[tangoseal]

Alright.. I live in GA. Im not a felon so it's legal for me to own and operate Armor haha.

My question is the following:

The nature of my work requires me to travel to Downtown Atlanta very often and sometimes after dark. I am paranoid (not in a schitzo way) of being the victim of a thug whom picked a time for me to get shot at his convenience. I do carry btw!

My budget for Armor would be around 500$ and I would prefer new of never used older armor but I want something as concealable as possible obviously for professional attire reasons.

Is there a preferred brand that you in the community would recommend? I know there are a lot of police members here whom might have good recommendations as well.

In addition I was thinking of level IIA. It seems to be the thinnest but stronger level. I do not need robocop armor. Just want something that could save my life in the end of the day.

I just do not want to be laying there in a pool of my own failure of preparation watching the lights fade out when there is clearly an available, and im quite sure, comfortable technology that could allow me to live to tell the story to others. Good Lord forbid that ever were to happen.

Thanks a million ya'll!

Oh and I still cant understand why in some states civilians are not allowed to utilize body armor in their normal day to day clothing? It makes no sense for a law abiding citizen to be denied their constitutional right of self defense and whatever method they choose to carry that objective out.

 

[ItsMyRight2]

Some people might say body armor on a civilian would be paranoid or over kill. But I say "why not?" If you can wear it everyday and it doesn't bother you then go for it. My friends laughed and called me a "dork" when I started carrying a tac light in my pocket. But after my "dorky" light got them out of jambs a few times,they all now carry one. lol

And I agree with not wanting to be dying from a gunshot wound saying "Damn, If I just would of ordered that vest when I was thinking about it." Much better to have it and not need it than the other way around.

 

[goldshellback]

Level II ought to be plenty.....but if where you go in Atlanta has you considering body armor...........???

I've worn the Lvl.III's for patrol purposes and in a Georgia summer that gets HOT! Although right now it'd be nice me thinks......Bbrrrrrrr!

 

[DKPRC]

Have you considered Honeywell Spectra-shield? I have that in IIIA. (Caveat: I have it more for SHTF and not every day wear,) but it is relatively light and comfortable. I paid about your asking price for it, give or take.

They also had a warranty for replacement if your vest was damaged during a violent confrontation (ie. if you are attacked) at no charge, although you have to have a police report to go with it.

Their website was Welcome to Bulletproofvestusa.com - Your one stop shop for hard body armor!, although I did mine at a gun show in VA.

Anyway, YMMV, but hope it helps.

 

[Superhouse 15]

If you look at the threats the vests are designed and / or rated to stop, IIa should be plenty for you. People argue a lot about blunt trauma, but I haven't seen anything that satisfies me that it's significant, and my slightly medically trained opinion is a blunt trauma injury is better than a bullet hole or two. The testing uses clay, but I haven't seen a reliable corelation in a dent in the clay to an injury in a person. My advice is to buy as thin and light as you can afford so you're more likely to wear it.

A pic of relative threats and NIJ levels. I don't know anything about the company on the site, just wanted the pic.
PROTECTION LEVELS (NIJ)

 

[mercop]

Takes a long time to get used to wearing.

 

[QKShooter]

Check out bulletproofme.com

They have some new Police overruns. The prices are good.
Here is the link.
BulletProofME.com Body Armor - Vest Selection Chart

 

[9mmPro]

i bought a couple of PASGT vests couple years ago i modified one of them so i can conceal it and i tested one and i have an extra one to throw over the smaller one for heavy protection.

some people say PASGT vests are Level I they are wrong i have tested them and they are to be around Level II-IIA depending on the condition of it, they will save your hide but you will get some blunt trauma and survive a couple hits.

i cut off the shoulder pads and neck pads and it conceals nicely under a coat or hoodie.

they can stop .44 Mag and .357 Mag at point blank range, i told my buddies to shoot the **** out of it, it stopped everything except 1 high pressure 9mm fmj and all rifle bullets. Hey its the cheapest protection and better then some police vests cuz its waterproof kevlar.:image035:

 

[Mic]

$500 will get you a lot of protection, if you shop wisely. Level IIA with a trama plate should do fine for personal use, if you don't need the side raps get the basic vest, it's a lot more comfortable.

Pointblank and Second chance are common brands but there are so many out there, it really don't make a difference on brand cause most get their material from the same suppler, and those that make their own use the same technology.

visit bulletproofme.com and you will be surprised, they even have an offer that you can buy a 20 yr old Kevlar plate to test shoot for cheap.

A Loomis Fargo armored guard was shot in the head and killed in a local Walmart this summer. Perp walked up behind him and shot him in the back of the head for less than $50k, the guard was wearing a Kevlar vest

 

[tangoseal]

Level II ought to be plenty.....but if where you go in Atlanta has you considering body armor...........???

I've worn the Lvl.III's for patrol purposes and in a Georgia summer that gets HOT! Although right now it'd be nice me thinks......Bbrrrrrrr!

Atlanta is NOT a safe city... I work around Georgia Tech and where have all the murders been lately?? GTech

 

[QKShooter]

Remember
The latest, newer most modern body armor is less bulky - less heavy - less hot - more flexible - easier to wear...but, also more expensive.

 

[tangoseal]

Yeah I was looking at Bulletproofme.com but not sure of their quality and if their armor is thin enough (not being unrealistic here). Ive worn tons in the military.

I dont need it for daily wear unless of course I really find it comfortable. I also would like it to be part of my SHTF Bug out setup im currently building.

 

[tangoseal]

A Loomis Fargo armored guard was shot in the head and killed in a local Walmart this summer. Perp walked up behind him and shot him in the back of the head for less than $50k, the guard was wearing a Kevlar vest

Some criminals are actually smart. Plus AC drivers and operators usually wear their vest in plain site. Its kinda stupid to shoot the bullet resistant vest on someone when you can plainly see it.

Most thugs have no weapons training and would probably just shoot at you in a vanilla non aiming fashion and more than likely your limbs will take a round.

Id prefer to have protection in case one actually hit me in the torso.

 

[ROFL SQUAD]

Isn't Zytel used nowadays?

J

 

[tangoseal]

I would run my armored car company a lot more hardcore.

We would all be armed with MP5s we would roll in a group of 5...

1 getting the money and 4 covering the quardrants watching each side with a full escort of the cash carrier.

Each guard would be armed with Armor and Armored helmets with eye protection as well.

 

[buzzgum]

I saw their building when I was visiting my family in CA last week. Welcome to U.S. Armor Corporation. don't know anything about them but it's worth a look.

 

[tangoseal]

They look interesting.