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Author Topic: AR550's. Best all around for the $, IMO  (Read 859 times)

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Offline stewie

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AR550's. Best all around for the $, IMO
« on: December 29, 2016, 10:30:59 AM »
I was new to the concept of "body armor" back in 2014. I admit, it was kind of a "fad" mixed with stupid politicians trying to ban it, so it made sense to invest in it. Well. i sourced some "used" ceramics for a decent price. Wore them through a number of courses. They were 2004 dated and I dont own an Xray machine so i made the move to replace them with steel plates. After research, i went with Spartan AR550's. I got them for a pretty decent price and they shipped fast.

I'm a big dude. 6-2 and right now 240 lb. My biggest issue with the ceramics or any other plate was they didnt form to my frame. I always had a bulge on the top of my kit and it felt like I had a large, flat cinder block on my back. The "triple curve" model I got solved that issue - for a few $ more. Yeah i could have gone with a 11x14 setup (i did this way back when), but the carrier/plate options were slim and found that the extra length got in the way of my belt setup. So back to the 10x12's.

Yeah, they were heavier for sure, but not by much. Once i got the carrier on (banshee), my body adjusted fast. @ about 8.3 lb each, the total loadout of my kit with mags, comms and ifak was like 24 pounds or so. I keep 3a soft panels behind the plated for extra padding/cushion. yeah, they add a little weight, but not much.

Now, as people will tell you, you will fatigue carrying this around all day. I sure as hell did in a 2 day carbine course.

Now, the carrier is just one part of the tool box. I used to wear it exclusively, but now i have grown fond of chest rigs and find myself using those more. It's all about options....

listing (if anyone is interested)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AR550-Spartan-Body-Armor-Level-III-Advance-Triple-Curve-Stronger-than-AR500-/291482217618
« Last Edit: December 29, 2016, 10:33:01 AM by stewie »
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