Rifle Plates

AR500 Body Armor Put To The Test

We here at Loadoutroom.com love our guns, armor and gear. We love using them, testing them, reading about them and writing about them. When we’re not doing all that, we’re watching funny videos online about people using them, testing them, et cetera. While FPSRussia was once the heavyweight champion of gun channels, sad events laid the channel low. While we wait to see if more fortunate events can bring it back in some fashion, their old videos are always worth revisiting.

While doing a little brushing up on the various material compositions and makeups of modern bullet repellants, I came across this video from 2015. In it, the channel’s “Russian” host (Kyle) walks us through an impressive litany of abuses against a Level IIIA soft armor set and (presumably, as he doesn’t specify) a Level III plate armor set. They take a considerable number of rounds from a variety of weaponry.

-Rex Nanorum

@Rexnanorum

ShotStop Level III Swimmer Plates

Having to buy your own plates and being required to wear plates can be a pain in the ass plain and simple, but when you buy/wear your plates you do it for a reason – to save your life or another’s life. My job requires me to be as fast as I can be and although GI Issue SAPI and ESAPI plates are good and all, let’s get down to the point – they’re just too heavy. At 13 lbs it’s just too much. With all the new lightweight plates coming out these days, it’s a matter of what company you put your trust into (or your life). ShotStop was introduced to me a few months back to test and review their product. The ballistic tests had been done by numerous parties and have definitely exceeded expectations but what about a wear test? Actually getting in the water with them? That’s the aspect that I thought I could bring to Shotstop in real-world maritime environments. How will it hold in 4 weeks straight of salt water? How comfortable is it? These are all factors that I look for in plates and these are all factors that I will answer based on my own experiences.

Weighing 2.9 lbs a plate I only wear front and back plates, no side plates (please don’t tell my mom). With both plates, it equals out to a little less than 6 lbs of ballistic armor. They are multi-curved swimmer cut plates made of Duritium III PA. PA is the lightest option that ShotStop offers and it is made of 100% poly. The thickness (or should I say lack of) was what really impressed me after seeing the plates in person. They’re as sleek as can be. I like all my gear to be as slim as possible and compared to SAPI Swimmer Cut plates, the ShotStop plates bring me down about a quarter of an inch.

Now for the wear test, wearing these plates for 4 weeks straight, I hardly even noticed them. They provided me with the comfort and weightlessness that I need to be as fast as ever. Another thing that I wasn’t sure of was having 2 curved plates. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it as I have only worn front curved plates, with a flat back plate. In all honesty, I don’t think I will ever go back to wearing a back flat plate, so I guess I owe the boys over at ShotStop a beer next time I meet them in person. I was only able to run and gun on land one time with the swimmer cut plates, but I felt less restricted and immediately felt the difference when rounding corners or cutting pies. Hitting the deck and shooting prone had its advantages as well. I felt so much more comfort in being lower to the ground while looking down various optics.

Pictured above is the First Spear AAC Frog along with a Swimmer Cut Level III Shotstop Plate

Last but not least, my final test was in the water. How easy would it be to swim with these plates? Do I sink or do I float? Well, that’s where things get kind of tricky. Since I am running the First Spear AAC Frog, it has buoyancy compensators (10lbs of flotation in the front and the back for a total of 20lbs of flotation) so I swam with my compensators fully inflated and not inflated at all. The plates give you enough flotation alone for you to have an easier time staying above water, but they also aren’t a personal flotation device so it won’t keep you from slipping under. During diving operations, these would be perfect with “The frog” because I am able to adjust my compensators accordingly. Surface swim? Fully inflated. Going to the land down under while playing “Africa” by Toto? Not inflated. The flotation ability of the ShotStop plates essentially just evens out your gear weight so it’s equivalent to diving without any gear on with The Frog compensators not inflated.

All in all are they worth the retail price ShotStop has put on them? Damn right they are! With ShotStop’s ultralight Duritium® level III plates priced surprisingly low for such an ultra-premium plate. These plates exceed ballistic protection, survive salt water, they’re as light as can be, as comfortable as can be and they are a screaming deal as far as prices go. I also included a video below of a float test from the ShotStop website.

“You guys make hands down the best swimmer plates in the market” – AJ Peterson (DoD Contractor/Navy)

Protech Shift 360 PC and Rifle Plates | First Impressions

When I came home from work today there was a box on my front porch and guess what was in it. Yes, the Protech Shift 360 plate carrier and the accompanying rifle plates. I put the box on the table, cut it open, and there it was. Immediately my ceiling opened up and Mad Dog Mattis rappelled down from a Huey, landed, looked at me and gave me a nod of approval and thumbs up right before he SPIE rigged out leaving me to marvel this piece of kit alone. Ok, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration but as soon as I put hands on it I loved it.

This setup is hands down the lightest kit I have ever put on, which is saying something because I’ve run a variety of different carriers with a variety of different plates. Not only is this system extremely light, but it is very comfortable as well.

The whole plate carrier is covered in laser-cut laminate molle so there is no room for weak stitches in between the loops. It has integrated the First Spear Tubes into the cummerbund and the front/rear of the shoulder straps. Protech is claiming that this is the fastest scalable plate carrier on the market, I will test that claim.

Over the next 3-4 weeks, I’m going to be pushing this setup to see where its flaws are and how good it really is. I will be conducting PT (Physical Training) with it, weighing it, testing the scalable speed, shooting in it and much more. I plan on using both my Eagle PC with ceramic plates and my Ferro Concepts PC with steel plates to compare this kit too and I have very high hopes for it. After its all said and done I’m going to test the ballistic capabilities of these extremely light plates by putting some rounds on them of both 5.56 and 7.62. Protech is saying that these plates can take up to 6 rounds of 5.56 or 7.63 before they are compromised. We will see!

Author – Wes Nanny is currently a Sgt in the Marine Corps until January at which point I will be ending my career with the Marine Corps to join the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas. I did 8 years as a grunt being a team leader and squad leader. I deployed to sangin, Afghanistan in 2010-2011 with 3rd battalion 5th Marine Regiment. After that I stayed with that unit and went on the 15th and 31st MEU’s. Iv attended numerous schools like CLS, TCCC, Assault climbers course, combat hunter trainer course, HRST masters course, infantry squad leaders course, raid leaders course and some others I cant think of. In my spare time when im not with my family I like to climb, shoot, and hike. I stay very current on firearms and fear of all sorts. I also did some side work with custom kydex for the last two years.

CORDURA vs. Polyurea Body Armor Plate Coverings

What is the difference between CORDURA® and polyurea and how does that difference impact the performance of rifle plates?

We consistently hear buyers and dealers ask some form of this question and so we decided to clear the confusion in the video below.

What is CORDURA® ballistic fabric?

We at ShotStop® selected CORDURA ballistic fabrics over many other options strictly based on performance and trust they have in the ballistics market. CORDURA is constructed using high tenacity fiber technologies and is exceptionally durable. After examining the situations our body armor buyers face, we believe CORDURA fabric best compliments the technology and protects our customers.

What is Polyurea?

Polyurea is an advanced spray-applied polymer that is fast curing with exceptional physical properties such as flexibility, durability, and chemical resistance. For ballistic armor, polyurea is applied by specialty equipment at 250 degrees Fahrenheit in a high-pressure environment to ensure the integrity of the ballistic materials inside the plate. Polyurea’s fast reactivity moisture insensitivity makes it useful for coatings for our advanced body armor plates. Polyurea can reach strengths of 6000psi (40MPa) tensile and more than 500 percent elongation, making it an extremely tough coating. So much so, we’re confident enough in the material to double the product warranty when coated with polyurea.

So should you select a plate with CORDURA or Polyurea?

QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN DETERMINING WHICH PLATE MATERIAL IS BEST FOR A SPECIFIC SITUATION:

How important is price?
How important is buoyancy?
How important is doubling the product life?
How often will the plates be removed and inserted into carriers?

Align your answers to the above questions, with the below differences to determine which rifle plate covering material you should choose.

CORDURA OVERVIEW

CORDURA is approximately 0.25 lb. lighter
CORDURA saves 15% of the price
CORDURA increases buoyancy properties
CORDURA is used on both rigid and soft armor
Warranty is standard 5 years

POLYUREA OVERVIEW

Polyurea is approximately 0.25 lb. heavier
Polyurea better protects the plate from weathering conditions. (Specifically chemicals and inserting/removing the plate)
Polyurea is 15% more expensive
Polyurea is used on mostly rigid body armor
Polyurea doubles the warranty to 10 years, effectively cutting the overall cost of plates in half
Zero performance differences

There are zero performance differences, so it’s ultimately up to you to decide what’s best for your particular needs and budget. Both CORDURA and polyurea are strong, durable ballistic coverings. If you are still debating which might be the right choice, give us a call at 800-986-0795 or contact us here. We’d love to talk through your questions.*

*This article is courtesy of ShotStop

**Photo courtesy of @scott_witner

SHOT STOP: Life saving ballistic technology

I recently had a chance encounter at my local coffee shop. Two guys from a local body armor shop had been in there having a business meeting at the same time I was in there working. As the two men approached the owner to talk to her, she immediately called me over to introduce me to them, since we had common goals within our jobs. Well, one thing led to another and I was invited to the SHOT STOP office to go over their product line and talk about ways to partner with the Loadout Room and Hurricane Group.

Before I get into the visit, I have to say I was really impressed when they offered to brew up a pot of Black Rifle Coffee. That is by far the best way to start a meeting. Nothing like talking body armor, ballistics while sipping on a cup of Silencer Smooth coffee.

As we started going over their product line of body armor plates, the one thing that stood out to me was the weight of these plates. From my experience with handling other armor plates, the issue has always been weight. SHOT STOP is putting out plates that meet or exceed ballistics ratings at half the weight of leading manufacturers. Now, most of that is due to the materials and technology they employ in the manufacturing process.

The one product that really intrigued me was the level 3 insert for backpacks, yes I said Level 3, not 3a. Their backpack inserts are rated Level 3 and will take multi-hits from .308 rounds. It’s a rigid plate, unlike the 3a soft armor many of us are familiar with. Even though it is rigid, it’s lightweight and will not bog down any students or business people that want to carry this every day.

SHOT STOP also has a few projects still in R&D that are going to revolutionize and disrupt the ballistic plate industry. Some of those projects include concepts for defensive measures against active shooters inside schools. Stay tuned for more on that as they continue to move forward and adapt to newer technology and the industry requirements.