Having played around with my U210s, which are a little thinner than the L210, I'd recommend you use your L210 in 1 of 3 ways:
1) Standalone in a concealed carrier. No IIIa panel behind it, as the panel's extra ~ 0.275" thickness makes the whole package horrible at concealment, if you're just wearing a large shirt. Plate alone is pretty easy to conceal under any large clothing. Should save your life up to 7.62 x 39. I don't have .308 info for L210, but the U210 does a so-so job vs .308 as noted in my previous post. L210 will definitely perform worse, but to an extent that I don't know.
2) In a concealed carrier with a IIIa panel behind it, if you have a larger jacket / coat etc. that conceals thicker armor better. But carrying a long gun might change your thinking - see below.
3) In any carrier worn externally (a concealed carrier obviously can also be worn externally), PROBABLY with a IIIa panel behind it. The L210s BFD is worse than the U210 across the board. E.g. L210 will not stop M855A1 and U210 will. And at 7.62 / .308 it will matter even more. Hesco was very clear that rib fracture is likely after getting hit by .308 in a U210 standalone, and I would guess you might even get first round full or partial penetration in an L210. So if you're seriously worried enough to wear a rifle plate in the first place, and S has HTF enough that you're openly wearing armor, then a IIIa panel behind an L210 is a really good idea from a protection standpoint. The only extra concern would be what weapon you're carrying. If you only have your pistol, then the extra thickness shouldn't mess up your shooting ability. If you're taking a long gun, then I'd do different drills to see how much the extra thickness gets in the way / snags on your stock. The problem is getting the stock on your shoulder - both moving to and from that position, as well as how well it will fit on your shoulder. I've done a lot of carbine shooting with armor on, and I can never shoulder it as well as wearing no armor. It winds up on my deltoid and not in my axillary crease. Or you can put the stock more medial than your crease on the plate itself, which is also somewhat awkward. Discussing this with a Delta, that's an inherent problem they face with their plates. The question is does it fit well enough, and then training to shoot well with the stock on your deltoid or on your plate, which are both less stable and also more awkward to acquire cheek weld vs. stock positioning in the axillary crease. You can try to shoulder a rifle on a 1" plate, but I think you'd find it unacceptably awkward.
You can buy IIIa panels that just fit behind a plate of whatever size:
https://www.skdtac.com/SKD-ARMOR-Sof...-p/amr.356.htm
I ordered all my pistol plates over several years through Read's Uniforms in NC, though they'll sell to anyone from a state that can legally buy armor - email is:
orders@readsuniforms.net
They never gave me a hard time or required any "proof" that I wasn't going to rob a bank or something... like the stupid concealed carry permit + drivers' license + background check + notarized document promising that I'm not a terrorist, that the morons at SKD (love the company otherwise) and other companies can require.
Make sure you get the FEMALE version of the plates if you're buying for your wife. Male plates have no room for breasts and are too painful for my wife.
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