall armor sleeves to slip them in and to put in your vest

Now when people shot at someone with it you'll hear a nice "TINK" haha but in all seriousness I bought a few

Would the plate carrier control the bullet spray? Ceramic/composite plates capture the round and steel doesn't.

this is body armor, wrecks and fires are a common occurrence, not so much firefights, nice try though

can you send me the used one, i'll pay something for it plus shipping? i cant afford much, any help?

Awesome video. i was looking at them the other day and will be buying some as soon as i get a chance

Has anyone done a transfer of energy test on different rounds fired? I have seen a lot of tests to show puncture resistance but none on reducing hydrostatic shock. I would like to see a test of armor and carrier with those patches that they use in Deadliest Warrior. A fake head set above the entire system to show the effect of spall would also be helpful. I went to the website but the suggestion link has been disabled. Can you contact ar500 and maybe get this going? Thanks

I saw some pics of raw AR500 plates that were shot inside of a cardboard box. The splatter pattern sprayed fragments 360 degrees around the flat plate. Those little chucks of bullet cut the crap out of that cardboard box. After a few AR15 rounds, the box was cut in half. So, it seems like the bullet just explodes when it hits the steel. Splatter is going to hit your arms (if they are forward), under your chin and maybe your legs too. (If they are forward of the plate). Bad news.

WOW... nice reporting BUT a choice of a sucking chest wound OR a serious shrapnel wound in the neck/jaw/face??? You're down and out in either case! BUT as far as a possible fix to the splatter effect for a round exploding on that plate? How about maybe a semi thin piece of kevlar attached to the front of the plate to absorb the bits and pieces of the copper/steel going UP into ones face?

Thank you so much Sootch, I got on to their site and placed an order for my son who will be graduating from the police academy in a few more weeks. They will supply him with soft armor but this is something I can give him besides teaching him how to shoot. He made me proud when he showed his intructors in the army how to handle a Ma Deuce ( taught him) and now at the academy he is out shooting his instuctors (Taught him) Thanks from an old Vietnam Vet