"NIJ IV is the highest you can go" Body Armor Thread #2

I've been doing a lot of research in this industry for over a year for my mod, and it boggles my mind why the industry does not offer domestically-produced GOST 50774-95 Standard plates. The only theory I've got is that there's an agreement to keep higher-end body armor out of our hands, which is why there are very few if any III/IV dual-rated plates or Level IV+ plates for sale to us. The III/IVs are interesting - here's an example:
uspatriottactical.com/ltc-level-iii-iv-plate-27100

What if you just wore two level IVs

You wont crack the ceramic. The only thing you should consider there is: Do you want 6 pounds of armor that stops most stuff or 12 pounds of armor that stops everything.

That being said, I like running my CPE III+s or no armor at all.

Possible, but clumsy. Some people in Crimea during the cheeki-breeki war wore 1/2" thick AR500 plates in some vain effort to stop 7N37 7.62x54R, and they failed. 7N37 can penetrate two ESAPIs and the person between them, which throws that theory out of the window for at least military parties. I do not believe any 7N37 has made it to the states yet however. Two Level IV plates will be over 2.0" thick and bulky. In that case, their bulk might cause you to get shot more from an overwhelming lack of dexterity and agility.

Here is a III/IV+ plate for lelz.
dkxarmor.com/m12-series.php

That's correct. Ceramics are not as fragile as some people make them out to be. Be warned however, .30-06 M2AP is a pretty weak threat in the whole scheme of things and a Level IV plate only has to withstand one shot of it. a Level III plate according to NIJ 0101.06 has to withstand six shots of 7.62x51mm M80. Sure, a lot of Level IV plates can also take multiple 7.62x51mm M80 hits, but the baseline standard you're dealing with renders Level IV a single-hit level of protection. That's why there is a market for III/IV dual-rated plates that are heavier but can really stop nearly anything you can encounter, besides B-32 API and others. That's in the realm of NIJ-IV+.

If holing up in and defending one's home, wearing heavier armor or even multiple sets of armor with patented mall ninja tech is not an issue at all.

Which is why a lot of people go for two sets of armor. One for "covert" or "mobile" protection that is a IIIA vest with small Level III plates (or just Level III / III+ plates) and one for "defensive / stand your ground" usage that is NIJ IV or higher.

We all know NIJ 0101.06 is lame, so here is a real deal armor standard.

Attached: properarmorstandards.png (1105x776, 359K)

Attached: 1507312314024.jpg (640x801, 91K)

So III+ is probably the way to go for anything youre likely to encounter unless you think someone is going to shoot at you with a really high caliber rifle?

Whats good reading material on the subject for laymen?

Level III+ is generally the safest bet. Level IV however is so obsolete you're better off grabbing a Level IV+ plate if you feel you really need to stop higher-powered rounds. You're still out-of-luck however if 7.62x51mm M993 is on the scene or even M995, and there have been leaks of M995 on the civilian market from time to time.

The best reading material is reading the standards themselves and making an educated choice. This document is also useful to verify if the plates you're looking at are actually NIJ-certified:
tims.justnet.org/Report/BallisticCPL

That would work. Look at some of the turtle suits with ballistic masks and shields that SWAT/antiterrorist teams have. There is a difference between soldiering and just defending one position or clearing one building. However, I would say that a heavy SWAT type suit should be supplementary to a more lightweight setup that could be used in a far larger amount of scenarios.

And it is also important to note that most people you are fighting wont be shooting back with .30 cal AP. Modern III+ plates are adequate for almost all practical threats and weigh half of what IVs of comparable price go for.

As much as we both seemingly prefer Level III+, there is no doubt about the fact that there is still a time and a place for a Level IV+ plate, due to the myriad threats that can outperform 7.62x39mm MSC or BZ API or 5.56x45mm M855 that Level III+ has been pseudo-standardized for. I know a guy for instance that lives in a cartel-heavy area where the present threats render Level III+ or even Level III++ completely inadequate. I'm talking 5.56x45mm M995, 7.62x39mm 7N23, 7.62x51mm M61, and 7.62x51mm M993. While some plates in the III+-III++ area can withstand M61 since it's steel-core, M993 can be fired out of an ordinary AR-10 and it's like a cheat code against Level IV+. The ATF doesn't really go around there for some reason.

He's also going to try to move in the next month.

So while a Level IV+ may not help against M993, it is certainly more suitable against the other threats like M61 and 7N23 (or M995 if it's good) than a Level III+ plate. A lot of IV+'s are multi-hit too against 7.62x54R B-32 API so they of course will be both more expensive and more effective. When selecting armor, it's all about the threats in your area.

10/10 OVR-3SH Turtle Suit.

You are confusing protection levels with materials used as well as the effect of AP rounds plates. Steel plates will last a lot longer than ceramics will but an equivalent material III plate isn't going to be somehow more durable than a IV plate. It's just that steel is harder to do at IV levels without big sacrifices to weight so anything that can provide IV protection is usually ceramic and thus on the more "fragile" side.

AP rounds will also shatter or chew out chunks of plates of any kind compared to FMJs splattering themselves flat. The level IV standard requires a plate to withstand a single AP round, not a single ANY round. It is going to perform better than a III plate against multiple lesser projectiles.

Of course, but in the context of general civil unrest, most people will be armed with shotguns, pistols, or ARs firing relatively weak economy ammo. IV+s are great if you think you are going to be shot at with ammo that can get through III+. There is nothing wrong with it, it just has a more niche application in a civilian context.

I'm not confusing anything, I'm just going by the standards that you clearly have not read. NIJ III calls for six hits of 7.62x51mm M80 at 44mm BFD. NIJ IV calls for just one hit of .30-06 M2AP at 44mm BFD. Steel plates can withstand dozens of these 7.62x51mm M80 rounds but they're worse off at handling blunt trauma, are heavier, and inferior against high-speed projectiles. You can engineer a plate to be more capable against weaker threats than a plate that is more capable against a single harder threat. It's called material science. These companies are willing to cut corners where they have to, and thus I feel we should follow the standards and standards alone since this is a topic where our lives are on the line.

If we're talking SHTF, I'd still want to be prepared for military ammo caches getting lifted and real deal AP distributed around. Thus, having both III+ and IV+ plates, budget permitting, would be the ideal solution.

Additionally, remember that there are III/IV dual-rated plates for a reason. Not all IVs can pass III specification and not all IIIs can pass IV specification and I'm just talking ceramics here. If IVs were somehow more capable than III against lesser projectiles like M80, then there would be no market for III/IVs.

>The III/IVs
Velocity Systems made/makes the P34s (Lvl III / IV ICW) were highly recommended a couple years ago.

Also have one of the Sigma III+ that was sold by Midwest Armor.

Of course I also picked up some steel plates with that Rhino Liner on sale.

I'm familiar with Velocity Systems but I have not seen this P34 before. Good find!
soldiersystems.net/2015/04/04/velocity-systems-clarifies-threat-protection-level-of-vs-p34-plates/

The Sigmas are classics and were the go-to plates quite some time ago for survivalists and militia-types alike. I recall III/IVs have been around since 2004-2005, around the same time the "Level V" and tungsten-rated plates started drying up.

That's a business suit. I wonder if it comes in pinstripes.

Putin probably has a couple with diamonds embedded in the pinstripe fabric.

Does anybody have a picture of the body armour the Brits were being issued in Northern Ireland to deal with the .50 cal rifles the IRA were using?

Attached: Screenshot_20180712-145457.png (720x1280, 188K)

This thread is fucking retarded you're going to get shot in the pelvis anyway

The weight seems to be on-par with the Ceradyne .50 BMG Protective inserts that were around in the early 1990s and possibly as early as the late 1980s. These plates weigh around 11-13lb a piece. It could possibly be these, and it wouldn't be the first time Europe and the United States have traded armor.

Attached: ceradyne.png (322x374, 257K)

You need to be 18 or older to post here.

Yeah, until they frag clear your ass into 6000B.C....

Listen little buddy, I've seen some shit and you wouldn't believe how bullets bounce around and sometimes the thing you never could have expected will save you. We had a guy take a rifle round that bounced off his PEQ-2, then his ACOG (kept working), then the rim of his MICH. Had another guy take a round right on the edge of his plate. You never know where the bullets will land. The ONLY guy to sustain a serious injury in my platoon that day was a Ranger qualified wanna-be bad ass. He took a 7.62x39 to the forearm, because he was chicken winging. I couldn't even make this shit up.

What about layered AR500, or layered armour.
Isn't multiple "face strikes" a killer for penetrators or is that just for "long rod" penetrators like APFSDS and doesn't apply for boolits

There are going to be parallels between an armored vehicle's APFSDS and shorter, less powerful bullets that can be fired from the shoulder. Hybrid "composite" layered armor is very effective, as evidenced by the Model 4520 being lighter than a fair portion of Level IV plates while having multi-hit ability against M993 / M995 (and being XSAPI compliant) in addition to the occasional Fiberglass-Steel or Steel-Ceramic composite plates demonstrating solid performance as well. When we're talking about whether multiple face strikes are a killer for penetrators or not, it really depends on what penetrators we're discussing. For example, I'm pretty sure a Model #1189 from RMA and 3/8" Level III+ AR500 used together can handle 7.62x54R B-32 API or possibly M995 from some distance (don't try it live), but something like 7N37 can clear two ESAPIs and the man between them. Layered AR500 would probably not do too much good against a threat like that, and doubled-up AR500 or AR500 + a ceramic plate would be both hilariously bulky and quite heavy.

Alright gents, let's see if any of you can identify what this plate is. It is not a SAPI or ESAPI but is military issue with a DEMIL D code on it.
wbparts.com/rfq/8470-01-478-1034.html

Attached: idthisplate.png (459x541, 571K)

I have a KDH ATPC with full PAI lvl 3a armor and RMA Lvl4 stand-alone front and back plates. I just got a cummerbund for it with LVL 3a soft inserts and I’m bastardizing a pair of eagle CIRAS ballistic shoulder pads onto it.
>Am I gunna make it? Did I fuck up with Lvl4 plates and shoulda got Lvl 3+????
Also, the next piece of the puzzle is side plates.
>What side plates should I get?
Need some 6x6, preferably curved.
Lastly....
>Are there any OD Green throat and neck protectors out there I could find and make work?
pic related is not mine, but basically the same setup.

Attached: 8A2757F4-2B1F-439A-AB9C-CF1765664552.jpg (638x425, 43K)

rmadefense.com/product/level-iv-6x6-side-plate-set-model-1155sp/

The above 6x6" NIJ-IV inserts are on sale and should be within acceptable bounds. They will also match your RMA front and back plates. You didn't really mess up with your plates. RMA's plates are of good quality and are likely quite capable of multi-hit protection from .30-06 M2AP and thus are capable of multi-hit protection from lower level threats. While the protection they offer may seem unneccessary, I'd much rather have something and not need it than need it and not have it.

For neck protection, try these:
securityprousa.com/products/secpro-gladiator-vest-ballistic-throat-protector-level-iiia-nij-06

All about that profile.

lightfighter.net/topic/confused-about-buying-rifle-plates-carriers-and-helmets-for-patrol-officers-start-here

Useful guide I found for intelligently purchasing body armor.

>defeated by m193 from a carbine if you're close enough

I didn't know 20" barrels were carbines.

Since when do russians have power armor?

Since 2014 or so.

What happens if this guy gets shot in the wrist by M855? Does the bullet just go thru or does it absorb it and spin him like a top

There are 3 well known 7.62 NATO AP rounds
M61 Black tip (Which is an early loading and probably just a .30-06 M2 AP Projo - which is a common AP loading because reloaders - later variants may have a slightly improved projo)

Then there is the two Saboted Light Armor Piercing loadings - M948 SLAP and M959 SLAP-T

There is also MK319 MOD 0 Enhanced Penetration, Ball, Barrier - which I believe may be DODIC code AA11 Armor Piercing Sniper Ammunition.

Most of the 7.62 NATO AP rounds were geared towards penetrating light and aluminum armored Soviet vehicles - BTR's, MT-LB's, BMP/BMD's, not towards the penetration of body armor like 7N37.

How effective would SLAP and boutique 7.62 NATO loadings be against level IV and above?

Forgot to mention newer M993 7.62 AP, but you mentioned that fairly well earlier in the thread as a significant threat

I'm familiar with M948 and MK319, in addition to LC/70-stamped Depleted Uranium Discarding Sabot ammunition. M948 fires a tungsten core of .22 caliber from a sabot out of a 7.62x51mm case. In other words, it's essentially M995, (which is slightly subcaliber in 5.56x45mm already, there's a plastic cup holding the bullet in place) being fired from a 7.62x51mm case. This produces velocity of approximately 4,000 feet per second and enables it to go through steel armor with very little difficulty thanks to its overwhelming speed. If M995 can challenge body armor, then what is essentially an M995 bullet going about 700 feet per second faster will challenge body armor much better. M959 is just a tracer version of M948. MK319 MOD 0 is a barrier-blind ball akin to 5.56x45mm Mk318. Mk318 splits the difference between Mk262 and M855, so what is Mk318 but in 7.62x51mm is not really a significant threat to a modern Level IV or Level IV+ insert. A little while back in the day, you could buy Winchester-Olin SLAP that was around M948's ability and it was well-known as perfectly capable of knocking any Level IV plate out with ease. That was in 2004-2005 or so. The 7.62x51mm Depleted Uranium Discarding Sabot ammunition, head-stamped LC/70, is essentially M948 on five pounds of Cold War and is both faster and of higher sectional density, granting it superior body armor penetration.

In short, MK319 MOD 0 is not a significant threat but can probably take a Level III plate down no problem. M948 is a significant threat and it can very easily defeat a Level IV plate up close. Be warned however, due to lower mass and a tiny diameter, the non-expanding M948 projectile will have terrible terminal ballistics after it penetrates the armor, especially at a distance, and goes into the body of the target. LC/70 will just slaughter Level IV plates.

Attached: duk6y19ulaaz-600x450.jpg (600x450, 31K)

MK319 may have issues with certain Level III plates, just as a final note. Don't consider it a reliable threat to Level III, just something that may outperform M80 Ball in the penetration department, which Level III must stop six times.

I do not believe the wrist area is covered by rifle-rated armor, so it would result in a damaging but non-vital wound. Certainly not a hit to the heart or lungs, which are protected by extremely high-grade ceramic plates.

rather not trust a niche plate tbqh famfam
sage

How much lighter is it compared to its nearest civilian competitor in terms of similar threat capability?

Stuff like this is why the civilian body armor industry in the United States has stagnated for over a decade.

I also managed to ID this plate. It's a Ceradyne Level 3++ Multi Hit SOF IMP/PACT, 4.14lb for a 10x12. It provides multi-hit protection from 5.56x45mm M193, M855, 7.62x39mm, and 7.62x51mm M61 AP. It began production in 2,000 and ended around 2,004. It saw comprehensive in-theater use with special operations and is a fairly obscure member of the BAE-Ceradyne SAPI family.

Attached: id2.png (459x532, 461K)

Only tangentially related, but I'm actually having a hard time finding M2AP 30-06 projectiles that aren't dinged all to hell.

That's pretty light weight. Neat.

The Model 4520 surpasses even the XSAPI and has no civilian competitor. It is 5.4lb for a 10x12 and needs to be in-conjunction-with NIJ IIIA to achieve its full rating. I suppose the closest you can get is something like a RMA #1189, AT FFS4, or if you're quick on the draw a second-hand Level III/IV plate. All of those are heavier than this one. The RMA #1189 is around 7lb for a 10x12, the FFS4 IV+ 9lb for a 10x12, and III/IV dual-rated plates are about 7.5-10lb depending on the model for a 10x12. None of those plates are rated for M995, M993, or the XSAPI's secret squirrel bullet that the US Military does not reveal. I have a strong belief this secret squirrel Russian AP is 7N37 due to the awfully good timing between the XSAPI's introduction and 7N37's introduction and how dangerous 7N37 is to ESAPIs. Furthermore, the Model 4520 is multi-hit-rated for those threats and complies with the FBI Internal Standard, which demands shots on the edges of the plate and muzzle shots as well with M993 and M995.

Nonetheless, unless you're into stealing an XSAPI off a truck, your strongest plates as a civilian are going to be rated against only 7.62x54R B-32 API, which is moderately stronger than .30-06 M2AP and is vastly inferior to M993.

Of course, remember it's an ICW plate and requires a BALCS soft armor insert loaded behind it to achieve that rating. Despite being 14-18 years old, it is competitive with modern body armor. the plate has been credited with over 400+ in-theater saves according to Lightfighter members in a thread from 2004-2005.

How hard is it to craft basic bitch ceramic plates against black powder? I have an idea for a neo-feudal setting in which knights ride around in bullet proof ceramic armor crafted in their feudal holdings by hand and I want to check plausibility. If the hand made route is unworkable, the actual *SAPI plates would be inherited heirlooms, with smaller pieces faked from non-ballistic ceramic or made from broken plates.

Ceramic tiles stacked deep enough will do the job.

You'll most likely need the inherited heirloom route. Outright making ESAPIs for example by hand is pretty impractical and sounds kinda silly. How do you work and fabricate Boron Carbide in a black powder setting? That question alone should settle the score.

Not to mention you'll never displace from your initial position wearing 60 lbs of impenetrable armor

Additionally, it is a sound principle that wearing too much armor may actually reduce your survivability on the grounds that you'll be dramatically less mobile and thus easier to flank or hit from favorable distance and positions with heavier weapons that can penetrate your armor either through single-shot power or a whole load of shots.

Do you think DODIC code AA11 ammunition, described as Armor Piercing Sniper Rifle Ammunition, is in fact MK319 MOD 0 (Which is a barrier-blind ball round designed for marksmen/snipers), or is it possible that AA11 is a DODIC code for a non-US made or commercial solution AP given no official designation?

I'm coming up empty linking it to Mk319 Mod 0, which leads me to believe me it could be a range of Armor Piercing Match ammunition bought from either Sweden or Finland.

Now that I've digressed enough, WHAT is the status on the US military's adoption of 9mm AP ammuniton - The Army switching to a +P+ capable handgun, as well as the desire for a 9mm Compact Submachine gun/PDW leads me to believe they figured out something the Russian's and the Swedes seemed to already know

>LC/70-stamped Depleted Uranium Discarding Sabot
ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Depleted_Uranium_7_62/16-658825/

Any idea how widespread or how many were produced? It seems the US military settled on SLAP and M993 - also read that these things will spike a gieger, Small Arms ammo is limited in size compared to a 120mm Depleted Uranium APFSDS-T.
Russia seems to mostly stick to Tungsten as well
But the idea of a pyrophoric self sharpening projo travelling 4000fps designed to pierce a fucking BMP's frontal armor.....

The number produced is likely only a few batches. 12.7x99mm DUDS saw much more use with SOF in the 1980s. These rounds are quite potent, indeed.

MK319 is never stated to be Armor Piercing, and only Barrier Blind. Thus, I think it's reasonable to assume this AA11 is not MK319 but some other round with AP qualities. Nammo and other corporations have made great advancements in armor-piercing technology in the past few years.

It sounds to me like the US Military wants a counterpart to 7N31 9x19mm, which can pierce NIJ IIIA with ease and seemingly outperforms most 5.7x28mm. Exact adoption terms are hard to figure, especially considering SOF manages to get things quite some time before they become standard-issue. Who knows, we might already have some in the field.

How much does NIJ IV++ steel cost per square foot?

>steel

I have Lvl4 standalone plates, but it almost seems like lvl3+ is often a more popular choice.....?
Can someone ELI5 that for me? Also, any point in backing Lvl4 standalone plates with lvl3a soft armor?

SLAP has no difficulty getting through level IV ceramic.

youtube.com/watch?v=wcvwOFjacvA

>The Army switching to a +P+ capable handgun, as well as the desire for a 9mm Compact Submachine gun/PDW leads me to believe they figured out something the Russian's and the Swedes seemed to already know

Winchester 147gr JHP becomes amazing when you go from normal loads to +P+.

Attached: xm1153_sp.jpg (1500x1001, 352K)

How do you guys feel about this? hardcoredefense.com/products/bravo-shield

There are some MARS Steel plates that can handle .300 Winchester Magnum, but they're expensive and LE-only.

Level III+ is the more popular choice because a certified III+ is certified for Level III, which calls for six hits of 7.62x51mm M80 while your standalone Level IV plates only call for protection from one .30-06 M2AP. Level IV does not include Level III, and thus you actually sacrifice multi-hit ability moving "up" from III to IV. Multi-hit protection from more common threats is often seen by just about everyone as more important than single-hit protection from a fairly uncommon benchmark penetrator. You can see a fair upgrade in performance from IV + IIIA soft backing even if the IV plate is standalone, although how much performance you get will vary on a plate-by-plate basis.

>How do you guys feel about this? hardcoredefense.com/products/bravo-shield

Seems to be a fairly decent handheld shield. Those things are useful for tactical situations and actually may be useful for home defense if you can apply them correctly. Having that shield covering your body while you use a handgun with your other hand is going to be a defensively superior setup compared to plates, since the shield will cover dramatically more than just your vitals.

You better hit the gym though, 25 pounds is no joke.

Anyone have any info on LIBA Level IV plates? They were sold by ARES and Swedish Body Armor back in 2004-2005. They were composed of aluminum oxide balls embedded in UHMWPE and could withstand 20 .30-06 M2AP rounds a plate if each hit was spaced 30mm apart. Furthermore, a 10x12" plate was only 6.2lb. I know about them fairly well myself, but I want to know if they're fly-by-night crap.

You didnt get that guys joke user.......

Well drat, I was not even aware it 'twas a joke.

>keep up the fight since '16
>invite the Muslims to come bull your women for you
All respect lost. I apologize for the derail but, shit, what a total disappointment the Provos resolved to be.

>OD Green throat and neck protectors
PACA made one. If RG is OK then there are several.

I watched some of RMA's demos and their plates spalled a large amount of orange hot embers - vomiting large amounts of ballistic material, presumably losing integrity. The tripfag on here seems to like them though he has not addressed this issue when I raised it previously.

Did you drop out for the night? I bought a helmet sight unseen. I assumed it was a standard ACH but when it arrived it was one of Revision's civilian marketed Lightweight helmets. The good news is that it is a more expensive model than I was expecting. I am fishing for opinions on whether or not I am better served by the heavier helmet for standard use against typical threats. I know they are not rated for bullets but I have talked to people who have been saved so I know they provide some level of protection.

Check what rounds they were firing. They do advertise protection on some plates from 7.62x54R B-32 API, which would obviously have an incendiary effect. Regardless, those plates are well-constructed and NIJ-certified as well as independent and informal testing (YouTube) demonstrating their multi-hit capacity.

Surprisingly enough, something like an actual ACH is rated for bullets. Helmets are typically rated for NIJ Level II or NIJ Level IIIA, the former offering protection from .357 Magnum and 9x19mm while the latter provides protection from 9x19mm and .44 Magnum. These lightweight helmets like the one you got do not seem to offer NIJ-certified ballistic protection, which is unfortunate given that you probably want at least some ballistic protection.

may some gang backed by Libyans and Marxists terrorise you someday, the provos had nothing to do with 1916. Consider this they stopped when the cold war ended.

this was basically the Bristol/mehyr Kevlar with a thin ceramic layer inserts and lvl 4 plates, It would nener have stopped a bmg. The IRA did not use the barret for conventional distance sniping, they lacket the skill, they used it at 100M or less from parked cars with hiding places in the car boots shaped out

The exact introduction date of the Ceradyne .50 BMG Protective insert is unknown but is believed to be around 1992-1993 at the earliest and it stopped production a few years later. It's possible the UK had some prohibitively expensive or heavy models that either were it, or a predecessor / competitor.

Here is an excellent starter guide for purchasing plates and other material.
lightfighter.net/topic/confused-about-buying-rifle-plates-carriers-and-helmets-for-patrol-officers-start-here

I got a few of those interested myself as wel test reports from TU Delft showed them taking 15 5.56 and 5 30-06 AP but got taken down since ( or I can’t Google fu them anymore)

These to be specific

Attached: image.jpg (4032x3024, 2.77M)

you said one wearing that ceradyne stuff, can survive 50 cal hit, right?
quora.com/Can-military-level-bulletproof-vests-withstand-a-50-BMG
then is this man wrong about it?

>mfw wearing body armor
>mfw tires out quickly so can't run to cover fast enough
>mfw wearing body armor and shot in face, legs, and balls

Attached: deadsof.jpg (900x500, 64K)

Thought provoking and insightful, really adds value to the discussion. 10/10 post, hope to see it at the top of r/all.

Very impressive!

It's fair to say he doesn't know what he's talking about, yes. The Ceradyne .50 BMG Protective plate is designed more for aircrews instead of infantry, but it is still military body armor nonetheless, albeit specialized and designed for stationary people in helicopters.

Word of advice gents. Take Quora with a grain of salt when it comes to topics like these. A lot of people there have nothing more than baseline "NIJ Level IV is as high as it goes" entry-level knowledge that a lot of people looking for body armor sadly reach their zenith at. There are plenty of plates above NIJ Level IV, and some of them are .50 BMG Protective.

Thanks they are heavy as fuck though I like the fact they can be repaired as well but so far failed to source a repair kit.

I know it's a bit to ask, but could you get me a picture of the plate's strike face (the front)? I've been wanting to add this bad boy to Advanced Armor Plate Mod for a while.