Body armor and the current threat

[fsumach]

Given the armor worn by the Aurora shooter, and the wide range of available body armor available to good guys and bad alike, I predict that we are about to witness a steady uptick in the number of violent felons who choose to wear armor.

That being the case, is there any worth in selecting a cartridge with enhanced performance against armor that also does well in the standard iwba and fbi test?

Winchester RA9TA comes to mind. Though i doubt it would be able to penetrate a good vest, may it be effective against a cheap one, and or ancillary protection (i.e. ballistic boots, helmets, knee and leg protectors, etc.?)

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[packinaglock]

Practice, practice, practice, shot placement.

[Voodoo_Man]

I would not worry so much about ammo that can overcome armor, but accuracy that can overcome any threat.

Chances are, unless some psycho armor-clad individual, shows up to your front door you will not have whatever rifle you want.

[sammage]

The shooter was wearing a Blackhawk vest, not armor. Shot placement is key. Failure drills would be wise.

[WS6]

When I lived in South Texas, police issue body armor (with police markings) and AK-47's were commonly used. I don't mean the thing you can buy at the store, I mean an actual "assault rifle". Hold the trigger and perforate a house. I remember watching things like that on the news often enough. If you live in an area that this happens in, your best chance to survive it is to move. I did. If not, then you would be better served worrying about a soccer mom yammering on her cell-phone and running a redlight.

[Smash05]

I have still not read anything that convinces me that he actually wore armor (the aurora shooter). That being said, no pistol round is going to get it done through armor. Being shot at might change his perception, but I doubt someone hopped up is going to notice impacts, especially if there is a trauma plate of any kind. Shoot and move, get good COM hits, and extricate yourself from the danger zone.

[fsumach]

Guys, I understand practice and shot placement are the key. Just looking to maximize every variable to our advantage.

I will look around, but I saw an article that detailed all of his armor. The list was extensive. Ballistic leg protection, boots, helmet, etc. Of course, the article could have been wrong.

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[Nightvisionary]

Given the armor worn by the Aurora shooter, and the wide range of available body armor available to good guys and bad alike, I predict that we are about to witness a steady uptick in the number of violent felons who choose to wear armor.

That being the case, is there any worth in selecting a cartridge with enhanced performance against armor that also does well in the standard iwba and fbi test?

Winchester RA9TA comes to mind. Though i doubt it would be able to penetrate a good vest, may it be effective against a cheap one, and or ancillary protection (i.e. ballistic boots, helmets, knee and leg protectors, etc.?)

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What do you base your prediction on? I may be wrong but I do not recall a large increase in the criminal use of body armor after the North Hollywood shootout.

[fsumach]

What do you base your prediction on? I may be wrong but I do not recall a large increase in the criminal use of body armor after the North Hollywood shootout.

Now that is a good point... i was counting on the copycat effect. Also the proliferation of availability for armor over the internet. Hopefully i am wrong though!

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[Texas42]

Armor is expensive.

The same reason that AR's, Ak's, and other "assault" rifles are so rarely used in crimes. They are large, bulking, and expensive.

I doubt you'll see huge amounts of people wearing body armor. Being that armor peircing handgun ammo is illegal, seems to me that accuracy and access to a rifle are the only solutions.