I love the fact he / they are not LEOs or Military. Make owning armor the norm. “Why do you need/own armor?” is basically asking “why do you need/own guns?”
@@ryusekai had to rewatch the first part to find out who Steve is. I really don’t know much about him, Lucas did say he is their armorer but I didn’t hear anything about him being LEO, I’ll rewatch the video tonight and listen more closely. But I guess it would be hard to have a business and not have someone that has past military or Leo service. I probably shouldn’t of used the word “they” or clarify I meant the owners of T-Rex in my comment.
@@nuanenfreohr they may not be Mil or Leo but the majority of the information they put out is pretty accurate. He/they definitely do their research before saying.
There are tons of misconceptions in the armor industry, I used to work for an armor company and the stuff i heard on the daily made me want to jump out a window. Some common FAQ style answers: Velocity is the #1 factor when it comes to defeating armor, bullet mass and makeup come second. Which is why level III is rated for .308 but not for 5.56, the speed of 5.56 makes it much harder to stop. Green tip M855 is a penetrator round, not an armor piercing round. It is heavier and therefore slower than standard M193. M855a1 however, is better at penetrating because of the increased velocity. One exception, poly plates due to the way they work when slowing the round, are more susceptible to M855. NIJ certification and "meets NIJ standards" are not the same, but also not a huge issue. The NIJ certification process is very expensive and lengthy, so many companies opt out of it since it is only necessary for large gov. contracts that require the NIJ cert. Most companies get independant testing done by OBL (Oregon ballistics laboratory) who are a reputible testing facility, but if you want the piece of mind from the NIJ cert go ahead. Steel can stop 5.56, but it would need to be III+, and III+ is not an NIJ standard, it is a rating made by companies to stop 5.56 with steel. It is still tested (by most companies) by OBL and will do what it is rated for, but once again it is not NIJ certified for what that counts. Shelf life is not a hard and fast limit, but should be followed for soft armor and ceramic plates that have a soft backer. The reason being that the layers of soft armor (kevlar, dynema, ect.) delaminate over time and become less and less functional. And the list goes on, there is a ton of misinformation out there, crosscheck what you read, feel free to bother armor companies with good CS teams with your questions (although probably not right now since it seems like everyone is very busy).
@@user-oy9zy4ds9m Exactly, mild steel does nothing for the piercing. It only helps with extra weight so that the round maintains it's momentum when passing through soft barriers like foliage or indoor walls.
I just saw this whole reddit post where the OP was bitching about AR500 armor not being "NIJ certified" and the whole time, I was thinking "why go through an expensive certification and pass that cost onto customers, when anyone could do the NIJ certification tests and not pay for a piece of paper?" Glad you went over that part.
@@ShadowKirbz yeah, it's really not a big deal, as long as the company has been independently tested a lot. AR500 (the company not the steel) has been independently tested a ton and has never failed to do what it said it would. Now steel is still steel, but it isn't without it's merits.
Go play a day of airsoft in your armor. It's likely a more intense pace of activity than you'll ever face as a civilian. It's not perfect but a solid metric of how you'll handle wearing your armor.
Definitely. I have a carrier I used when I was relatively active in airsoft, and I stacked cardboard into a shooter cut profile. If mere cardboard was hard enough already, imagine having plates with actual weight to them...
Honestly, gas blowback airsoft guns which actually mimic real firearms functionality are a perfectly legitimate form of training for CQB. Should be used more often but unfortunately gun-guys think there is a stigma around airsoft. -Which there kinda is, but that doesn't mean you throw out the baby with the bath water.
I ran Hesco level 4 countless of times in Airsoft to train and get a feel of the weight. Each plate was almost 8lbs each. With all honesty, it's do-able but it sucks for sure. I upgraded to the Hesco 3810 which is 4lbs each and it's a night and day difference. I also run an OpsCore High Cut with it and I can't complain.
@@Homie-cide Can't you just use co2 for the cool down? I know the mags are fragile but I figured that can just help you practice empty mag retention reloads under stress, which in some situations you may even need to save your empty mags in combat if you're in a situation where you are cut off from new magazine resupplies and you need to be future minded for future engagements. I've never heard of the horizontal thing though, what's the deal with that?
Can confirm that TREX Arms has a pretty dam good customer service department. They reply really quick sent an email on a sunday and woke up to a reply answering all my questions. Also if you guys are ordering a sidecar it gives a 1-8 week lead time I believe at the moment. Got my holster within 2 weeks of ordering it. Solid company all around
They told me 10 days minimum before shipping for a ragnarok holster. It was delivered in 7. Under promise and over delivering is the mark of a company I stand behind.
Mrgunsngear Channel - I appreciate that you take the time to comment on other’s videos. I’ve posted this before but you are like the only person with a large following that seems to do that consistently,
"Buffman RANGE" does excellent armor tests. Nearly identical to NIJ protocol. Accurate drop testing, clay deformation, velocity recording, detail ammunition comparisons... good stuff
I love the guys who plan on getting home hundreds of miles. Carrying a condor plate carrier with 20 pounds of steel, 10 loaded magazines, 2 gallons of water, full 5 days of 3k calories in food, shelter, loaded ar15 and a back pack loaded with survival gear. Then they go out and walk 4 miles, come back red in the face, huffing and puffing and diaphoretic. Then claim they can do that for 5 days straight, while engaging in gun battles. Ok bro...
commercially available, synaptic responsive, hydraulic and electromagnetic exoskeleton frames have not caught up the times yet. When they do, you won't be laughing anymore.
@@joshmanwaring3848 TBH my technical is just a few thousand intermediate rifle rounds in the trunk and door pockets of a sedan. Good to blend in, doncha know.
Second this. Everything I was issued in Astan in 2013 was A1 and I have seen it during training to. From my understanding it’s the standard not the exception.
A1 is a lead-free round optimized for the M4's barrel length and twist. It's not significantly more or less lethal than standard M855 ball (the round optimized for M16 barrels and twist). I'm not sure where T-Rex got that little piece of info regarding who gets A1...
@@PerfectTangent It's not the lethality per se, it's the increased velocity. A1 is being fired out of a 14.5 at the speeds green tip is fired out of a 20.
Watching this 2+ years after it came out, and I just wanted to say that I sure appreciate how much work you all constantly put into production. Audio has improved, sets have improved, etc. When 3 year's ago content in cringy, you know you're growing. Keep up the great work guys!
I wore steel plates for solid two years. Thank you to the russian army. I will say that of course it's heavy, but you stop even feeling the weight eventually.
Dubble Tapp “F” is a meme that means to pay your respects. Almost like someone did something sad and you pay your respects. It became a meme because in a Call of Duty game, there was a cinematic interaction where you’re at a funeral and you have to press the “F” key on your keyboard to “pay your respects”. It was stupid and instantly became a meme joke.
I feel well informed, or re-informed as I should say by this vid. Currently dressing up for church security using a panel of soft armor in a tru-spec carrier shirt under my dress clothes during this pandemic because there are only a handful of people doing our online services. But once everything opens back up, it's very low pro discreet carrier with a rifle rated plate in front. All meant to be under a suit because as was stated, it's all about what you need in your specific environment and needs. Great video.
I was gonna make a joke about LARPIng but my old church had off duty police with their duty armor on sooooo unfortunately def worth having some armed and armored gentlemen around on sundays
Shit is standard issue as far as I know. We ran a range for some engineers a few months ago and they all had m855a1. I've been in a little over a year and haven't seen anything but m855a1.
Would love to find a place where someone could try on plate carriers. Got my eye on a slickster or a JPC, just not sure which one would fit me better. Would be great to find someone who will let others try out night vision. Even with the LEO and ex-military I know it's hard to find someone. Don't want to drop a few thousand on a setup when walking around with nods on makes me nauseated and never want to try it again.
8 months late, so if you’ve already got one, don’t worry. They are both great carriers. If you haven’t, a JPC is a good all around carrier. Plenty of molle for whatever pouches and the sort, while still being able to be set up to a more less noticeable carrier. A slickster is more of a dedicated low pro carrier. If you’re doing vehicle ops, don’t need much kit, and are trying to stay mobile with only some mags and maybe a radio, then the slickster is also great for being around $60-$110 cheaper.
I couldn’t find anything bad about steel plates until I bought them haha. Literally days later I started seeing videos on why they’re not so good. I appreciate you all putting out this information. If I can afford to financially (I’m young and broke trying to get started on life and get prepared for the worst at the same time) I will definitely take your advice.
I think the new A1 ammo “ brown tip” will be more common soon, I have been using it for about 2 years now and I’m an E6 in the Idaho National Guard, I distribute it to all soldiers when shooting rifle quail each year,
The colour of the South African vest is called Nutria brown. That rig was released in 1983 IIRC. It has a companion chest rig made for rear line, artillery etc as well as guys carrying large backpacks. It was based on a home brew design used by 32 Battalion. The backpack compartment is meant for a strange proprietary mess kit and water canteen.
Id like to correct you guys, M855A1 is being used in conventional Army Infantry units, not only Special Forces, I can attest to this as Im currently in the Army Infantry
I had 13 fractures in 9 ribs. Both lungs collapsed. Shit got real. GET GOOD PLATES! I am looking to get some lighter ones for every day use. Call me paranoid But I was dead on a table so I can justify it.
These lives are awesome because it seems like no matter what topic you talk about, you tend to cover every question or topic that would typically take 3-4 separate videos to cover. Great for listening to in the truck
In my humble opinion, anything less than believing that the 2nd Amendment is first for defense against tyranny makes you a fudd. That means full on tact' out civilians should be the NORMAL type of firearm owner. Everything else, hunting, collecting etc. is a subgenre.
You know what else makes a fudd? Thinking that they can fight tyranny with a SOF cloned AR, gucci kit and NODs but no sense of organization/community/logistics.
I mean, the 2nd amendment is great and all, but how exactly do you plan on stopping a tyrannical government with an AR and a plate carrier when said government can pummel you from over kilometer away with artillery. As far as arguments go it's pretty stupid as the only way you would be able to stop a tyrannical government is if you have support from the military. If you don't have the military any insurrection is bound to fail, as they have numbers, tech and training.
@@Nicolas-cu2xv Its this simplitisc argument that I see coming from liberals all the time. -We lost Vietnam despite being technologically superior. -We're still in afghanistan 20 YEARS LATER AND THE TALIBAN STILL CONTROLS A LOT OF LAND despite the US being technologically superior. -In america, it would be even harder since the place where all the tanks, jets, helicopters & planes are stored and produced are right in the backyards of the people they are trying to kill, making it much more difficult for a tyrannical government protect their supply chains and equipment -Even if a majority of the military became liberal, a massive amount of them would still defect and take a good chunk of that training knowledge and equipment along with them -But all this becomes a heck of a lot harder when you don't have that base of an already armed militia for the military to defect to, which is where the argument for a well trained class of citizens with their plater carriers and AR-15's is perfectly legitimized
@@hk4lyfe59 Vietnam was lost because the government tried to micromanage the war, same with Afghanistan. If the military had been given free reign, both wars would have most likely ended a lot differently. The taliban and viet cong also had the added advantage of being on their own turf, which any rebellion in the US would lack, seeing as how the American military would be fighting in America. It's also assuming all of these groups would able to coordinate and take down military bases, munitions factories as well as trying to evade government intelligence agencies, such as the CIA and NSA, along with federal agencies such as the FBI, DHS and other agencies. Assuming the can form some sort of cohesive resistance nationwide, they still need to worry about the fact that the military is still better trained and equipped. Now obviously if most of the military defects then yes, there is a very good chance of the average civilian militia being able to take on the government. But if it's gotten to the point where the government is already tyrannical, then there is also a good chance that the military won't defect at which point any resistance put up by civilian militias won't last long. So yes, without support from the military, the average civilian militia would not be able to topple a tyrannical government.
It's nice to see awareness of the "social conditioning," via hollywood, media, etc, to prey on the ignorance and shape perception of the masses who are otherwise unaware; of armor AND arms.
I messed up and didn’t do my research and now I’ve waited 10-12 weeks for an AR500 PC and plates for $370.00 and still no update on my gear. Very upset i wasted my money but now I’m looking into better gear and researching. Love this video and all the info. Thanks guys!
As a Grunt as well as an M249/M240B gunner, I have a hard time leaving my house behind and not carrying it on my IBA/Plate Carrier and a pack. You guys leave my mag stacks and bandoliers alone you sumbitches! Stack em deep! Side plates: Lost a medic who ditched his side armor in '06, got a straight pass through both lungs, would have made it home to his family had he kept them in. That was a combat zone, so of course situation dictates, but still.
@@SylentONE Yea, I would argue that is weight worth having. If shit ever did hit the fan, and you were in an engagement, flanking would likely be happening in which side plates would help IMO. He did leave cover before combat ended to try and get to an ANA soldier he was training up, which violated SOP, but he was doing it to try and save a brother, can't fault him for that desire. Sad part is, the ANA soldier was hit in the plate on the front and was fine post ambush. training training training.
Yep I believe in side armor. In civilized (for now) society, a home defense rig, or vehicle rig, maybe not, but in a combat zone the side plates can save your ass.
I thought I knew a fair amount about plates having carried an issued set for 7 months and later done further research. Turns out a new knew half of what I thought I did :D Awesome video.
I ordered some Hesco plates and backers from you a few days ago. They were shipped out the next business day and showed up this morning. I appreciate that you only sell items that you have in stock. I had poor experience dealing with a different company and ended up waiting 6+ months to get my items.
Just got back from BCT several months ago and the ranges there were exclusively using M855a1. From my understanding that’s standard issue at this point across the board.
Your plate size won't really change if you bulk up, for the simple fact your skeleton and internal organs have already reached their adult dimensions. Those 400 kg obese folk still have the same organs they had when they were 80 kg.
Yeah, the only issue is when you bulk up (one way or another) until your small plate is more inches forward of your vitals. Your heart and lungs won't have changed size (much), but the further the plate is from them the bigger that plate should be to cover them from more angles.
Well, you get more fatty buildup around your organs, causing extra space between the organs than if you were slimmer. Obviously most of that fat is on the outside. Not sure how more spaced but just a footnote.
Awesome video. I really changed my perspective when I started running in my carrier. Working out, doing drills, going prone and sitting in a car is also very important to help you streamline your setup.
I’m just a civilian and this is the most informative info I’ve ever seen on plates. I have health issues so my budget is limited but I recently bought an Orion belt and a set of Hesco L210’s. Now I just need to find a plate carrier.
I'm in the process of joining the Greek national guard . The rifle we use is the HK G3A3 and then we are free to choose and purchase all our equipment and if we wish modify our rifle . For the rifle I chose two picatinny adapters . One for the rail and a handguard . I will use a Sightmark M spec reflex sight , a Sightmark 3x magnifier , a Sightmark day only Lazer ( ir only for the military and not us ) and I will probably swap the stock for a Magpul . For everything else you are my lord and savior . Thank God for you and your channel . I wish I was there to meet you , shake your hand and why not ...train together for a day. Thanks for your work brother ....!!!!!!!
Everyone in my family have either a plate carrier with IIIa plates or soft armor. It’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. I’ve had a generator connected to my panel for 20 years. Never needed it for 20 years until last year when my power was out for 3 weeks.
Sticking with steal plates as a responsible civilian. I’m not on patrol through the mountains of Afghanistan. If I need to use my plates in a real world scenario shit has hit the fan and weight is not the most immediate concern but stopping whatever is coming my way is. Steal plates also have a long shelf life, I’ve seen 20 year shelf life which is key as we can’t time these things. Obviously some ceramic high tech Gucci plate is most preferable but I don’t have an unlimited budget. Thoughts guys?
The theory only works if you’re steel plates ACTUALLY defeat rounds like they’re supposed too with ZERO frag. There can be huge differences in steel that people don’t talk about much
@@mrwest2474 It's all a system of trade off's and based on perspective. I'm used to wearing 35 pounds of IOTV, so going to 24.4 pounds is a god send (x2 plates, six mags, carrier, IFAK). Is that going to work for everyone? Of course not. But for us Peasants out there, we have to decide between protection, cost, bulk and weight. The 1155's provide protection and cost at the drawback of weight and bulk.
I pulled my pants to the ground, got the lotion ready in one hand and was highly disappointed when I didn't see anyone wearing full kit. Thanks for the blue balls
generally i agree with the conversation; however, using the definition of spall: flakes of a material that are broken off a larger solid body and can be produced by a variety of mechanisms, including as a result of projectile impact, AR500 is using it correctly. you are also correct in using spall to describe the impact of a tank sabot.
Yeah I thought he was doing a disservice to everyone saying that steel spalls on the back. I just takes simple research of people shooting steel plates to show it doesn't.
Too tired , they aren’t quite right. “Spall” literally just means “to break into smaller pieces.” Like “fragment.” The armor companies calling their coatings “spall guards” or whatever aren’t wrong.
I used to wear 3a every day when I did security , never saw a reason to wear plates and a carrier with that job , but had a plate carrier with cheap plates in my vehicle in case i needed to up armor
Know a guy who fell on a ruck with ceramic plates, hit his chest on a log, the plate crumbled... I guess it saved his chest but it was just a paperweight at that state.
@T.REX ARMS I would like to speak with you guys about your assessment of body armor. I think there are some fundamental flaws in the explanation. As an Armorer in the Army and with considerable study of materials I do feel I have some qualification to speak on this subject. Velocity kills. Regardless of steel, ceramic, composite, or UHMWPE, velocity kills. You hit the point that threat level determines armor choices but the materials make a massive impact in efficacy. Additionally, M855A1 is issued to standard army as well. We qualify with this ammunition every year. It is plentiful. Expensive, but plentiful
I'm just a regular civilian and I've seen it for sale four or five different times. I have 11 mags of it stashed away, and I know several other people who have obtained it as well. M855a1 is out there 100% if i got some anyone can. was just a bit spendy lol thats for sure
My last tour in Iraq I kept my Ammo on a drop leg rig. Partly because I was a good location for me and because in kept so much bulk off my front. It made it easier to get in and out of the Bradley and easier to get down into the prone.
Like anything it’s a trade off. Especially in a long term setting if you need to wear armor for a week or more. With good coated steel you will have more weight. With your ceramic plates, though lighter, one hit and they aren’t nearly as good for the rest of that week. You’re also worried about their fragility. What if you have to dive into prone or trip and fracture the plate compromising it? Will the lighter plates last a week? Another consideration. In the duration of a week we all still have to sleep and rest up every day or so.
Excellent video. Right now im concentrating on tools to repair, build, and maintain what i have. I am ivestigating armor but i dont have the funding for it at this time. This video provides information i have been digging for. The problem is i dont know what questions to ask. I've never touched armor. Never had a need to, but now i the world we live in my concerns have grown and i feel the need to have something to protect myself. Its even rougher because i'm short. Very short.
Please for the love of God, make a chest rig split front with a beefy ykk zipper. Nice comfy shoulder straps and a lightweight backpack attachment system would be cool too
"10 week waits" I waited 2 full months for my Hesco 4400s to ship when I ordered them (not from you guys, because you don't sell 4400s)...in 2019. I also ordered L210s from you guys in 2019, and y'all shipped next day. I have to give you serious props for that.
Thinking about buying this setup: - 2 Hesco L210 Special Threat Stand Alone Plate (5.5 lbs each) (M855, M193) as well as 7.62 x 39 protection - $342 for both plates - Crye JPC(1.4 lbs) - $210.20 Total w/ tax roughly= $590 Does this seem like a good setup? Total weight without fully loaded mags (carrier + plates) = 12.4 lbs
L210s are great! I run them currently. May I recommend looking at skdtac.com, and check out the first spear stt.1. The plate carrier should fit the plates better in the shoulders, and be around the same price with the same quality control as Crye. Good luck! www.skdtac.com/FirstSpear-STT-1-Plate-Carrier-p/fsr.573.htm
I also run the L210s. I got them on sale as a package for like $270 after tax and that was a few years ago so I can't comment on the price. Personally, I run a DCS releasable carrier from Warrior Assault Systems but the JPC is a nice carrier too. I run my rig heavier for training than I do for actual use and the total for training weight is 28.7lbs. The carrier itself is 3.23lbs, so a touch over 14lbs for plates+carrier with nothing else. My advice is this: A PC, if you get to pick your gear and it's not issued to you and doesn't have to follow any department rules or SOPs, is something that you should try on. Any carrier you're considering should be tried out and compare them to the others as carefully as you can. They don't all fit the same way and an ill fitted PC is uncomfortable as fuck and doesn't work as advertised either. Over the long term it's also going to cause injury in many cases. PPE needs to fit and this is PPE. If it's not covering your vitals you're getting a false sense of security from it. If one plate is higher or lower that's an issue from a PPE point of view but also a great way to fuck up your back over a longer period of time. You should also think about what you want the carrier for and how that relates to what you might want to get. For example, many of the minimalist carriers that I'm personally familiar with don't do side plates which is something you might want in some cases, like if you plan to use this thing a lot in vehicles where shots from the side are an issue. Also, how much you plan on wearing it means quite a bit too. No one likes having their skin chaffed off by unpadded straps that don't quite fit for example... What you want to use it for also relates to how much real estate the carrier has in some regards. Mostly civilians probably don't need rows of webbing all over the back of their PC because you're not going to carry breaching gear or something and if you're in and out of vehicles you'll rapidly find that stuff on the back of your carrier makes both sitting but also rapid entry/exit more difficult and... again, your back. There's also the issue of what it is you plan to carry on this thing. There's a lot of options out there that seem super useful but 1) end up weighing more than you'd like and 2) end up not interfacing with each other. A large admin panel on the top of your front plate and a shingle of mags below it can create a situation where you either can't get mags in and out very easily at all or 2) the mags impinge on the admin panel when you try to doff and don the carrier (depending on design) which makes it hard to deal with putting the carrier on, take it off or make adjustments while wearing it. Like a lot of other things it's easy to get too much stuff, spend money on a rig that doesn't work and then end up scaling it back significantly as you find out what works and what doesn't. Realistically, GarandDad said it best: a carrier does three things: Prevents holes getting punched in you, gives you the bullets to punch holes in other people and the medical gear to plug holes in yourself or your friends. Mostly, outside certain specializations, this is basically all it should do other than maybe carry some calories on board to fight hypoglycemia. Consider where you live. PC's are not infinitely adjustable and you're an individual. This again goes to sizing. If you live in Florida or something then it's unlikely that you'd care but if you live somewhere with four seasons you may find that you change what you wear under this thing as the seasons change. If you bought a PC that's on the margins of fitting/not fitting and you suddenly need to put layers under it when the weather turns cold, well it doesn't fit any more. So think about that too. Make adjustments as needed and mark them on the straps for quick adjustment next time. Related to this, consider your current level of fitness. If you're chunky and really seriously plan to lose that weight, consider this. If you're getting hardcore into fitness and going to gain significant weight, also a consideration. You don't want a carrier that's too tight to breath in when you're active nor do you want one that flops around. There are a lot of good options out there but I highly advise that you "try before you buy" because you'll rapidly start to limit the number that fit you and your goals. Be prepared to make certain compromises that reality is going to throw at you and, as realistically as possible, appraise your goals and your own capabilities both current and projected. [Edit] Also, depending on your wants/needs consider the benefits and drawbacks to a belt system, possibly with suspenders. It's another set of options you can add/subtract from the carrier itself for more flexibility depending on what it is that you're doing.
That armor you’re recommending is 5.5lbs? You can get Steele Ops AR600 that only weighs 5.5lbs with the build up coating for $129. I can’t tell the weight difference between my Steele Ops plates and my ceramic plates. My steel plates don’t expire while my ceramic plates expire every five years.
The yoga mat that was suggested for use as a backer material behind the plates is not nearly the same as an actual trauma pad made from a non-Newtonian. The key difference being that the actual trauma pad hardens on impact but is relatively soft when squeezed slowly. I'd also like to point out that the current flaws with the NIJ standards allow for shots to be a certain distance from the edge of the plate and still maintain compliance. Ceramic and composite plates have issues with edge shots because of a lack of material available to deform and wrap around the round on impact - steel has no such limitation and shots can go all the way to the edge and still be defeated. Technically, ceramics and poly plates may not be capable of defeating the threats they are certified to if the shot hits within an inch of the edge. The build up layers for steel (usually Rhino and Line-X Paxcon) are actually fairly extensively for checkpoints, guard shacks, etc. They were designed to be sprayed onto buildings and structures to protect them against fragmentation and blast. Always buy the buildup coat if they offer one.
I built a replica of the NIJ drop test rig to use anytime I test a ceramic strike face armor system. Ceramic strike faces are not as fragile as many make them out to be. Most NIJ 06 certified plates will employ high density foam protection. It ads minimal weight and thickness to the plate, so I don't see why it doesn't become a standard for all ceramic strike faces.
I love wearing my steel armor...for exercise and in full kit for rucks, non steel isn’t just lighter but it’s also way more comfortable. Id say if someone is dead set on wearing armor then soft armor is best most of the time, if you feel the need for more then you’re also expecting rifle rounds to fly which also means you should have more prep time. I also agree a chest rig would suit people better than they think, mobility is a form of armor in itself, let alone the comfort. And I totally agree on the opening comments on narrowing the armor you get only after you think through what purpose you’re getting them for. And if you do decide on plates a good quality carrier makes a world of difference in how comfortable it is and how it rides on you with mobility and hot spots.
M855a1 is a general use/ issue cartridge that has almost completely replaced green tip at least in the army. Haven't been issued green tip even for training in awhile. Part of the whole reason for the round is removing lead from training ranges. Not sure about national guard units though, I'd imagine people would be worried about that
I think if you are goin to buy armor it should always be level IV. The purpose of 2A is to defend against tyranny, so you should be prepared for what your enemy may carry. defense against everyone else will be covered at that point. I also like how he pulls out that South African vest, at that point you may just by some older molle deuce gear.
My load in 'Stan: SAW with 100 Rnd nutsack, 400 rounds of belt in plastic drums, CLS bag, spare barrel, mine sweeper, LAW, camel back, 3 extra bottles of water in drop pouch, some sort of snack in cargo pants pocket, NVGs in utility pocket and CLP. We rocked the MTV which we called the Hesco barrier and adapted a lighter plate carrier about halfway through deployment. Good times.
Bought my first body armor carrier after watching this, decided to go with level 3 as I think that covers all potential real-world threats that I'd ever encounter.
I like the Shellback Rampage 2.0 honestly. You can carry 6 mags right from the get go, then if you get mag pouches then you can use the built in ones for a radio, smoke grenades, or other items. outside of that you just need an IFAK, Dump pouch, and maybe an admin pouch for things like a map and compass. Its not crazy huge but it is a full carrier that goes all the way around the sides with side pockets for side plates. Pair that carrier with an assult pack and you can pretty much carry everything youll need to bug out or fight back.
I love when dudes with no kids or mortgage school me on what a budget looks like. "just drop a grand on a freeman setup" said the dude with zero bills and 100% disposable income.
Thank you for doing all the research that would have taken me weeks to figure out. Now we can go straight to purchase and practice minimizing our time-to-train and be ready!
Ethan M dude I hope to god you didn’t buy armor from trex arms. It’s so egregiously over priced. 500 bucks gets you a legit lvl 4 set from hoplitearmor . What’s trex lvl 3 for 1200??
orlo I didn’t but you can buy the hesco L210 from T Rex arms for $340 for the set. The Hesco 3810 price on T. rex arms is on par with any other website.
Most of our reviews aren't paid, we got big into youtube before pay to play was a thing. The armor stress tests you see a lot of channels doing were a result of our armor actually being affordable at the time. When we started, the armor industry was not freedom and civilian friendly, nor affordable. You may notice we don't do a whole lot of RU-vid video reviews within the past few years. You can see where the pay for review shift began. Go with what armor works best for you, as long as you own some armor.
Good info. I got steel for one reason. In the Army if plates were damaged than you just get it replaced. As a civilian if I ever find myself in a situation where I am needing body armor my assumption is that the economy or country won’t be conducive to simply replacing my plates. I want something that can take more hits
I know this is late, but in the 82nd we exclusively carried M855A1 in Afghanistan a decade ago, and in the 101st as an training ammo manager, we exclusively shot A1 at ranges except when shooting steel targets or shoot houses. (2014-2016)
