Will Steel Armor Make You UN ALIVE Full Test 

I ordered the AR600 bundle, along with trauma pads, last week. You guys got it to me in 3 days. That speed and service alone impressed me but I was really blown away by the quality of the plate carrier and trauma pads. Overall the experience of buying my first ever set of armor and plate carrier was excellent. Thanks!

Why did you go with ar600 instead of ar500 or 550? Will the ar600 crack faster with 308 and is there a realistically low number of 308 where cracking occurs on ar600 (less than 20 rounds)? With steel plates, I have heard that 55g will zip through it with longer barrel lengths. I have witnessed a 20 in rifle with 62g gold dots chip an ar550 plate at 100 yards. Is there a fps number where steel is defeated in less than half a mag?

@@sierraharvester Weight. I'm disabled and have a very bad low back/neck with nerve damage to both legs and arms (from degenerative disc disease, nerves got compressed). The AR600 is a couple pounds lighter which makes a huge difference for me. Yes, with longer barrels at close ranges .308 & other rifle rounds will penetrate it as will steel core/tipped 5.56 but I can't afford ceramic and settled for what I could afford. That sale price was the only way I could afford even that much. We all must work with what we have I guess.

We really appreciate the kind words! And are doing our best. we don't like the wizard behind the curtain thing that a fair amount of companies do

@@TacticonArmament can you confirm this armor does/doesn’t stop M193? In an older video of yours it’s stated it does . But Buffman shot holes through it using M193 and it doesn’t list it on the website only M855. Then this video only demonstrated with M855. I ask because I do like your products I’ve been looking at.

srt plate my friend little bit above this anything under .308 i believe but obviously do ur own looking. @@jw4052

​@TacticonArmament you have re-newd my faith in steel armor

HELL YES WE DO!!

Id be happy with even a bump helmet.

Imagine using a circumcised helmet

They just launched it! Looks sick, I already want it, but can’t wait to see some testing.

In!

Yeah, my personal favorite are the guys that talk about how the secondary frag will kill you; not considering shot placement on actual human sized targets, or the fact that anyone with body armor on probly has a 2 foot long metal box that they’re lugging around infront of them at all times. And there are plenty of guys who’ve caught rounds in the face that ricocheted off their weapons. Nothing is a sure thing in a real two way range. You can mitigate as many risks as you can imagine and dump billions of dollars into gear and years of training; but a 7 year old kid with a rust covered AK can still drop you. Steel is cheap and very practical for the average man

@@Lockjaw135 You're right nothing is a sure thing. I caught a ricochet in the neck at a one way range.

Yeah and these dumbasses on Facebook groups for plate carriers bashing people who use steel plates and try to say that ceramic is better than steel when it has an expiration date of less than 7 years, can crack if you drop it and isn't nearly as multi-hit capable as steel. Get hit in the same spot more than once or twice and you're most likely dead with ceramic. With a burst fire weapon that's highly likely. And these guys who are going around saying that steel is junk and will get you killed are often active military people who don't even know any better but are somehow experts because they're in the military. These are people who think that simply because they paid more for something that it somehow magically makes it better. No stupid you just paid more for something that isn't as good and in less than 7 years you're going to do it again. 😂

I own steel plates and recently I got a lighter set of PE plates. The weight is an issue if you plan on doing extended work on foot. For the everyday American man with a vehicle; steel is the best stuff to keep in like the trunk of your car. It’s cheap and insanely effective (not only actual edge to edge protection, but also; the increased weight of the plate directly translates to less experienced impact from rounds). Now walking and running around in the woods and mountains, or in an urban setting; your speed and endurance are going to be the difference between life and death more so than anything you are wearing. In some ways it may be smarter to just have a rifle and a Fanny pack with mags than any body armor. Play to your personal strengths and abilities/ your area and routines. What works for delta guys in Mogadishu may not be directly applicable to your life and your foreseen future

@@Lockjaw135 My thoughts exactly. Level 3 body armor isn't really suited for Run and Gun and unless you train on a regular basis you're not even capable of doing that. It's better suited for light patrols and sentry duty. If I have to take off to the woods or mountains especially it's not coming with me unless it's in a vehicle.

​@@sdw261they like to say "no modern army uses steel" ignoring that both Ukraine and Russia have been using steel, the German army uses steel, and that SWAT will bring steel depending on the situation.

@@sdw261Ceramics don’t have an expiration date, they have a warranty period. We do torque and tap tests in the military at the end of that period, and as long as the plate passes the toque and tap, it’s still good to go.

Sorry it to so long my guy! Lots and lots of editing and filming!

What part of Arkansas are you from?

@@zachjennings8053 Not from Arkansas, but Missouri. The name is a joke about the Clintons killing people.

Because it's expensive and dangerous. Just get level 4s

Thank you!

its the most common and likely round you’ll take

I guess ya'll have to lose some pounds then 😅 For this election season, we all need to be in shape

I second this. It would be a good test

I have seen such tests, surprisingly the ceramic was worse at an angled shot, the steel coating worked even better in some cases

A good coating on steel practically swallow the bullet it's really impressive tbh

I was wondering the same thing 🤷‍♂️

​@definitelyadarkangel9225 do we have any idea what coating is used on plates or is that an industry "secret"

Cheers bro

"Ceramic is now crunchy and compromised, and you need to do some type of repair. Steel wouldnt really even notice the hit" You have no fucking clue what you are talking about

I wanted level four but for my first body armor set up I’m going with ar600 3+. This set up allows for lighter weight and multi hit capabilities. Body armor DOES NOT make you super human! Train as much as possible and be safe.

@@coltonriggan4072 LOL what a massive cope. Just say you want to cheap out on armor.

@@Dero_milsurp I’ll just take yours when the shit kicks off then 😂

@@coltonriggan4072 gonna be hard doing that when your pelvic girdle is drippin

I've also seen people cite unreliable reviews of AR500 armor from like a decade ago because all the people reviewing them were clearly sponsored, but now when someone shills for ceramic armor of a certain brand, it's "informational"

its a myth that steel plates are heavy as fuck?

this has nothing to do with weight and everything to do with spall. stfu@@hurpaderpp

some of us are men. @@hurpaderpp

Yeah for most small diameter fast hunting calibers you really need lvl 4... Basically depends on your location, in my location I'm just as likely to get center massed with a 22-250 or a 25-06 as 5.56, so I'll keep saving for lvl 4 plates (which tacticon also sells, but sadly it sells out fast like today with a smoking hot discount code!) But these plates are 100% perfect for budget reasons or areas where high powered hunting rifles aren't the most likely threat in a local area "catastrophe", Basically these would be perfect for most more urbanized areas... 🤔 Just my opinion! 👍

M193 out of a 20" and especially a 20+ inch barrel will zip through these steel plates, even III+

@@berryreading4809 I would agree, I have shot clean holes through 3/8in AR500 steel targets with factory 22-250 ammo, and with the right handloads .257 Roberts will also punch through like nothing

@@PandemicGameplayI doubt that, because m193 is only FMJ and that 20 inch barrel adds a lot of velocity, but not enough to make it go through 3+

@@kyoMcMushy There is footage of it on youtube... M855 is deadly for HDPE, M193 is deadly for hardened steel... Atleast to 20 yards (possibly 50, It's been a while since I went down that rabbit hole) although AR500/600 production does vary by manufacturer/processes I'm sure, along with quality control and batch testing... So X brand plate may stop it while Y brand will not. It's worth doing some video searching. I think buffman range had some videos of failures, but I went down a multiple channel several hour rabbit hole trying to find a definitive answer and still don't have one for standard weight (I think usually 3/8" plate) stopping REAL M193 from 20" barrels... Or even hot .223 40gr varmint loads... Polymer tipped vs lead nose vs FMJ doesn't even matter above certain velocity thresholds... The impact energy basically makes a circular fracture from what looks like a mini explosion in high-speed video and makes the little knocked out plate plug into a projectile... (atleast from my understanding and limited knowledge) But like I say I didn't do those tests, make and form the steel, or compare results across different brands, so I can't give you a perfect answer on the topic... 🤔

I'm hella down, It's just $$$. I will absolutely get to it in the future!

​@@TacticonArmamentjust Jake's money. Depends on who's commenting lol

@@US2A yeah jake said he was ok with it, do it! (dont tell jake that a stranger said he said it was okay)

Great question. We have a multitude of our plates out with NIJ right now getting tested for certs. I am not fully sure about the process and how long it takes Ie: lead times and such, but we do have them getting tested by the NIJ - Nolan

fuck steel, there is a reason they use AR500 for targets

It’s terrible body armour

I thought that too. It looks like the carriers were sagging, top away from the head. Yes that will determine where the frag goes. I assume that is why he had the separation/penetration at the bottom and not the top. But this is still a good test. Its obvious that the plates took multiple hits before having a coating failure. I'm impressed.

good call, I'll look into it. Thank you so much for the support

First shots at Lexington should be acknowledged indeed.

Ill be testing that soon. Along with frag sleeves

It's so much wrapped up into one package

M855 is more problematic for armor of any variety. The mild steel penetrator and the Velocity will be more of an issue than just mass. Thats why Lvl 3 will stop 7.62, but you need Lvl 4 or Special Threat rated plates when dealing with 5.56

Level 3 can stop 7.62 FMJ but cannot stop 5.56 green tip. Level 3+ can stop green tip in addition to everything else below it. 5.56 has a higher velocity than 7.62 which makes its more problematic when in conjunction with the steel core penetrator. Green tip will zip right through lvl 3 armor.

This is a fantastic idea for another video!

@TacticonArmament I haven't seen that sort of test anywhere else on RU-vid so I'd be very interested to see the results. I have my theories but so does everyone else, it'd be nice to have more concrete evidence/data to go off of. Gun fights are dynamic and very fluid, so it stands to reason that most incoming rounds would be off centered and therefore have more deflection/ricocheting effects than splash or spalling. Just my thoughts. Love yer gear and content. Keep it up, stay frosty 🙏🏽🫡 🇺🇲

I just threw a 3a panel over the front plate in my steel rig. The back plate almost never has any limb that breaks the perpendicular plane coming off the plate, unless you have an insanely fat ass. Frag coming off plates also has been tested against FBI spec ballistics gel and what you need to know about ballistic gel; is that it is not a replica of human tissue. It was developed as a standardized medium for testing ballistics and it was determined to be “close enough”. from the studying I’ve done; the FBI’s own experts have stated that the first 2-4 inches of penetration into ballistics gel represents penetration through the average person’s skin alone. That obviously has a huge variability person to person and body part to body part, but funnily enough the best steel spalling testing I’ve seen on ballistic gel had most of the copper jacket flakes stop in that 2-4 inch margin. Obviously you don’t want anything in your neck or armpits; but it’s a far cry from how some people believe frag will blow your limbs off and penetrate your skull. The carrier itself catches frag; and the recent shift to simple Kevlar wraps/sleeves makes frag not a problem at all. Another fun fact is that the damn soviets figured out how to make cheap an effective rifle rated body armor by putting steel or titanium in a Kevlar-type carrier back in the day when the best out operators had was just pistol rated Kevlar.

@@Lockjaw135I don’t think anyone says bullet fragments will penetrate a skull or blow a limb off. However your armpit, neck and groin have arteries more or less just under the skin, that is where people are saying the fragments might kill you.

@@stormy0307 I’m aware of that. However; allot of fake experts do believe fragmentation is more lethal than it really is. Fragmentation injuries and deaths are mitigated on an incredibly small percentile window by professional militaries. In truth; in a firefight, will your ballistic vest be the difference between dying and not? More than likely it won’t to YOU. But on a large enough scale; that decrease in casualties is a great benefit to a large war fighting organization. Your best bet to defend your life is to 1-avoid dangerous areas and people 2-maintain situational awareness 3-have a plan to leave wherever you are 4-have ready access to a firearm If you envision yourself doing some sort of offensive action to defend life and liberty; LEO/MIL/your family has been kidnapped by the cartel/etc, then you can judge the effectiveness of different body armor. For most applications; steel is just fine. As your chances of getting shot at increase; consider investing in better protection and better gear in general. And truly; consider improving your cardiovascular fitness before buying ANY tactical gear. A 7year old Somalian with a rusted bolt action will body every single fat, untrained gear queer. Fitness directly impacts your survival

If anything when worn on the body it would be more downward of an angle. With how the pectorals overhang the abdomen. Unless the abdomen is protruding bast the pectorals. In that case...

@@TacticonArmament Well, the latter is what is most common in this country. Regardless of how we feel things should be, it's probably more important to deal with reality as it actually is right now. And that's gonna mean ~60% of users will have bellies larger than their pecs, along with waistlines broader than their shoulders, and with basically no ability to move at speed, loaded with gear or not.

The problem is creating that bend, to get it the steel would have to be heated too much that it becomes too brittle.

Mill it out or weld it on?

@@jtaylorb88 maybe a sleeve with a steel top? I’m just trying think of a sure way to prevent spall

Our pleasure!

M855 A1 penetrates the plate at 45 ft out of a 20 inch barrel. Out of a 10.5 inch barrel it wont penetrate. M193 goes through about half the time or less at 45 ft. It does stop .308 ball ammo six shots in the test I saw none went through( the rounds were moving at 2,900 fps). so 762X39 wont go through. a lot of hunting ammo won't go through. It does stop M855 green tip all the time. M193 out of a 16 inch barrel does not do so good against it.

it even 308 or 30-06

This guy does the most scientific and technically honest tests of armor plates I have seen so far. This video will answer your questions. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qF9Z5FUlk6Y.htmlsi=kiB6mK_2YfpobAU3

@@Yorktown-pb8bd the video fro Buff range that I posted below shows pretty much what you said, although he was able to penetrate with m193 from 45 ft out of a 16" barrel

I have seen you complaining about this several times, tell ya what I will buy YOUR DAMNED PLATES FROM YOU! but since they are used it will require a price reduction, not me screwing you, but no one pays full price for used anything. I watch all of Buffmans Videos and take it for what it is, a BACK YARD TEST! both him and Mr Guns'N Gear are known for killing Plates. I bet you $100 that no one in the great boogaloo will be shot at by M855A1 because that shit is not easy to buy in bulk. Hell I intentionally looked for it and only have 1,000 rounds of it. So basically sell the shit or quit complaining, you and me both stand a better chance of getting hit by lighting than getting shot with 55gr Ball