Picked Up A Surplus Armored Vest...

The woman I see on occasion ..their group picked up several of these surplus armored vests with the metal plates in them.

Her oldest boy was to pay for one of them but could not come up with the monies....and hence I paid for and received it.


This is the first time I've ever handled one of these vests.
This thing is quite bulky with those plates in it. I have installed the plates and put it away for now.

I did not plan for one of these vests but had the monies and decided. Need to put it on and make adjustments.

It has been put away for now...not really interested in wearing it...but have it nonetheless.


Good Grief...with all the other equipment our troops carry ...in addition to this vest....talk about loaded down....and hot in the summer months too. Wow!!!


Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite.

 

Not in any hurry to wear it....not sure what I was thinking in getting it.

I don't go much of anywhere now days...just to work and occasionally the grocery store...

The thing is darned bulky.



Also brought back home my fourth Xiegu G 90 HF radio and will be packing it in foil and into an ammo can as I have done for the other two...for emergency backup rigs.

These radios have all been modified to transmit and receive straight through all the frequencies on them.....as from the factory settings some frequencies have been gated/blocked out...

Doing similar with Emergency antennas and power supplies..


Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite.

 

Agree lonewolf...they are very bulky and mostly get in the way. So too a holstered handgun...often in the way if one does serious work.

Nonetheless...something told me to get it ...even if I do not use it...

They are rather bulky and awkward to wear....most definitely....they are awkward just to carry by hand..

I'd not even thought of a helmet...just as I had not thought of the vest but the opportunity presented itself...

Mayhap I shall have to rethink the helmet as well.....with two legged wildlife in mind. Thanks.


Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaeltie

 

Good morning Watcherchris,

Besides "gunfight at the OK corral" types of episodes, the garment might also be of use when meandering around commercial / industrial equipment.

Some time ago, the aluminum housing of an electrical apparatus ... outside on a concrete slab ... "exploded" near me. My ANSI I helmet is ideal for head protection - but NEEDED something for the neck ! I had on a 3A ceramic plate vest.

The armor you got just might have a use after all.

 

Pragmatist....

Mayhap I am missing something here..

The plates which go into this vest are metal..

Am I to understand that there is another type of plate which goes with them as well...a ceramic plate.

Am thinking the Ceramic plate is much lighter in weight. As to the protection levels ..of the ceramic plate I have no idea...versus the metal.

The metal plates are some 3/16 of an inch thick or so...and quite heavy.

Inquisitive or is it Enquiring minds and that sort of thing..

It is clear that I know very little about them.

Thanks,
Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite.

 

A protective vest story . I was escorting the battalion scrounger on a mission to acquire items for an officer in Nam at another U.S. military installation . When we arrived everyone was wearing those flack jackets . On inquiring about this strange behavior , we were told it was Ho Chi Mins birthday and they figured they might be attacked . Come dark everyone disappeared into bunkers . We had all the booze we could drink at the bar as no one else was there not even the bar tender . I suppose the guy running it was paid off . We loaded up all the liquer we could on a trailer that we were pulling behind an willis Jeap and was gone before dawn . Liquer was our intended target the officer had sent us to fetch minus paperwork . --- The base where we were stationed got shelled every evening and we seldom wore those heavy flack vests and that was why we were so amused at the people at the other base being so afraid of an attack . Being under attack was just an every day occurrence to us . -- If in battle I don't want to be weighted down making my movements slow wearing something heavy or bulky . I depended on speed and a quick reaction to survive in Nam and would adopt the same strategy if a similar situation should arise again .

 

Although I can't far more agree in the necessity in mobility (both in strategic & tactical level), in jungle environment you have the jungle to provide some concealment. Now, I don't have any experience operating in temperate climate, but from what I've seen you don't have much natural concealment. Furthermore all of us who operate in tropical climate wear plate armour nowadays. And for the record if not because of wearing body armour (albeit it was a soft armour) I wont be able to writing all this.

 

Good morning Watcherchris,

From what I understand - and it was changed and changed back due to field complaints;

There are different types of plates that a company may use. I know of ceremic (my vest) and of metal. There could be other types of material used for plates. I don't keep up with this any more.

My vest is 3A with ceramic plates. 3A = max protection against handguns as National Institute of Justice (NIJ - the original standard-creator) designates handguns.

There are vests without plates that can protect against handguns.

I am making a wild guess that your very heavy vest - mine is far from lightweight ! - could be NIJ 4 - protection somewhat more than a handgun.

It's all learning and a changing field.

My view is that NIJ 3A gives max protection without sacrificing mobility and speed - presuming one is in somewhat decent shape.

My concern for a vest is scrapnel from industrial / commercial equipment mishaps.

Plates of any material protect against cutlery attacks and minimize injury if hit by a swing chain.

For combatants, a helmet with face and neck protection is absolutely required if combatant likes scheduled R&R programs.

......

A couple of weeks ago, I posted an article here that in early 2021, there will be available a ballistic helmet for firefighters.

......

I'm reminded of the James Bond movie where M is showing Bond around the agency's research facility. There's a demonstration with someone shooting a submachine gun at other scientist/engineer wearing a trenchcoat of kevlar - the body armor material. M says to Bond: [The trench coat] "hasn't been perfected yet". About sixty years later I still LOL !

 

Military ballistic vest tend to be heavy and restrictive although I think its changing/changed in the Brit army not sure I'm out of touch. If I had to pay for my own I'd go for Kevlar.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey_body_armour

 

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/247281.pdf


Good afternoon all,

Above is an old chart on body armor. --- It is for basic familiarization only ! --- Much might have changed since 2014, the year on above link.

Page 12 has Exhibit 9 Comparison Chart.

As an aside, page 7 uses the term "stabbing weapons". When I was in high school, the dictionary I used mentioned in the front part ... forgot name of this section... that the dictionary's technical expert for "cutting and thrusting weapons" was BG S.L.A. Marshall. Thus, am still a user of the General's terms. I read much in high school because it was a waste of time and really did want to learn. Again, thus, read the dictionary.

......

As an aside, Gen Marshall once got into a debate with Col ____Hackett (I met him at a book signing years ago at Barnes and Noble bookstore, Newport News, Virginia) They were arguing about some Korean War stuff. The Colonel said something like: ="= He only knew where we operated based on the map plotting. We were actually elsewhere ="=.

 

When needed, it will save your life. That plate will absorb close range 7.62x39mm rounds with only minimal splatter. I owe my life to one of the first ones.

Dale

 

thanks to all who have served during wartimes, much love and respect for you from me here in liberal land of WA, state.

 

well we do have over 400 million firearms and over 8 billion rounds of ammo last count in the USA . i do imagine a lot of shooting going on once it Hits the Fan in the ole US of A.

 

do you see the sheeple getting to the gun clubs to get their arms before the police or military do during a real bad SHTF scenario?

 

There are already commercial / civvy body armour out there that will protect you against shrapnel, stab, rifle round. This one for example (video below). However all those civvy armour aren't made for continuos usage as military plate carrier does. With conventional plate carrier when you get shot, you can always replace the affected plate without needing to replace the whole vest or the other unaffected plate.

This particular armour seem to be made using the same principle of medieval brigandine. However that also mean if you get shot you need to replace the whole vest, which is unlike the medieval version of which you need only to replace the affected plate.

 

Good morning Varuna,

In the privatr sector, if an insured private citizen receives a ballistic projectile or shrapnel hit, the usual rule is that the vest is "retired". There are the "of course, there are exceptions" but the worn vest must be examined by an engineer for continued viability and this assessment costs more than a replacement vest.

Otherwise no renewal of the insurance contract.

 

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.....Mundane.....Less Violent???? Did we watch the same movie? The number of people abused, enslaved and murdered in that movie looks like Chicago on a weekend. Not anyplace I want to be. LOL! Different perspective I guess.

Dale

 

There is a difference between War and Combat. I never served during a declared war, but I am a combat veteran and was awarded a purple heart and Bronze Star for my service, minus the orders. Without the orders, there worthless. I left my Bronze Star on the tombstone of my best friend in the punchbowl cemetery in Hawaii. He died, leaving behind a widow and 2 kids, with no recognition for his sacrifice. No awards. No medals conferred. Just his life insurance paid to his wife and a flag on his closed coffin.

I volunteered for what I did. That doesn't change the living with what's done.

Dale

 

Not sure people are 'anti guns' as such, more that most people are not interested in guns and I'd guess its pretty much the same with hunting. You get the tree huggers banging on about fox hunting more than shooting rabbits sort of thing, I'd say the majority of folk in the UK are indifferent to firearms in general.

 

after the dunblane massacre few people in the UK were "indifferent" they all came down hard on firearms both publically and legislatively...