plates and plate carriers

[thor767]

I'm thinking about buying a pig plate carrier. They are a little pricey so i would like to know what others think before buying. I would also like to know where to buy plates. Soft or hard? What level are civilians allowed to own? I would like to get the highest rating for max protection.
Thx, Thor.

[Jack Kardic]

Check your local laws. Federally there's no limit if your record is clean, but certain states and municipalities can regulate it differently. I have two Banshee carriers with AR500 plates. They're very comfy, and still okay in the summer for a day at the range. The plates are steel, so they're like seven pounds each, but they're not fragile like certain ceramics. Ceramics are great, but if you want something you can really knock around and not worry about, steel is where it's at. They're also much cheaper.

The downside is that some steel plates have problems with spalling that ceramics don't. Spalling is bullet fragments spraying off the plate when it gets hit, and if they spray into your face or throat, you're gonna have a bad day. Probably better than a round through the chest, but still a bad day.

I don't have any experience with soft plates, but I'm a pretty big guy and still have plenty of flexibility and range of motion with hard plates.

So basically, I can't say one way or the other with the pig, but I love my banshee. I prefer steel plates, especially since AR500 now offers in-house spall protection and I'm on a budget.

The preceding has been my opinion, the following is fact: Nothing is bulletproof, only bullet resistant. It's worth keeping in mind.

[Stickman]

I own a PIG carrier, and they are very nice. Regarding plates, you are going to find that you are going to be hindered only by the amount you want to spend.

[lamarbrog]

Check your local laws. Federally there's no limit if your record is clean, but certain states and municipalities can regulate it differently. I have two Banshee carriers with AR500 plates. They're very comfy, and still okay in the summer for a day at the range. The plates are steel, so they're like seven pounds each, but they're not fragile like certain ceramics. Ceramics are great, but if you want something you can really knock around and not worry about, steel is where it's at. They're also much cheaper.

The downside is that some steel plates have problems with spalling that ceramics don't. Spalling is bullet fragments spraying off the plate when it gets hit, and if they spray into your face or throat, you're gonna have a bad day. Probably better than a round through the chest, but still a bad day.

I don't have any experience with soft plates, but I'm a pretty big guy and still have plenty of flexibility and range of motion with hard plates.

So basically, I can't say one way or the other with the pig, but I love my banshee. I prefer steel plates, especially since AR500 now offers in-house spall protection and I'm on a budget.

The preceding has been my opinion, the following is fact: Nothing is bulletproof, only bullet resistant. It's worth keeping in mind.

I was looking at the PIG also, but ended up with a Banshee because it was so much less expensive. I actually don't regret the decision a bit. The Banshee is a very well made plate carrier, light weight and simple like the PIG, and still made in the USA. I kind of planned to buy it to try out a plate carrier for a while, and eventually upgrade once I decided what features I want.... but now I don't really see myself changing.

I got mine from TheTargetMan LLC. Front and back, rifleman cut clipped corners, curved, with spalling protection. They're coated AR500 steel. Everything I've seen and read indicates these plates might actually be better than ceramics from a multi-hit perspective, and they will stop .308 with no problem. Spalling was once a huge downside, but folks figured out how to fix that. The only problem I am aware of now is that the AR500 plates are HEAVY. My set of two weighs about 15 pounds. On that same token, though, they are thinner than ceramic plates, which I like... heavier, but I don't feel as "bulky".

There's $.02 from a know-nothing nobody. Works for me, YMMV.

[csmith]

Everything I've seen and read indicates these plates might actually be better than ceramics from a multi-hit perspective, and they will stop .308 with no problem.

Ceramic will as well. I walked a M240 up a plate at about 50 yards to see if it would and it held with no puncture.

[lamarbrog]

Ceramic will as well. I walked a M240 up a plate at about 50 yards to see if it would and it held with no puncture.

To clarify: Of course, i don't doubt that. That comment was not so much to put down ceramics, as it was to emphasize that the AR500 steel plates are not inferior when it comes to actually stopping the rifle threat... the downsides come in with spalling and weight.

[csmith]

Understood. I was just throwing out they will work to make the same point about ceramics. Neither are inferior to the other in my eyes. In the end it comes down to weight to stop the round dead with the risk of spalling (steel) vs. lighter material that "catches" the round in a fashion similar to how you'd catch an egg (ceramic). In my not so scientific testing I did note you'd probably be dealing with more bruising and a higher potential for broken ribs with the ceramic.