Level IV Body Armor for $100? Botach Battle Steel 

Nice grab on the table! Great test!

Please advise if you have a discount code for these plates?

@@xauxi28 I wish. Just a regular affiliate link. : bit.ly/3KHlMTU

@@wilywildrat1958 They have semi-poor customer service that has improved over the years, but still is nothing to write home about. Are you trying to place an order? Fix an order? Or just have questions? I think emailing them might get you faster results.

@@wilywildrat1958 I’m getting the same type of “response” I asked for an eta and I got “I can’t give a solid eta, they should be coming in shortly.” I’m about to cancel my payment through paypal

Thanks. I truly do appreciate it. I'm deeply grateful that those who do find me find my information useful in some way :D!

@@BuffRANGEGlad to have found your channel. While ballistic testing isn't at the forefront of my interests, I can certainly appreciate a man who takes his craft seriously. Your videos are very well choreographed, and more importantly you maintain a very respectably controlled testing environment. Far too many videos elsewhere that have to relegated to being nothing beyond anecdotal because there were no controls in-place. Bravo.

@@bn9022 Thank you :D

I ordered some of these for family just because of these reviews.

Me too! real world testing on video w/ chrono and clay is the proof I need. Battle Steel gets hate because the materials come from Chy-Na but truthfully, China has been making our chemicals and drugs for us for like 2 decades or more they have manufacturing/Chemical superiority to us. This is why they can sell materials cheaper. Your Iphone and Car Stereos come from Chy-na, too! These plates work.Chy-Na or not-- they work.

Unfortunately these plates are really bad as per this video. Not something us military vets would buy. Horrible review.

@@CB-ux5xc dude u go around trashing all armor videos or something. Iv seen ur comments on multiple vids. Why is this plate not great? If it stops 30 06 ap it's a good plate. And multiple hits.

@@CB-ux5xc Unfortunately, for you, no one gives a shit what you have to say...

Glad I could be of assistance. I try to answer the questions I myself always ask when I look at stuff like this, and if I can help someone it's worth it!

100% when it comes to equipment your life depends on. Its hard to trust anyone.

This is a good review...another good one is MrGunsnGear's...he always makes them fail, and these almost beat him...hahaha

Russell Ream low chance...It’s the 2nd most popular AR-15 round next to M193...I would specifically “count on running into it” IMHO

Chris B if you’re referring to M855, there’s no tungsten in that. Also M855 doesn’t do well at all vs armor

iDreamOfWeenie correct! M193 does a better job defeating armor.

Chris B the tungsten core stuff is in black tip armor piercing 30-06

@@RockinRack I would remove this comment considering M855a1 is strictly a military round and you could be charged with possessing said round as a civilian.

Thanks. Maybe not enough entertainment, or maybe I'm not that appealing on camera? I am a very shy person, and only in some of my newer videos have I really worked on "warming up to the camera". Sometimes I draw videos out longer than needed, but at the same time, I want to help as many people as I can, so the more info the better, and with 2x playback length sometimes isn't an issue

@@BuffRANGE This was a ton of great info. Your channel is outstanding.

@@ForkliftBadger Thank you!

you have to say that to whom?

@@beniciogro9170 to you obviously you Muppet.

@@nicktombs1876 hey I'm really sorry, but youtube doesn't have a crayon font, so I'll attempt a second time while typing much slower for you. Who....thinks....otherwise....that.....you....had.....to......say....that?

@@beniciogro9170 by fuck you're thick.

Beg to defer depends on what you get hit with your gonna hit the ground once you get hit regardless

Some manufacturers of Level IV plates claim 'multi hit' feature, which is theoretically allows to withstand up to 5 rounds. But if bullets were sanded in the same ceramic tile crater it could show dramatically different results even with non AP bullets. I think that over 5 rounds is too much and not fair for monolithic tile plates because they 'spider net' crack from first round, unless you decide to honeycomb it for fun.

NIJ 0101.06 only requires the armor to stop 1 round of AP, so failing on the 3rd round of tungsten core AP isn't a bad performance.

The Slovenly Tactician He only fired one tungsten round

@@christophegroulx8187 Right. Meant to say failing on the 3rd round that's tungsten core isn't bad.

Lol

Thank you for the sub! I strive to bring the data to the table over being how you say an "influencer"/entertainer/whatever you want to call it. I genuinely am always thinking about stuff like this, and if my answers can help someone then that makes my day!

Thank you. I really like testing armor. The varying constructions, and materials and how they can stop bullets is very interesting to me :D

Thanks!

You’re welcome. I have many more to watch and more to do!

Probably not. He got a fair hit with it, and for what it's worth UHMWPE cores don't like tungsten AT ALL due to their high hardness. I think he did a test on a level III+ UHMWPE standalone plate, and a hot 9x19mm tungsten AP round (Bundeswehr service ammo, DM91) went clean through. It only hit at about 1600fps, but the high hardness really helped it there. I guess it goes to show why most high-end plates are ceramic/UHMWPE composite, but even then that doesnt help when the round has high power too (like with M993). This does make me wonder, however, why the Germans designed the 9x19mm DM91 round in the 1990's. It still didn't have the power to make it through the ceramic plates that were currently available (which would not have been as weak to a tungsten core as UHMWPE plates are), and of course they didn;t have UHMWPE plates back then either. So the round was too weak to go through plates in use back then, the UHMWPE plates we have now didn;t exist back then for a tungsten core to exploit the weakneses of, and for penetrating kevlar and other aramid materials tungsten doesn't make a difference and what you'd really want is speed (excess of ~2000fps). Something to think about...

@@AdotLOM underrated comment

Adam how do you know they liked it

@@BuffRANGE It's in their RU-vid channel's liked videos playlist

Hehe... :D

Thanks for watching!

Thank you! Cheers!

Hard to say without using the actual NIJ clay but you’ve seen the guy online who got shot point blank with his armor while standing on 1 foot by .308 and he was ok.

@@BuffRANGE Holy crap! The balls on that man haha...I'll pass on that. I have to watch that now

Always wear a trauma pad to back up your plates

Fractured rib is often better than a chunk of metal floating around in there. 😉

Thanks!

Nice. Did you happen to use my link to earn me some credit from Botach :D

Same thanks Trump check and yes I did use your link buffman

@@zapzach22 Thanks! It helps offset the costs of these tests!

Actually botech screwed me on my order. If you look into botech reviews they are terrible and I see why now.

that's the downside to thinner and lighter plates is they give more on backface. NIJ allows up to 44mm and that's quite a bit.

@@BuffRANGE Trying to figure out what's a good middle ground. 16 pounds is a lot for plates for RMA that shows nearly no deformation at all and Botach where it looks like I'm going to get punched in the stomach every time I take a hit.

@@mss47150 Yeah, it's a lot of research for picking the right set.

Yep. Infact I just got it in today. Not sure when I will test it. Aren't they the only ones making a "level III"? I recall only helmets being IIIA, but I'm not up to speed on what exists.

@@BuffRANGE Nice! i am excited for it, i hope it performs well.

@@BuffRANGE 3m L110 is level III, but it costs 1400 USD. Newtech got a Level III helmet as well, and i think one more brand in the same price range as 3m, but cant recall the name.

Nick yes

Yep these are WORST case scenarios and dispelling internet rumors :D

@@BuffRANGE Roger that. Great testing!

BLACK THORN they really need to up their CS game.

@@BuffRANGE I agree. This will be my first and last purchase with this company. From what I've seen it's a great product but if you have crappy customer service it doesn't matter. It's like having a crappy waitress at a restaurant does matter how good the food is to get terrible service you're not going back

@@laughingcoffin3210 Be aware there is a scam that is hitting that site. An email may be sent saying they dont have your information anymore. Contact the company directly and confirm. Something didnt seem right. But i got the product anyway after confirming with the company.

@@11puhlr thanx for the heads up...

I got mine after waiting 2 weeks, I had messaged them and was a little frustrated but the plates shipped and I got them in good condition. The packaging was a little skimp in my opinion but, they were fine.I think they wait for the plates to arrive then ship, because mine were manufactured like 1 or 2 days before they shipped.

That's only because the first shot was close to the edge. But yes it is a danger with ceramic plates. I doubt it would cause anything more and a superficial wound though. If the round hits near the center of the plate there shouldn't be any fragments coming out of the sides of the plate or carrier.

Unless the broken ribs splinter into your lungs or heart lol

Link to the LA Police Gear Level IV? I'd take the Botach or the AL203 Militech if I wanted super cheap.

@@BuffRANGE Seems like the double curve and weight on the Botach would be the better value, but the certs from militech inspire a little more confidence. Although mrginsngear's review of the LAPG level 3 was impressive too having stood up to the M2AP although with a lot of BFD, but it probably shows well for their level 4. Here's the LAPG level 4: lapolicegear.com/la-police-gear-level-iv-ballistic-armor-plate.html What are your thoughts on tile arrays vs a monolithic plate? Does it make an appreciable difference? It seems to me that tile array wood be better at stopping cracks from spreading.

Just ordered 2 RMA Level IV #1155 plates for $255.48 delivered. Ordered them yesterday and my tracking email has them en route with delivery scheduled for this Wednesday. 3 days from order to delivery for plates made in the USA that have an NIJ certificate for Level IV. Buy American.

@@gregsicinski8138 I buy American when I can but I'm not about to run around with nearly 17 pounds of plates on.

12 vs 16 pounds. Think about why there's the weight difference. But hey, you put your priorities where you do and I will with mine. I'll trust a lot of stuff to Chinese manufacturing but not my plates, ammo or firearms. Some things you don't skimp on.

@@gregsicinski8138 That's an increase of 33%. That's pretty huge.

2 plates and carrier for 200 right now

Yes indeed. I have gotten up to around 3250-3300 fps. I did a test awhile back where I used RMA's 1189 plate and it stopped 3 out of 4 of those going 3200+ fps. I believe an experienced reloader could get them above 3300 in the 300 WM, but 3200 is a safe bet for me.

I still want to see what an M2 AP bullet will do traveling over 3500 fps in a .30-378 Weatherby Magnum.

TreeWizard648 one time I put a compressed load of 102 grains of H1000 behind a 110 Sierra varmint round in my .300RUM and it came out at 4480fps. Lost the bullet as it never hit the paper at 100 yards. I think it spun apart with the 1:10 twist. Lost the primer, stuck the bolt, and split the case neck and broke the trigger. Firing pin also left an indentation in the back of the bolt. I too wonder about how fast you could propel an AP round...🤔

LongFri makes good stuff and has been in business awhile. Should they seek NIJ certification to prove that? Indeed they should, but that would add to cost. I have no qualms about giving this plate a nod. Are there better out there? Certainly, but will cost more in weight and $$$.

@@BuffRANGE appreciate the quick response! Just to be clear, longfri is in Pamona, Botach is in Vegas, and these are manufactured in China. I had never even heard of longfri before you mentioned them. The Botach Battle Steel lvl 4 ceramic plates are affiliated with each of these 3 companies right?

Where is their plate made?

Yes. Which one did you get? I have used the single curve LAPG in many videos. It's a solid budget plate.

@@BuffRANGE believe it’s the single curve. Were on sale for 119$ each

The 30-06 is steel core not tungsten :)

@@BuffRANGE Hmm, I was under the impression that M2AP was a tungsten core bullet.

It's basically a tool steel.: Bullet Weight: 163.6gr Bullet Length: 1.366" Core Weight: 80.6r Core Length: 1.081" Hardness: 60 RHC (tested two spots). I've read the spec calls for 65RHC Material Makeup: .805% Mn 99.196% FE

Indeed!

Which one?

Not really. The ceramic frags coming off the plate are not traveling near as fast as jacket frags would if they were splashing off steel. These do a pretty good job at containing the ceramic as well.

@@BuffRANGE makes sense, appreciate the reply! Going to buy a set

You're still going to get fragments/spalling off the plate, but typically those are ceramic fragments. If you look sometimes at the front of the table where I shoot them, you can see a blasting effect from that. Adding the carrier and gear on top will help, but not totally eliminate. Who's spall guards are you looking at?

@@BuffRANGE i was doing some shopping around was looking at spartan and premier for around the 40 dollar a pop price range. I also found a few much lesser known ones in pairs for 50 to 60. Plus some unknown brands on ebay for like 40 a pair. So im thinking i could probably go a bit cheaper on the spall liner since ive got a shellback carrier, and its got some pretty thick material and lining. Plus i still need trauma pads.

Thanks for the sub! If you appreciate armor testing to the extreme that's what I'm here for :D

@@BuffRANGE definitely. I'm recommending your channel to my buddies as well

@@LSMG2004 I appreciate it! If I can help someone out with info that makes my day!

I would. I’d trust them more if they post their Third Party Ballistic Lab test info as well as the frequency in which they are re-tested.

Right on, good point. Placed an order last night for two battlesteel IV plates. Thanks for the video on these, was on the fence.

How long did they take to ship? I placed an order on June 3 and it still says "awaiting processing".

Gun Broker is about the only place M993 pops up from time to time.

Not sure I understand?

If weight isn't a concern I think the RMA is a better value at that price point.

@@BuffRANGE interesting. Thanks for the feedback. Great video btw very informative

I have a level IIIa and a Level III+ :0. Need to get them into the mix

@@BuffRANGE pleeease!

Test the old school pasgt style and one from a company like Hoplite 😁

Lower manufacturing cost, cheaper materials, less brand name markup?

Buffman - R.A.N.G.E. Just got mine after seeing one review. Now seeing your review makes me want to get another pair.

maybe if you did it repeatedly.. The edges I think are of more concern, but the NIJ felt that it was important enough to add drop testing to NIJ 06, and manufacturers added foam to help lessen the chance of it being an issue.

@@BuffRANGE i think that’s a huge issue because I have 5.56 mags on the front of my chest. Now me being 200lbs takes contact and has to go prone quickly and you dive on the plate. I would want a guarantee that it held up and is capable of catching that round.

@@devinlindberg253 You ever see The Chopping Block take a sledge hammer repeatedly to a ceramic plate, and then shoot it? There are plenty of NIJ 04 plates around that never had ceramic strike face protection. If you are out and about constantly dropping to prone on top of the plates, then yeah it's going to be a concern, and you should test your plates often for cracks/crunching.

Did you miss the part where M193 at 3,400 fps was stopped

Yeaaaa I was impatient, sorry hahaha

​@@BuffRANGEyeaaaa I was impatient, sorry about that

a pure UHMWPE plate will stop M193. Those plates M855 is the concern :D

Buffman - R.A.N.G.E. Yeah I would expect a pass through w/ green tip. I ordered the 3a+ plates and was thinking about getting the 3a+ soft in the future. I’m just a civilian these days, so I expect the majority of threats would be pistol. I decided to forfeit rifle rating for weight & bulk reasons, as I’d be more likely to throw on a 5-6lb kit concealed for my milk runs. Just would be nice to know if that combo “could” stop cheap ball 556.

Took about 3 weeks. They certainly don't have the best track record for on time shipping.

I have a pair of these plates. My wife got them for me as a birthday present. For some reason, she only ordered one, which shipped within a couple days of her placing the order. The 2nd plate I ordered, showed it would ship in two weeks. After one week, the shipping status changed to 8 weeks. I called an complained, and ended up getting my plate in about 6 weeks. As far as I'm concerned, the quality to price ratio was worth the wait. They did not charge my card until the day my 2nd plate was in house and prepared for shipping, the following day.

The Botach has edge to edge coverage. Very similar construction to the RF2 I just tested.

Yes. XSAPI plates. ( in theory). Or possibly RMa 1192 or Adept colossus. Maybe some highcom and LTC stuff. Possibly Hesco. All depends on the threats you want to stop.

@@BuffRANGE copy. Thank you

NEreloading is where I get them from time to time, or GunBroker.

Go to GunBroker and open your wallet :D

@@BuffRANGE I don't think my wallet is that big! LOL.

Russ Josey there plenty close to it. "Hasgacha Pratit" means divine Providence but basically has the same connotation.

You're right it used to be 2850 +/- 50, and now it's 2880 fps +/- 30. Can the FRAS handle M2AP at 3200 + fps?

It can be. The ceramic pieces would be going slower than the bullet fragments that the steel would be shedding off it.

@@BuffRANGE thank you for the fast reply and great video!

David Jensen yeah M993 is rare on civilian market and $30 is current value of it

I was so confused for a minute, I thought you were saying he was a liberal. I was about to freak out, then I remembered he was shooting lefty.

@@tackytrooper Liberals aren't lefties you moron

@@christophegroulx8187 whatt?

Teru Mikami They are centrists

I would say the 1155 ceramic is a little more durable, mainly because it's alumina, vs the SIC used here. RMA's PE backing material seems to hold up better than most, as I wonder if they have better ability for pressing/shaping/forming the material than most.

@@BuffRANGE Thanks, I appreciate the detail and the data. I'm going to be buying some 1155 plates soon.

Got a link?

@@BuffRANGE ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pd17qcuf5LI.html

@@VinnyTuberino That's a very interesting tile design, and those tiles are THICk. Looks like a good contender for my torture test. The lack of backface on their test could be because of the bag of gravel they were using. Also note that their M2-AP even from that 24" barrel is likely 100-200+ fps SLOWER than the NIJ spec 2880 :D

@@BuffRANGE Level IV multi-curve alumina for only $170 that performs that well is a steal, granted it's not NIJ certified. Life is about trade-offs. Looking forward to your testing!

IMO these do everything they say they will. If these are "just in case" or when shtf, and you're not using them for active duty, that extra $35/plate goes a long way

Buffman - R.A.N.G.E. Amen. I’m a single father of three and yes sir it’s just for “just in case” or a “shtf” situation. I appreciate the feedback and awesome video. Definitely subscribing.

@@gafan-mi8mc The major complaint is Botach's horrible Customer Service and ship times. People are getting items, but some complaints of it taking more time than needed.

Buffman - R.A.N.G.E. Yes sir and after rereading your comment I think I finally caught on plus after watching your RMA review which thanks for that I believe that is definitely the route to go seeing how there is a major difference in backface deformation. Your awesome for doing these tests. And one last clarification it was RMA 1155 correct?

@@gafan-mi8mc Yes the 1155 is the NIJ certified Level IV budget plate. Back when I first tested it, was 1145 then they changed the foam and it became 1155

Polaris589 the drop test? It’s to simulate a person falling on the plates face. This is an NIJ protocol test and all 06 certified plates have foam on the face to protect it.

Yep. I'd have to ask Manner's if the stock is 100% Carbon Fiber, as it's the OEM stock for that gun.

It can't hurt, but most NIJ level IV I test are standalone and have trauma absorbing materials built into them. Some however are "In conjunction with" and would require level IIIA armor behind it

They are generally approximations, unless you mean they're like over an 1" difference than what is listed?

It says in their description it's a nominal measurement with the actual measurements being 9.5x11.5 iirc

Yes, they are advertised on their site as 9.5" x 11.5", which is why I only got their 11x14. They are 11x14". For actual 10"x12" shop others, like RTS Tactical.

They were provided, but they took a couple weeks to get it..

Mine are coming friday. The company leaves a lot to be desired in customer service.

I'd go with this because of the increased strike face coverage. I know LAPG is going to be making (or having made) changes to their plates to include strike face foam protection, possibly SiC and more coverage. Don't know when that will occur.

@@BuffRANGE Thank you for the quick reply do you think the tile construction of the LAPD isn't enough of an advantage as the full strike face of the battle steel

@@_WADE13x If you don't feel the reduced strike face is a concern, the tile array savings is less weight you'd be toting around.

GunBroker!

I wish... I've contacted my contact 4-5 times about testing more products and I have not gotten a single response....

@@BuffRANGE Thanks for letting me know!

Possible. Depends on how the plate is designed. If the NIJ felt that stacking rounds was a concern, they would update the hit placement protocol. They still maintain a min of 2" per shot when testing.

@@BuffRANGE after watching the video, doubting it would stop a 2nd. Seems to be the benefit to steel, can shoot it all day with anything but magnum rounds, and the trade off to the weight. But it would be interesting to see shots not placed in a "clean" section of the plate to see if it is 1 and done. If I ever need it, I hope the "bad guy" realizes they have to obey the rules and follow the NIJ standard and ensure their shots are at least 3" apart.

Kinetic Energy? refering to the backface def?

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aaS_2l8nGdg.html

academic.oup.com/milmed/article/172/10/1110/4578114

Down? Yes, dead? No.