Level IV Armor Recommendations

gENi

Newbie
Hello All,

New to the forum and was recommended by a friend. I am interested in potentially purchasing some Level IV armor and am pretty new to this topic. I have been educated on the difference between NIJ certified and NIJ tested am trying to find what best suits my needs (survival/prepardness and training courses). Other than the cuts, curves, and weights of armor that is Level IV certified wouldn't warranty be a good differentiator? Hesco is a brand that comes up repeatedly but I note their warranty on many plates is only 5 years. Ideally I would like to stick around the $200 mark.

An acquaintance mentioned the Guardian plates from Tristatearmor below that comes with a 10 years warranty. Any experience with this brand and retailer? Reasons to steer clear? These are listed in the NIJ listed of certified plates.

Any information would be a great help.

Thanks in advance.
 

ggammell

Does not pass up an opportunity to criticize P&S.
There is almost no need for level 4 domestically. It’s a weight penalty. .30-06 AP is extremely rare.

there are 3 factors you have to consider when shopping for armor.

protection level
Weight
Cost

pick 2.

if you want $200 per plate, you are going to get heavy. Anything that cheap is not going to be protective at that price and a comfortable weight.

its armor. If you feel you need it, get good stuff. You are literally buying life safety equipment.

5 years in the armor industry warranty standard. It was created years ago and hasn’t changed. American Blast Systems offers a 15 year warranty. May or may not have what you want. May or may not be at a price you’re willing to pay.
 

gENi

Newbie
Thank you for the information. Perhaps I misunderstood what armor stops what rounds per the NIJ standard vs. what the link at Tristatearmor says their Level IV plate blocks.

.30-06AP was not a threat I was considering however I was looking for protection (if it exists) against M855, other steel core, and the full gamut of 7.62x39 (all of which are listed on the Level IV armor at Tristateamor link in previous post).

I will certainly check out the company you've listed and would kindly ask if you or others could shed some light on the rounds and standards listed above.

Thank you
 

Default.mp3

Established
The current revision of the specs, NIJ 0101.06, has Level IV being specced to defeat a single round of .30-06 M2 AP, which is the old armor piercing round, traveling at 2880 FPS, in the fixturing, angle, etc. specified here: https://ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/223054.pdf

By the nature of construction, plates that do meet such a spec will generally defeat many "lesser" rounds, and many manufacturers will pay labs to test for such rounds. However, the quality of these tests can vary, as can that parameters chosen.

It is extremely important to note that this rating scheme is very specific, and does not confer any knowledge about other ratings; for example, a Level IV plate may very well fail Level III testing, as Level III testing specifies that a plate must be able to defeat six (6) hits from 7.62×51mm M80 at 2780 FPS with specific spacing on the hits on the plate; the Level IV plate may defeat the first hit, and then be defeated by subsequent hits, because Level IV. This very specific wording and testing procedure is also why it's important to understand that there are many Level III plates that can be defeated by common 5.56×45mm threats (M193 against steel Level III, M855 against UHMWPE Level III); unscrupulous resellers will often tout the fact that their super light/thin Level III armor can defeat multiple hits from 7.62×51mm M80, while conveniently leaving out their plate's weakness against certain 5.56×45mm threats.

There are many plates that will provide adequate protection against 5.56×45mm and 7.62×39mm that don't even have an NIJ rating, specifically because NIJ doesn't test against those threats. These plates will generally be thinner and lighter, and are likely to be a better fit for most civilians looking at armor. The Hesco L210 comes to mind.
 

gENi

Newbie
Thank you.
I appreciate your thorough synopsis and this helps clarify the differences in standards and how truly specific they are, especially by omission.

However now when left with the decision I am still a little unsure given that the Hesco L210 isn't NIJ certified. Given my lack of familiarity and experience in this topic, the NIJ certification offered a certain security and peace of mind.

It sounds like in combining Hesco's reputation and purchasing the L210's from a trusted retailer is as much comfort as I am going to get, but if my main concern is multiple 5.56x45 and 7.62x39 rounds that this is a solid option.

Any further options or considerations for the threats above would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all
 

Default.mp3

Established
I have no issues with non-NIJ certified plates from reputable manufacturers. I personally have been using non-NIJ certified plates as my go-to setup, the AT Armor STOP-BZ, which are just rebranded TenCate Cratus 6400SA. To be fair, I'm a nobody, but I think most knowledgeable folks would agree with my assessment.
 

HighTower

Regular Member
For Conus, the IV threat is not in current statistics as something to worry about, and even in SHTF scenario, its not likely to be found in urban environments in a reload of some sort.

The Hesco M210 just got revised to take 54r LPS rounds, and the Buffman video showed it eat plenty of rounds in general, so if you want a factory new plate at 5 pounds that covers 99% of CONUS threats, thats kinda it right meow.

If you want that IV and trust second hand, you can find modern ESAPI sets for less from time to time.
 
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