Anti Spall Coating for AR500 Plates?

[Evil Colt 6920]

I got some plates from The Target Man and a beez combat systems carrier on the way. I opted to avoid the 8 week wait on the plates by purchasing mine through his ebay store. (SOME of his ebay listings say the item is in stock ready to ship. Took a week to get to my door. Just an FYI for anyone wanting to avoid the wait.) Only problem, only non coated plates were in stock ready to ship. After researching, I have decided to go the truck bed liner/kevlar route. The only DIY type bedliner I have found locally so far is the rustoleum brand. Ive read various reviews but cant find anyone actually using it to catch spall. Anyone have any experience with Rustoleum bedliner?

[robfromsc]

I've used the herculiner brand. I've used it inside 2 of my plumbing vans, the insides get beat to hell and it holds up. I also coated some plates with it.

[sinister]

I've read all the ga-ga about coating AR500 plates as ghetto-line armor.

Bottom line, I don't know what you can coat the damn things with, you hit one with a 5.56 or a 30 and you're going to get fragged, period. The jacket and core of those bullets has to go SOMEWHERE, and if from a 90-degree perpendicular shot then it's going to radiate out from point of impact. Just be aware it's going to happen (i.e., have a well-stocked IFAK and don't quit a fight until it's done).

You may not have a bullet hole through you but you may be bleeding from a lot of deep cuts and frag wounds -- same as from a hit on a ceramic plate.

[Evil Colt 6920]

I've read all the ga-ga about coating AR500 plates as ghetto-line armor.

Bottom line, I don't know what you can coat the damn things with, you hit one with a 5.56 or a 30 and you're going to get fragged, period. The jacket and core of those bullets has to go SOMEWHERE, and if from a 90-degree perpendicular shot then it's going to radiate out from point of impact. Just be aware it's going to happen (i.e., have a well-stocked IFAK and don't quit a fight until it's done).

You may not have a bullet hole through you but you may be bleeding from a lot of deep cuts and frag wounds.

Not trying to debate effectiveness here. I have seen enough tests prove that applied properly, that truck bed liner will catch the spall. I was just hoping someone had experience to share with the Rustoleum brand of bed liner.

[kmrtnsn]

I've read all the ga-ga about coating AR500 plates as ghetto-line armor.

Bottom line, I don't know what you can coat the damn things with, you hit one with a 5.56 or a 30 and you're going to get fragged, period. The jacket and core of those bullets has to go SOMEWHERE, and if from a 90-degree perpendicular shot then it's going to radiate out from point of impact. Just be aware it's going to happen (i.e., have a well-stocked IFAK and don't quit a fight until it's done).

You may not have a bullet hole through you but you may be bleeding from a lot of deep cuts and frag wounds -- same as from a hit on a ceramic plate.

I'd agree that spalling would be the least of the worries. The carrier is going to do as much as any coating in redirecting and catching fragments, as are all the ancillary crap around the POI, additional clothing, etc.

[domestique]

I've been hit with jacket fragments from .45 acp at close range. Stuck to clothing but never scratched skin.

[sinister]

I'm not sure I understand as far as the carrier -- 3 or 4 layers of Cordura nylon fabric?

You've got additional spall/frag absorptive material between a center-of-plate impact and the bottom of the guy's neck and throat areas?

[kmrtnsn]

I'm not sure I understand as far as the carrier -- 3 or 4 layers of Cordura nylon fabric?

You've got additional spall/frag absorptive material between a center-of-plate impact and the bottom of the guy's neck and throat areas?

We had some old plates at work at the range. I'm out there next week and will check to see if we still have some old steel plates and a carrier. If we do, I'll shoot it up with 5.56 and see what we get. I know when we were informally experimenting with various plate plates before with pistol ammo, jacket material exiting the carrier was very minimal to non-existant. Granted, we were shooting 90 degrees to the plates and with handguns but it seemed that the vast majority of the energy for spall and jacket material was lost at initial impact.

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

I believe the bottom line is they are not worth it!

[Evil Colt 6920]

Here are some vids for those of you that may not have seen how the truck bed liner catches spall.
AR500 NO Coating: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpOGDnzEpqk
AR500 Coated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9szpqHrMf0
I plan on putting some 100mph tape along the edges to help prevent any separation between plate and coating. Cant hurt.