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Armor Plates Guide

Armor Plates are ballistic armor inserts that protect soldiers, law enforcement officers or anyone else who is wearing a piece of body armor from ballistic threats. When inserted properly into bulletproof vest or plate carrier, they are crucial for saving your life.

There are many different types of armor plates so it’s important to choose the right one for your mission. This guide will provide you with basic information on armor plates. Do you need something to protect your front and back torso, or all around protection? This article will help better equip yourself with the right information.

What plates are good for home defense?

Typically the lighter and compact the hard armor plates are in your plate carrier, would be ideal for home defense use and protection.

HD or home defense has generally always involved smaller anything, when it comes to dealing with a home invasion or attempt break-in; because of the confined spaces found within a dwelling or home- if you find it necessary to search, clear, or fight within the confines of a room- or several rooms inside your house or structure- you will be better fighting off or defending yourself with compact weapons, pads, plate carriers, and plates as possible, so as not to restrict your own movements or reduce your self-defense space, and especially not to hinder your body’s range of motion while wearing body armor or returning gunfire.

Even soft body armor vests are a viable option in protecting yourself from armed home intruders, any form of NIJ rated body armor that you are able to put on and put to use- until law enforcement can arrive -is a critical need when it comes to home defense.

What body armor level of protection should you choose?

Body armor plates levels have a variety of differences in both protective rating, as well as structural composites necessary in achieving each level of protective effectiveness. Here are some of the more common NIJ (National Institute of Justice) ratings for Armor Ballistic Plates.

  • Level IIIA Hard Plate for Handguns up to .44 Magnum threat.
  • Level III Stand Alone for Rifle ammo up to .308 M80 threat.
  • Level III+ Special Threat Ceramic Rifle plate up to M855 Green Tip.
  • Level IV ICW Armor Piercing rated Ceramic plate up to Black Tip 5.56mm AP.
  • Level IV Stand Alone Armor Piercing rated Ceramic plate up to .30-06 APM2

Why its important to have hard plates in addition to soft armor?

Law Enforcement agencies across the country have worn tactical vests body armor for over half a century during tactical situations; but even law enforcement agencies and the officers or deputies that work for them have realized about advances in ballistic materials and aramid fibers; such as, thinner bulletproof panels and a lighter weight vest- able to wick away moisture and provide the wearer with superior cooling.

Command staff amongst law enforcement departments have now taken to upgrading their soft body armor to include armor plates inside tactical vests or plate carriers.

What is the best bulletproof backpack?

Like any other product, several brands make ballistic backpacks, and in our opinion, the best and most versatile is the Ace Link Armor Rapid Deploy Backpack. The best feature of this bag is that it can act as a complete plate carrier and can be instantly deployed to offer protection both at the front and the back. It is like an inconspicuous bulletproof vest, that also works as a versatile and handy bag.

Steel plates or ceramic or PE body armor?

From the two types that are most common amongst ballistic plates today- in both military armed forces/Law Enforcement or civilian markets; body armor steel plates are the older of the set- with PE and Ceramic combination constructed armor plates being the newer kind.

Steel hard body armor plates are still worn inside of plate carriers today, even if they were first introduced into the body armor realm when steel was easy to procure and manufacture into smaller torso sized squares and rectangles- which a person could wear or carry by hand to defend themselves and to protect others from larger caliber rifle fire or machine gun bullet strikes. Today, steel body armor plates are still prevalent in the body armor industry, but in thinner grades, shooters cut or swimmers cut profiles, and somewhat more manageable weight configurations and levels.

Lighter weight Polyethylene ballistic plates in their Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW), structural make-up plates, provides today’s military and law enforcers very lightweight bulletproof protection for their tactical vest that not only protects from rifle grade ammunition but also allows the wearer to experience less fatigue or weight-induced material stress on their plate carrier’s construction.

Top Rated Plate Carriers in 2022

AceLink Armor makes a wide range of high-end tactical plate carriers. From minimalist plate carrier vests to heavy tactical plate carriers, they have the perfect plate carrier for every situation. Here are some of their top-rated plate carriers for this year.

Quadrelease Plate Carrier

The Quadrelease Plate Carrier from Acelink Armor is a medium profile tactical plate carrier which offers complete wrap-around protection with front, back, and side armor pockets. It has comfortable padded shoulder straps, with mesh lining on the inside, which makes it easy to wear on long missions.

This Plate Carrier also comes with MOLLE or Laser Cut slots on the fron, back and sides for mounting all of your tactical gear. The Quad Release plate carrier is designed with four self-lubricating quick release latch buckles, which make it weary easy to take off in case of an emergency.

Skeletac Plate Carrier

The Skeletac plate carrier is an ultra lightweight and minimalist plate carrier. This is the lightest plate carrier in the market, and it makes use of a solid skeletonized Kydex frame to hold the armor plates.

Skeletac plate carriers have a completely modular pouch attachment system, which allows for a wide range of Molle accessories to be attached to the plate carrier. Skeletac tactical plate carriers dont have any side plate pouches, and are ideal for short and quick engagements that require you to be mobile and agile.

What should I attach to my plate carrier?

Most plate carriers have some means of carrying tactical gear, but the exact loadout that you attach to your plate carrier will depend a lot on your specific mission, or operational environment. For instance, if you are using a plate carrier for protection during a self-defense scenario, you probably don’t need to add gear for long-range engagements like a hydration bladder, survival kit, or communication system on it.

However, there are some basic things that almost everyone needs to attach to their plate carriers, and the first is extra ammo. If you are using a rifle, you should use a triple magazine pouch on the front of your tactical plate carrier so that you can access extra magazines easily. Moreover, you should always have a medical trauma kit on your tactical plate carrier, whether you are simply wearing it at the shooting range, or using it for self-defense. Apart from that, you can have a knife, a flashlight, a multi-tool, and perhaps a couple of extra mags for your sidearm on your plate carrier as well.

Military personnel and special law enforcement tactical units may even have other weapons like flashbangs and grenades on their tactical plate carrier vests as well. And they are probably going to carry a communication system on their back as well.

Best body armor plates for plate carrier

Several manufacturers like AR500 armor, AceLink armor, and Spartan armor systems make armor plates for plate carriers, which are known to be some of the best in the market. AceLink armor especially has a wide range of high-quality ceramic and PE ballistic plates, which are a better option than steel plates made by brands like AR500 armor.

When a bullet hits a steel plate, it breaks and its pieces are deflected towards the sides. These fragments can injure the person wearing the steel armor plate, and cause problems for the people around them as well. This is called spalling, and manufacturers use a rubber coating on their steep plates to prevent this. However, the rubber coating only helps for a few shots, after which steel plates can become quite dangerous.

Therefore, ceramic and PE plates, preferably from a high-end manufacturer like AceLink Armor are the best ballistic plates for a plate carrier.

How to Fit Body Armor?

When you are wearing body armor, having the right fit is essential. If your body armor does not fit you properly, it will move around on your body and be uncomfortable. Moreover, it may also leave gaps from where bullets can penetrate your body.

So, how should your plate carrier vest or ballistic protection vest fit? Well, in simple words, it should be snug. It shouldn’t be too tight that it restricts your breathing and movement, and neither should it be too loose so that it moves and shifts around on your body. A good rule of thumb is that when you take a deep breath, and your chest expands, your vest or plate carrier should just start to feel tight.

Next up, it is also essential that your plate carrier vest or bulletproof vest covers all of your vital organs from the front and the back. Since soft armor can contort to the shape of your body, it offers a better fit and covers a larger area, however, it offers a lower level of protection. On the other hand, a plate carrier with a hard armor plate offers protection against bigger calibers, and it should ideally cover your chest from a couple of inches below your collarbone to a couple of inches above your belly button. You should also be able to hold an Isosceles pistol shooting stance, and shoulder a rifle without the sides of the body armor plates digging into your shoulders.

A plate carrier should have a snug fit, the back and front plate should be at the same level, and it shouldn’t sag forward under the weight of your tactical gear. When you are testing a plate carrier for the first time, make sure to move around a little after wearing it. Do some burpees and stretches to make sure that the plate carrier fits you, and doesn’t shift around.

Best Body Armor: Hard Plates & Plate Carriers

1.

Body armor threat levels

In the US, the threat protection standards for body armor are designated by the National Institute of Justice. They have determined multiple threat levels that body armor has to protect against to comply with the NIJ standards. These NIJ armor protection levels are level II, Level IIIA, Level III, and Level IV.

2.

level II:

Level II body armor is rated to offer protection against common pistol calibers up to .357 magnum. It offers protection against 9mm, 45 ACP, 40 S&W, and 380 ACP as well. Level II soft armor is light and pliable, which is why it is used to make concealable body armor.

3.

level IIIa:

Level IIIA armor is also usually made from Kevlar and is a form of soft armor. It offers protection against almost all common pistol calibers up to .44 Magnum. Most police officers and security personnel in the US use a level IIIA bulletproof vest under or over their uniforms.

4.

level III:

Level III armor is rifle rated, which means it can stop most intermediate rifle calibers up to .308 Winchester or 7.62x51mm Nato. level III armor comes in the form of hard armor plates, which can be made from either steel, ceramic, or PE.

5.

level IV:

Lastly, the highest level of protection is level IV, which is supposed to stop battle rifle rounds and armor-piercing rounds. A Level IV armor plate is rated to offer ballistic protection against up to an Armor-piercing 30.06 round, which is a very big 30 caliber round used for hunting, and in machine guns.

6.

Do plate carriers come with plates?

Typically, plate carriers and body armor plates are sold separately, however, some manufacturers like AceLink Armor also offer bundle deals, which include a plate carrier, and both back and front body armor plates. You can also save some money with these bundle deals. AceLink Armor has a wide range of bundle deals, which has combinations of various types of plate carriers and different protection level plates.

7.

Best body armor plates for plate carrier

Several manufacturers like AR500 armor, AceLink armor, and Spartan armor systems make armor plates for plate carriers, which are known to be some of the best in the market. AceLink armor especially has a wide range of high-quality ceramic and PE ballistic plates, which are a better option than steel plates made by brands like AR500 armor.

When a bullet hits a steel plate, it breaks and its pieces are deflected towards the sides. These fragments can injure the person wearing the steel armor plate, and cause problems for the people around them as well. This is called spalling, and manufacturers use a rubber coating on their steep plates to prevent this. However, the rubber coating only helps for a few shots, after which steel plates can become quite dangerous.

Therefore, ceramic and PE plates, preferably from a high-end manufacturer like AceLink Armor are the best ballistic plates for a plate carrier.

8.

Can you put a chest rig over a plate carrier?

Yes, you can use a chest rig or tactical vest over a plate carrier. In fact, many operators who use minimalist plate carriers may use a tactical vest over their plate carrier to increase their capability of carrying tactical gear.