Armory Sponsor
Posted: 11/2/2011 3:57:40 PM EDT
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I was donated a brand new ceramic plate from a friend in box new as a gift however it says Level IV... but further reading it says to make it level 4 I must wear a IIIA vest...
Im new to body armor, without the IIIA soft armor does the ceramic plate still function as a level 4 or does the plate become level III armor instead... If I choose not to wear the IIIA vest will it still function? What are the repercussions?? Confused??? |
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Really simplified version of NIJ ratings:
Level IIA: Soft armor: barely stops anything. mot typically made anymore Level II: Soft armor: Stops most lower to mid velocity pistol rounds LevelI IIA: Stops most higher velocity pistol rounds up to a lot of SMG launched pistol rounds Level III: Hard armor plate, stops most rifle rounds. Some plate may require a level II or level IIIA soft armor behind it to meet the Level III hard plate rating (plate will typically be labelled as such). Level IV: Hard armor plate, will stop 1 round AP 30-06 and all threats Level III will stop. Usually requires a Level IIIA soft armor behind it to meet this rating. Level III and Level IV hard armor plates can be "standalone" meaning they meet the rating on their own, or "In Conjunction With (also known as ICW)" which means they require to be used with soft armor. ICW plates will almost always be labelled as to what soft armor is required to meet the hard plate rating. Note that SAPI and ESAPI plates are tested differently so don't fall on the rating system, but are labelled as to what they require to meet certain protection levels. |
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Quoted:
In conjunction plates are only rated to stop bullets when they have the layer under them. If used alone they have no rating, so it's a crap shoot to know if they'll stop anything. Just get plate backers. This is the accurate answer. An ICW plate should never be trusted as a stand-alone. Even though it might stop a particular round, you can't count on it. |
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