Ceramic plates - how fragile are they?

[Chatterbox]

There looks to be a very good deal on ceramic Level IV plates at the Officer Store, which has presented me with a bit of a dilemma. I've been thinking of getting plates for my Mayflower APC. My intended use breaks down about as follows: 99% for attending carbine training classes / 1% Zombie Apocalypse. So the extra protection afforded by Level 4 plates is not a huge factor in my mind, and neither is the extra weight of the steel plates. Cost-wise, they are about the same. My main concern would be cracking the ceramics during a couple of classes I take per year,and of course as non-LEO/military I don't have access to X-ray machines to check the plates. Should I be worried about that?

[DocGKR]

What threats are you expecting?

Why do you want LIV plates vs. LIII?

You do know 5-6 mm steel plates will NOT stop common 5.56 mm M193 in many situations?

[Chatterbox]

What threats are you expecting?

Primarily a negligent discharge on the range. I'm guessing most rounds would be .223, 5.45, 7.62x39 or 5.56. Outside chance of a bad actor, intending to do me harm.

Why do you want LIV plates vs. LIII?

The cost differential is fairly minor - so there is little downside to getting them, except for potential breakability factor.

You do know 5-6 mm steel plates will NOT stop common 5.56 mm M193 in many situations?

Actually, no - I was not aware of that.

[DocGKR]

It sounds like you do not need a LIV plate (rated to stop one hit of .30-06 M2 AP), but rather a multi-hit capable LIII (rated to stop 6 hits of 7.62x51mm M80 FMJ) plate tested to additionally stop multiple hits both M193 and M855.

[steyrman13]

Doc,
Are ESAPI plates by Ceradyne (multihit 7.62AP) standalone capable or do they have to have soft IIIa behind/in conjuction with them?

[Ironman8]

Could be wrong, but I believe the OP's question was mainly directed towards the fragility of ceramic plates (regardless of rating).

Everything I have heard about ceramic plates is that unless you're dropping hundreds of pounds of gear on top of your plate(s) or just totally abusing them (the term that I've heard is "treating them like you're a grunt" ) then you should be fine as far as durability goes. IOW, they shouldn't crack under normal use.

As for the rating, see Doc's post. Sounds like level III would suit you fine.

As a secondary, possibly more versatile, option, you could do a Lvl III plate that has an ICW Lvl IV rating when combined with IIIA soft armor. Run just the plates (or just the IIIA SA) when you feel that the threat level is satisfied, or "plus up" your armor capability with both soft AND hard armor if you ever feel you need to.

[Chatterbox]

It sounds like you do not need a LIV plate (rated to stop one hit of .30-06 M2 AP), but rather a multi-hit capable LIII (rated to stop 6 hits of 7.62x51mm M80 FMJ) plate tested to additionally stop multiple hits both M193 and M855.

Yes - the latter would fit my needs quite nicely. I've read the description of L4 plates on bulletproofme.com "Level IV (i.e., Level 4) is tested to stop one hit of .3006 AP, and will easily stop lesser threats." and figured that it must be able to stop multiple hits of M193/M855/7N1 etc, but I guess that was a just an assumption on my part.

Could be wrong, but I believe the OP's question was mainly directed towards the fragility of ceramic plates (regardless of rating).

Everything I have heard about ceramic plates is that unless you're dropping hundreds of pounds of gear on top of your plate(s) or just totally abusing them (the term that I've heard is "treating them like you're a grunt" ) then you should be fine as far as durability goes. IOW, they shouldn't crack under normal use.

Yes, that was my main concern.

As for the rating, see Doc's post. Sounds like level III would suit you fine.

As a secondary, possibly more versatile, option, you could do a Lvl III plate that has an ICW Lvl IV rating when combined with IIIA soft armor. Run just the plates (or just the IIIA SA) when you feel that the threat level is satisfied, or "plus up" your armor capability with both soft AND hard armor if you ever feel you need to.

That would be a better option, however more impact-full on the wallet.

I guess my question at this point would be - is it possible to predict the level of protection afforded by a L4 rated plate when struck by 2+ M193/M855 rounds?

[Ironman8]

Yes - the latter would fit my needs quite nicely. I've read the description of L4 plates on bulletproofme.com "Level IV (i.e., Level 4) is tested to stop one hit of .3006 AP, and will easily stop lesser threats." and figured that it must be able to stop multiple hits of M193/M855/7N1 etc, but I guess that was a just an assumption on my part.



Yes, that was my main concern.



That would be a better option, however more impact-full on the wallet.

I guess my question at this point would be - is it possible to predict the level of protection afforded by a L4 rated plate when struck by 2+ M193/M855 rounds?

When I got my plates, reviews on the BPME.com plates just weren't there, so I went with a known good brand: Velocity Systems. Since then, I've seen a couple reviews of guys actually shooting their plates and they seem good to go. If I had to do it over....I'd still pony up the extra cash for the VS plates since they are thinner, lighter, and still a better KNOWN good brand.

As for actual ratings and what they stop, that is more in Doc's lane so I'll let him answer that. I can just tell you my buying process and what I decided, and how I like them.

For reference, here are the plates and soft armor that I have:

http://www.skdtac.com/Velocity-Syste...-p/amr.108.htm

http://www.skdtac.com/velocity-syste...-p/amr.110.htm

As with everything these days, the above is quite a bit more expensive than when I bought them

[Chatterbox]

As with everything these days, the above is quite a bit more expensive than when I bought them

I'm sure. I found a video from Vuurwapen blog where he tested a L4 standalone plate from bulletproofme.com, it certainly appears that their L4 plate can take several rifle hits before succumbing. Their price is reasonable as well - the L4 plate is actually cheaper than L3 plate+backer. Seems like a reasonable choice for my circumstance - if I don't have to worry about busting it by going prone on it, that is. Come to think of it, me+gear do add up to couple of hundred pounds.

[Chatterbox]

Quick update - I contacted OfficerStore to ask them if they knew whether this particular plate was multi-hit or not. They hedged their bets and said they had no information, and therefore their advice was to treat it as single hit for anything like .44 Magnum or above.