@@BuffRANGE I'd really like to see plates placed into a cardboard box, with cardboard extending out on all sides so we can see any bullet fragments coming off the sides. I know it wouldn't look pretty and would probably make the filming more difficult. But I'm sure most want to see how effective these coatings actually are.
Simple strategy. Use steel for training. The extra weight helps keep you fit. Use ceramic/uhmwpe when contact is possible. Better protection and lighter too. You can use steel plates as tertiary backups or for equipping the unprepared or noncombatants.
First plates I bought were steel. 8 pounds x 2. 16 pounds? I thought. No big deal. Was WRONG lol.16 pounds is friggin' heavy as hell. Switched to 2.4 pound polyethylene III+. Shit, might even swap out the rear plate for the .4 pound rigid IIIA I have. A few pounds here and there really kill ya when you already have a rifle and kit and camelback and such. Kills me, at least!
I have these exact plates in my kit. Swimmers cut front and Sapi in rear. 6.6lbs front and 7.1lbs rear. 13.7 total weight. They are serving two purposes right now. 1. The weight helps my physical training (recovering from back surgery) 2. I'm having zero ego and am running budget plates. I speak to everyone about them. I'm 5'11" flat footed and 195lbs with around 11% body fat. I am 100% satisfied with them especially for what I gave for them. I plan on running these a solid year then getting some Diritium plates next. Tbh these are not bad. Now, if your out of shape and have no core strength yea, after a 2-3hr training session you'll know theve been on. I don't have that issue, even in surgery recovery.
7 pounds is about as heavy as most alumina ceramic options of the same coverage area. I walk around with a plate carrier with level 4 alumina 10x12/medium sapi and it weighs basically the same and isnt that bad. I am sure as I continue to train it I can handle the weight just fine as walking around it for a daylong match is okay right now and I’m on the lower side of the overall body mass distribution
@@angry_zergling i am curious what your daily routine with the armor on is though, are you moving a lot? pulling security? what situations do people wear armor and why as a civilian do those pounds matter that much?
What gets me mad is they claim it can stop m855a1 in their promo video and also m193 with 3200fps so thats why i bought my setup. ua-cam.com/video/zR08o9kdrnA/v-deo.html Fwd to 1:20 seconds
@@NO_B.Sfitness I think they just now caught the “a1” mistake when i demo’d these for them. Not good they didn’t catch it until now though. The 3250 may be a v50 and depending on the steel lot could be slightly lower :(?
those are literally the ONLY upsides... everything else is a negative including the fact that getting hit wearing it will probably kill you anyways lol
@@ScullCandy56 not expiring, being MUCH thinner & generally being cheaper while having less backface. Having much better multi-hit capabilities. Not risking being compromised by a drop or some other type of impact. Those are some pretty major upsides. Really, the ONLY downside is it dosen't capture projectiles. With a build up coat, it still stops almost all the fragments/spall. I think just like everything else, a bunch of retards run with narratives without much actual research & it just becomes the mainstream opinion.
@@ScullCandy56 So built up frag coating just doesnt exist all of a sudden? No ones taking so many rounds that the coating wont do its job Steel has negatives, but dont sit here and lie and hyperbolize
@@LegendaryP-sl7gf it's not that it doesn't exist it's that frag coatings do not work. At all. Full stop. Steel armor will kill you. Full stop. Literally look up any UA-cam channel doing in depth actual testing and you'll find the fragmentation still makes it through the coating and into your neck and face. Even from a single round. You idiots buying steel when you can get lvl 4 ceramic for the same price from RMA defense always make me laugh my ass off. Also any duty grade 5.56 55gr ball load from a 20inch standard barrel length ar is going to punch holes in your steel armor all day long it won't stop shit
So edge hits are fine? And oblique angles? You think that the frag lock will work when you're dealing with anything other than relatively center of plate hits? The only people that really seem to defend steel are people that only have steel plates because getting a $100 plate and $150 in kevlar wrap somehow is smarter than a $250 plate that's just plug and play.
@Randaljoness what round is that? The xm193 or the m855a1? You're acting like this doesn't stop green tip..... Did you watch the entire video? It stopped both of those rounds on the last plate. When he used a specific round with a specific barrel length it went though....
I wonder if running a 3A backer could have stopped some of those threats on a few of the M855A1 rounds they were stopped so that makes me think the ones that did penetrate only barely made it through. It's weird that this plate claims to be AR600 when in the past most AR600 plates like the CATI plate could stop M193 and M855A1 so it makes me think these are AR500 plates someone is selling as AR600
And from a 16” it will not defeat ar650 however. From the 16” it was only 3000 fps and from the 20 it went over 3200. That’s 200 fps was the difference between complete pass through and not
@@user-oy9zy4ds9m AR650 is way too brittle for effective armor the sweet spot is in the 550 to 600 range here is a video of the plate from CATI that I'm referencing Also M855A1 tops out at 3050fps from a 22 inch barrel. It uses a faster burning powder designed for shorter barrels. ua-cam.com/video/8V3wqfyFv_4/v-deo.html
would be interesting to see some combined. laminated armor like HDPE sandwiched between steel to reduce back deformation and give a harder striking face.
Buffman thank you for your videos. Could you do another test with the tacticon plates as far as fragmentation and the spalling cover coming off. I have an idea that I think may mitigate that and make those plate better and that would be duck taping the edge and then using shrink wrap that goes around pallets and boxes. If you wrap the plates around the side and around the top multiple times and developed a thick seal would it contain the fragments. Thank you sir.
I love all of these armor tests. I always see reviewers worried about the coating and stuff separating. Does it really matter? As long as the armor does it job you wont be keeping that plate around for future use lol.
Why would you be dumb enough to take the risk? 100$ is really worth it? You wouldn't buy chinese TQs because they might fail, steel armor might spall or frag. Plenty of people have tested Ar500 armor with the liner and gotten spall into the test dummies neck. Is that REALLY worth it? Is saving 5 cents a bullet worth it if your chance of jamming goes up 50%? Are Promags good deals because they're cheaper, or does their potential failure make them not worth it.
@@BuffRANGE let me ask you this, do you believe all the hype that you have to have ceramics? That steel will frag and spall and rip into your throat and face?
@@bryanrobert2763 Fragmentation off steel plates is a thing. It's probable and very possible to happen depending on the carrier and clothing you're wearing. Those fragments are very sharp. I did a test at one point with AR500's plates and stacked gel blocks around them, and those frags were entering the the gel. The issue with Steel; 1. Heavier than PE and Ceramic Composite offerings 2. Generally single curve or multi curve is not as curvy as PE and Ceramic 3. Threat profile is limited. When the hardness of the steel goes up to combat M193, it becomes brittle and less multi-hit capable.
@@BuffRANGE thank you again for the reply, I have some cheap Chinese PE plates that are like .8in thick, and steel Tacticon ar600 (lightweight) plates, at this point do you think the cheap Chinese PE would be better? They are ULTRA light weight. Like a lb or two each. Eventually I will get ceramics but my wallet can't take it right now.
@@bryanrobert2763 it's one of those hard to call scenarios. The PE plates will stop M193 and being lighter helps your mobility, but will not stop M855 in anyway. The AR600 stop M855, but not M193 from longer barrels, and are heavier. We can never know the adversaries loadout, but if you think one of those bullet types would be more prominent than the other, go with the coverage that works for that. Save up the $$, and then eventually upgrade to a ceramic/composite, like a Highcom 3S9M, or RMA 1092 G2, or level IV's if you think you need it.
I generally prefer m855. First off for m193 to be ‘armor piercing’ it need to be fired out of atleast 20 inch barrel and for a HD gun that’s probably way too long. Secondly even from a 20” lightweight UHMPWE (plastic) armor stops m193 no problem however plastic armor cannot stop m855 green tip even as low as 2600 fps unless it has a ceramic cover. But yes if bad guy is wearing steel armor then m193 is better, preferably out of 20 inch
@@user-oy9zy4ds9m if the people invading your home are wearing armor capable of defending against m193, you probably have a problem one ar15 can’t solve lol. I guess you could say the same for m855. In reality it will be many years if we ever do see anything more capable hit the civilian market at an affordable price point. Regardless in my initial post I was more referring to general large property defense rather than my home. In my home I use a full size hand gun.
@@roncheeseman3687 I agree 100% . M855a1 will still give you a higher edge as buffman has proven that it can defeat SOME level 3+ ceramic/poly hybrid plates that will defeat both green tip and m193. M855a1 will also defeat safeline’s FRAS (flexible rifle armor) as well which defeats both green tip and m193 from 20” barrels. This is why I run m855a1 in my shtf rifles and 12.5”+ barrel lengths for maximum effectiveness/velocity. But m855a1 is very expensive especially to stock up on for shtf and rely on resupplying in the long term. This is why full auto may be useful in shtf (atleast at close to medium ranges) against body armor too so you won’t have to rely on bullet construction or velocity as much , you just hose the guy down real quick and odds are some bullets missed his armor lol
Steel is traditionally only level III aka M80 ball at 2.750. Some of these velocities are worst case scenario. It’s kind of to show that steel can be strong against some threats but weak against others
I'm here after seeing tacticons plates online and am thinking about buying some. Per their website, the level III+ plates are supposed to stop m855, which here they did but I would think if it stopped m855 it should also stop m193, but it didn't so I'm trying to learn some more before buying these because spending money just to get smoked buy the most common rifle ammo there is is a disheartening concept for me
@@94wasajam this isn't the best video for a purchasing decision because this reviewer is using "worst-case scenario" methods like 0 degree angle hit and barrel lengths that will propel the bullet to velocities it wasn't tested to stop, so it's not actually expected to stop these threats even if they use the same bullet weight and load specs etc.
@unearthlyenemy I did end up just grabbing some affordable level III steel plates. Not from this company tho I bought em local 🤷🏽♂️ from I've seen, although they're not rated for it, they will stop green tip. Soft level III seems to let it pass through, but that's soft armor. Like I said from what I've SEEN, level III steel will stop green tip and is rated for 308 under a certain velocity. I think that's just simply due to the hardness of armor rated steel vs the mild steel core in green tip. Yes it IS a steel core "penetrator" but it's not AP. Seems as simple as a harder object vs a softer one. So yeah after doing 2 more months of research I'd say your comment holds up. It's velocity that defeats steel, not the projectile specifically. Still don't wanna take one to the chest, but im confident in my decision.
I've heard duct taping the coating to the plate to mitigate spalling from multiple hits, keeping the coating against the plate. Seems to make sense but I've yet to find any review that does that. However I'd also assume keeping it snug in a carrier would accomplish the same thing. Great testing though! I'm gonna mostly be worried about the local crack head and not the alphabet showing up to my door so I plunked the money down on some of these from Tacticon. Great sale with plate carrier so why not?
I would absolutely never gamble with my life & limbs like that. No offense, but that sounds like a horrible idea. There are dedicated, purpose-built “Spall Guards” that you should get if you are concerned about it. Some of the best are made by DRMOR-Gear. Owners’ name is Dave & he has forgotten more about armor this past year, than any of us ever knew in our lives. Again; no offense. Just don’t wanna see anyone get blasted with spall. 😮
If you have an opportunity would you be able to test the ar500 lever 3+ lightweight steel plate with a polyethylene backer against all these threats, I would be very curious to see the result. Thanks so much for all you do.
On a personal note each time I placed iiia or even 1/2" thick lexan behind level 3 steel it has contained the armor slug and bullet fragments. This was seen using a 16" barrel and 40gr fort scott 5.56. I have seen a video of hot m193 out of a 20" penetrate level 3 steel and the soft iiia behind it then proceed several inches into ballistic gel so while the iiia backer helps I wouldn't totally rely on it.
If SHTF you might want steel plates for multi-hit capability. If your using Ceramic plates and take multiple hits and it cracks, your out of the fight. Won't be able to order new ones if everything is shut down.
*gets shot once and shrapnel frags and slits your thoat* - steel armor boi "gets shot twice and now your armor is worthless but still can breathe" - ceramic armor boi
@@ProjectSwietek Are you operating under the idea that anyone with even half a brain is using steel armor without frag coating? And in this case, every steel armor from Tacticon comes with frag coating standard.
@@ATruckCampbellYup, there are even products out there like one from Scorpion Tactical gear that is a sleeve for armor plates. The backside is padding, and it is Kevlar wrapped to help with spall as well as the spall coating. It’s a great product that I own myself.
If you're taking multiple hits center mass, your tactics suck and you probably also have holes in your arms and legs. I'll take the plates that weigh half as much and can stop 7 hits.
Hey Sir, how are you? I'm looking to buy these exact playes from tacticon. I'll be buying trauma pads aswell, can you please tell me the name of that sleeve you mentioned that the plate goes into to protect from spall?
Could in inquire as to why you would want to buy all of that? At the end you'll end up with a Level III plate that weighs 8lb and won't pass RF2. you could easily buy one of TA's TASPIV03 plates: alnk.to/flwEjG7 SAS sells a sleeve: alnk.to/4qLFvkf Gaurd dog sells a sleeve with Trauma built in: gdbodyarmor.com/product/ar500-anti-spall-and-trauma-pad-sleeve-package/ and even AR500: alnk.to/9xjDX08
Lots of items are made in chine.. I've carried tacticon's rifle bag slam full of gear every day for years.. never had one issue with the bag.. I bought It years ago and it was pretty darn cheap at the time. I actually own quite a few of their products and have been pretty happy for the price. Especially there armor!
I think that this plate sitting behind a tile array sandwiched between 2 piece of polyethylene with a 3a backer and the whole thing bonded and stitched where possible and the whole thing having edge to edge coverage, Also matching lower side panels and shoulder and arm panels for complete side coverage would be a hell of a setup, I think it wouldn't be to heavy and for a vehicle crew rig it probably could be heavier still with extra thick tile or even 2 layers of tyle.
Technically NIJ rated armor is only rated to stop the rounds the NIJ specs. Sometimes you can assume/infer if it stops A it'll stop B, but it's never a guarantee. Generally speaking a Level III plate would stop most pistol and shotgun rounds.
Does steel armor desitegrade when hit? And do you think those rounds (from this video hitting the steel armor) would break ribs? AND if a 50 bmg ap were op against 1 inch of ar500 and didn't go through. Would that man still be in the fight er would he die of blunt force trauma?
generally the steel remains intact. That's hard to answer. Steel doesn't localize blunt force trauma, but it does still transfer that energy somewhere. You'd need more than 1" of AR500 to probably stop specialty 50 BMG, and that would be a very heavy plate :O
@@BuffRANGE And the 50 bmg would hit let's say a 2 inch ar500 plate (i know i's FAR TO HEAVY for a soldier) but he wore it anyway. What would the blunt force trauma be? Could it hit so hard. that the heart would stop?? (normally it won't but it's a 50 bmg so it has so much power so therfor it can stop a heart?)
@@frederikgram8970 my wife works with Cardiologist frequently. They've seen way less stop a heart. It runs off of electrical impulse. Any concussive trauma to the heart has the potential to stop it. Any lengthy action to get the heart beating again can cause permanent brain damage. Blood carries oxygen to the brain, no oxygen to the brain= vegetable if that person survives. Quite sad.
Do you think that simply putting a steel band like from a pallet around the edge of the plate on or under the coating would be worthwhile? I'd probably stop the spalling a bit better that not having a steel band. You could probably spot weld the stuff on the edge of the plate. but who even runs steel lol.
@@Two-Stack I made an anvil out of a 3.5X9X.5 inch plate of AR500 and a 3.5X9X12 piece of steel by surface grinding both surfaces and stick welding them together. The stuff was developed for the mining industry hence the name Abrasion Resistant, and they use it to line the inside of the backs of trucks and other stuff with high use. I doubt they bolt the stuff on since drilling it sucks, so it would seem like they weld it, since my AR500 welded to my mystery steel nicely. I was thinking more along the lines of spot welding like what is used in making spray can and bean cans, since it's better suited for holding thin bits of metal together in a cheap to do way.
What is best overall heavy armor max protection, lightest (so more expensive) multi curv ceramic plate available for purchase ? I don’t care how expensive it is
Max protection; The Adept Colossus. It's been the only commercial plate I've tested to stop M993, and at velocities well above spec. There could be others but it could be stuff civilians aren't privy to?
@@viin2148 To further expand the V50 rating means that at that velocity penetration could occur 50% of the time. This is where You'd have to go back to the manufacturer and ask them to validate their threat profiles for those velocities.
Can you test steel armor at a 45 degree impact against some of the rounds that defeated it head on? Noone has done it and I think it would provide valuable info since your target won't always be standing straight infront of you.
I mean you effectively increase the amount of material the bullet has to penetrate. EX: MIL-46100E can stop M2AP at a 45°, but not at 0°. I generally show worst case, but if I get a set of steel in at some point, you do bring a good question. I'll see what I can do.
@@BuffRANGE The angled tests would still be interesting to see how well the spall coating works, given a square hit, while facing less material, is going to shatter the bullet, but at an angle, the bullet may stay more intact and therefore not be captured by the coating.
I thot this armor was suppose to stop everything you shot at it in this video? And i just bought 2 differnt sets from them on a good deal. It was ar500 plates 3+ and there battle vest lite for 150 and then there original battle vest with ar600 3+ plates for 225. Anyone think i should of saved my money and went else where or got different plates?
@@BuffRANGE I don't think they should be. Thanks for the quick reply. I thought they were a good deal so I grabbed em. While on sale. Got there battle belts also cause everyone raved about them for the price.
@@BuffRANGE and I thought m193 was just your standard run of the mill 5.56 round. I'm confused on why these plates wouldn't stop that? I'm confused somehow maybe. This stuff isn't a huge concern but if it suppose to stop that like advertised?
In my personal opinion I don't recommend steel plates unless you want them for training. This steel held up better than other offerings because it stopped our faster than spec M80 ball.
For a 150$ gettinf a plate carrier an 2 plates with coating cant go wrong ..is is the best no but will it stop bullets fuck ya and for 150 for a whole set up no reason everyone doesnt have body armor an just get lighter more expensive shit later when you can afford to ..atleast 150 gets you a plate carrier anf two plates
No unfortunately it's not. Energy deposited on steel over time can cause it to crack. With the new NIJ 07 standards, these plates will need to increase in hardness to stop M193 at 3,250 fps, and become brittle. They then will crack and fail after a few shots.
Wow... lvl 3+ that cant stop steel core 5.56. Green tips arent even "armor piercing" rounds. If it were black tips with a tungsten carbide core id expect it to rip through... weird that .308 stopped but green tip went thru.
The green tips you are thinking of are m855. M855a1 is the newest evolution to those and they are even hard for ceramic to stop. At a high level, Level III is ONLY M80 ball. Anything else under NIJ 06 has to be added as a special rifle threat. Now NIj 07 adds 5.56 but it was just published 12/23
@@coolbreeze2.0-mortemadfasc13 Small correction I'd like to propose: ATF is a government agency that loves to change their 'interpretation' of existing laws at their leisure. Have the politicians change the laws AND remove ATF's ability to interpret laws without Judicial oversight.
Well, TA is lying on their info. I own 2- 10×12 3+ frag coated. You get what you pay for. The only saving grace i have is our criminals like to run around with 10" AR pistols and 10" AK's. Jumping to Diritium plates now. Piggy bank get ready.
Loved the little editing closeups of the ammo as you loaded
:)
@@BuffRANGE I'd really like to see plates placed into a cardboard box, with cardboard extending out on all sides so we can see any bullet fragments coming off the sides. I know it wouldn't look pretty and would probably make the filming more difficult. But I'm sure most want to see how effective these coatings actually are.
@MB-jg4tr they actually just posted a video showing exactly that it's linked in their most recent vid
Love this kind of testing. Hopefully we’ll never run out of kinds of armor to test
Simple strategy. Use steel for training. The extra weight helps keep you fit. Use ceramic/uhmwpe when contact is possible. Better protection and lighter too.
You can use steel plates as tertiary backups or for equipping the unprepared or noncombatants.
First plates I bought were steel. 8 pounds x 2. 16 pounds? I thought. No big deal.
Was WRONG lol.16 pounds is friggin' heavy as hell.
Switched to 2.4 pound polyethylene III+. Shit, might even swap out the rear plate for the .4 pound rigid IIIA I have. A few pounds here and there really kill ya when you already have a rifle and kit and camelback and such. Kills me, at least!
I use some cheap level 3 steel 10x12 plates for push ups and squats.
8lb ea.
I have these exact plates in my kit. Swimmers cut front and Sapi in rear. 6.6lbs front and 7.1lbs rear. 13.7 total weight. They are serving two purposes right now. 1. The weight helps my physical training (recovering from back surgery) 2. I'm having zero ego and am running budget plates. I speak to everyone about them. I'm 5'11" flat footed and 195lbs with around 11% body fat. I am 100% satisfied with them especially for what I gave for them. I plan on running these a solid year then getting some Diritium plates next. Tbh these are not bad. Now, if your out of shape and have no core strength yea, after a 2-3hr training session you'll know theve been on. I don't have that issue, even in surgery recovery.
7 pounds is about as heavy as most alumina ceramic options of the same coverage area. I walk around with a plate carrier with level 4 alumina 10x12/medium sapi and it weighs basically the same and isnt that bad. I am sure as I continue to train it I can handle the weight just fine as walking around it for a daylong match is okay right now and I’m on the lower side of the overall body mass distribution
@@angry_zergling i am curious what your daily routine with the armor on is though, are you moving a lot? pulling security? what situations do people wear armor and why as a civilian do those pounds matter that much?
Thanks for taking the time to share these tests ! I actually have this armor so it was very interesting
My pleasure!
What gets me mad is they claim it can stop m855a1 in their promo video and also m193 with 3200fps so thats why i bought my setup.
ua-cam.com/video/zR08o9kdrnA/v-deo.html
Fwd to 1:20 seconds
@@NO_B.Sfitness I think they just now caught the “a1” mistake when i demo’d these for them. Not good they didn’t catch it until now though. The 3250 may be a v50 and depending on the steel lot could be slightly lower :(?
Same. I use this same armor for work and I bought my plates 3 months ago.
What work do you do
A lot of people bash steel, but it has a lot of upsides.
It dosen't expire & is way thinner than most other hard armor.
those are literally the ONLY upsides... everything else is a negative including the fact that getting hit wearing it will probably kill you anyways lol
@@ScullCandy56 not expiring, being MUCH thinner & generally being cheaper while having less backface.
Having much better multi-hit capabilities.
Not risking being compromised by a drop or some other type of impact.
Those are some pretty major upsides.
Really, the ONLY downside is it dosen't capture projectiles.
With a build up coat, it still stops almost all the fragments/spall.
I think just like everything else, a bunch of retards run with narratives without much actual research & it just becomes the mainstream opinion.
@@ScullCandy56 So built up frag coating just doesnt exist all of a sudden? No ones taking so many rounds that the coating wont do its job
Steel has negatives, but dont sit here and lie and hyperbolize
@@LegendaryP-sl7gf it's not that it doesn't exist it's that frag coatings do not work. At all. Full stop. Steel armor will kill you. Full stop. Literally look up any UA-cam channel doing in depth actual testing and you'll find the fragmentation still makes it through the coating and into your neck and face. Even from a single round. You idiots buying steel when you can get lvl 4 ceramic for the same price from RMA defense always make me laugh my ass off. Also any duty grade 5.56 55gr ball load from a 20inch standard barrel length ar is going to punch holes in your steel armor all day long it won't stop shit
So edge hits are fine? And oblique angles? You think that the frag lock will work when you're dealing with anything other than relatively center of plate hits?
The only people that really seem to defend steel are people that only have steel plates because getting a $100 plate and $150 in kevlar wrap somehow is smarter than a $250 plate that's just plug and play.
Tacticon replaces the plates for free, with a police report, after you've been shot.
They do🫡
Fr?
Seems like you’ll die from the caliber everyone and their dog has tho…
So will Apex Armor with any brand plate you buy from them.
@Randaljoness what round is that? The xm193 or the m855a1? You're acting like this doesn't stop green tip..... Did you watch the entire video? It stopped both of those rounds on the last plate. When he used a specific round with a specific barrel length it went though....
I wonder if running a 3A backer could have stopped some of those threats on a few of the M855A1 rounds they were stopped so that makes me think the ones that did penetrate only barely made it through.
It's weird that this plate claims to be AR600 when in the past most AR600 plates like the CATI plate could stop M193 and M855A1 so it makes me think these are AR500 plates someone is selling as AR600
Nah m855a1 from a 20” will defeat 1/4” AR650 too.
And from a 16” it will not defeat ar650 however. From the 16” it was only 3000 fps and from the 20 it went over 3200. That’s 200 fps was the difference between complete pass through and not
@@user-oy9zy4ds9m AR650 is way too brittle for effective armor the sweet spot is in the 550 to 600 range here is a video of the plate from CATI that I'm referencing
Also M855A1 tops out at 3050fps from a 22 inch barrel. It uses a faster burning powder designed for shorter barrels.
ua-cam.com/video/8V3wqfyFv_4/v-deo.html
It's worth remembering that the M855A1 is not the M855
@@bigtree1138 I never said it was
would be interesting to see some combined. laminated armor like HDPE sandwiched between steel to reduce back deformation and give a harder striking face.
That actually exists
@@LegendaryP-sl7gf What are they called?
Just order two plates and a carrier from them for 150 for that price you can’t beat it
I’m looking at the same deal right now over a year later i think I’m gonna pull the trigger on that deal lol
Matt you are The Man!
I wouldn't be without all of you!
love the videos waiting for the adept body armor test
Thank you for this demo. For the price, these seem to be a realistic option for the average citizen looking for some protection in a shtf situation.
Buffman thank you for your videos. Could you do another test with the tacticon plates as far as fragmentation and the spalling cover coming off. I have an idea that I think may mitigate that and make those plate better and that would be duck taping the edge and then using shrink wrap that goes around pallets and boxes. If you wrap the plates around the side and around the top multiple times and developed a thick seal would it contain the fragments. Thank you sir.
Paint it with bedliner
A sensible solution is a spall sleeve over the plate.
I love all of these armor tests. I always see reviewers worried about the coating and stuff separating. Does it really matter? As long as the armor does it job you wont be keeping that plate around for future use lol.
Why would you be dumb enough to take the risk? 100$ is really worth it? You wouldn't buy chinese TQs because they might fail, steel armor might spall or frag. Plenty of people have tested Ar500 armor with the liner and gotten spall into the test dummies neck. Is that REALLY worth it? Is saving 5 cents a bullet worth it if your chance of jamming goes up 50%? Are Promags good deals because they're cheaper, or does their potential failure make them not worth it.
@@RogerCharlamangeAre ar15 Promags unreliable, or are you referring to pmags for Glock?
Yes it matters. Do you want spall to get your jugular?
I don’t get why companies don’t go extra thick on the edges or wrap it in Kevlar then spray it, and put another layer of Kevlar and spray it again
Because that ads weight, cost and thickness.
Appreciate this video still will purchase with their Black Friday deal going on now
You're doing gods work
Why thank you :D
@@BuffRANGE let me ask you this, do you believe all the hype that you have to have ceramics? That steel will frag and spall and rip into your throat and face?
@@bryanrobert2763 Fragmentation off steel plates is a thing. It's probable and very possible to happen depending on the carrier and clothing you're wearing. Those fragments are very sharp. I did a test at one point with AR500's plates and stacked gel blocks around them, and those frags were entering the the gel.
The issue with Steel;
1. Heavier than PE and Ceramic Composite offerings
2. Generally single curve or multi curve is not as curvy as PE and Ceramic
3. Threat profile is limited. When the hardness of the steel goes up to combat M193, it becomes brittle and less multi-hit capable.
@@BuffRANGE thank you again for the reply, I have some cheap Chinese PE plates that are like .8in thick, and steel Tacticon ar600 (lightweight) plates, at this point do you think the cheap Chinese PE would be better? They are ULTRA light weight. Like a lb or two each. Eventually I will get ceramics but my wallet can't take it right now.
@@bryanrobert2763 it's one of those hard to call scenarios. The PE plates will stop M193 and being lighter helps your mobility, but will not stop M855 in anyway. The AR600 stop M855, but not M193 from longer barrels, and are heavier. We can never know the adversaries loadout, but if you think one of those bullet types would be more prominent than the other, go with the coverage that works for that. Save up the $$, and then eventually upgrade to a ceramic/composite, like a Highcom 3S9M, or RMA 1092 G2, or level IV's if you think you need it.
Like to see some of these bullets in a 22-250!
This would be very interesting
I’m gonna spoil it for you. 22-250 blows right through 1/4” AR650 like it’s not even there lol
I've just built a 26" .22-250 for that purpose. I plan on letting @Buffman R.A.N.G.E. borrow the upper at some point.
@@AlaskanBallistics DO IT...DO IT NOWWW
Yeah just like 243 win this hyper velocity stuff zips through steel
My man, with the Rocko’s Modern Life shirt, a real sign of a OG 🤌
Holy crap. It's Rocko! I forgot about that for 20 some years
Oui Oui!
Surprised it failed to stop m193 that like standard range ammo…
That's the problem with 99% of steel, it's weak to M193 at speeds over 3050-3150 fps. The new RF2 rating is 3,250..
I use Hicom AR1000 steel.
May hold up, may not.
You try, I'll watch.
Glad I found this video before buying these lws600 from tacticon. It says right on the plate they'll stop m855a1. Clearly not the case.
Have they not updated their website or literature? Because they told me that was in error.
As of January 2023 their website states the LWS600 plates stop M855. It does not claim to stop M855A1.
@@David-Ralph Good that they updated it.
@BuffRANGE - According to their website 3+, srt, & 4 will defeat green tip.
@@David-Ralph - They say 3+, srt, & 4 will stop green tip.
You made me switch from m855 to m193 for defense. I know each has its advantages but to me overall m193 just seems more reliable.
I have them alternating in the mag that lives in the HD gun....
@@presidentmerkinmuffley6769 Is that really worth it considering the zero shift
I generally prefer m855. First off for m193 to be ‘armor piercing’ it need to be fired out of atleast 20 inch barrel and for a HD gun that’s probably way too long. Secondly even from a 20” lightweight UHMPWE (plastic) armor stops m193 no problem however plastic armor cannot stop m855 green tip even as low as 2600 fps unless it has a ceramic cover. But yes if bad guy is wearing steel armor then m193 is better, preferably out of 20 inch
@@user-oy9zy4ds9m if the people invading your home are wearing armor capable of defending against m193, you probably have a problem one ar15 can’t solve lol. I guess you could say the same for m855. In reality it will be many years if we ever do see anything more capable hit the civilian market at an affordable price point. Regardless in my initial post I was more referring to general large property defense rather than my home. In my home I use a full size hand gun.
@@roncheeseman3687 I agree 100% . M855a1 will still give you a higher edge as buffman has proven that it can defeat SOME level 3+ ceramic/poly hybrid plates that will defeat both green tip and m193. M855a1 will also defeat safeline’s FRAS (flexible rifle armor) as well which defeats both green tip and m193 from 20” barrels. This is why I run m855a1 in my shtf rifles and 12.5”+ barrel lengths for maximum effectiveness/velocity. But m855a1 is very expensive especially to stock up on for shtf and rely on resupplying in the long term. This is why full auto may be useful in shtf (atleast at close to medium ranges) against body armor too so you won’t have to rely on bullet construction or velocity as much , you just hose the guy down real quick and odds are some bullets missed his armor lol
Question? I am new to this and doing research. Is this plate supposed to stop most of these? Isn’t this bad ?
Steel is traditionally only level III aka M80 ball at 2.750. Some of these velocities are worst case scenario. It’s kind of to show that steel can be strong against some threats but weak against others
I'm here after seeing tacticons plates online and am thinking about buying some. Per their website, the level III+ plates are supposed to stop m855, which here they did but I would think if it stopped m855 it should also stop m193, but it didn't so I'm trying to learn some more before buying these because spending money just to get smoked buy the most common rifle ammo there is is a disheartening concept for me
@@94wasajam this isn't the best video for a purchasing decision because this reviewer is using "worst-case scenario" methods like 0 degree angle hit and barrel lengths that will propel the bullet to velocities it wasn't tested to stop, so it's not actually expected to stop these threats even if they use the same bullet weight and load specs etc.
@unearthlyenemy I did end up just grabbing some affordable level III steel plates. Not from this company tho I bought em local 🤷🏽♂️ from I've seen, although they're not rated for it, they will stop green tip. Soft level III seems to let it pass through, but that's soft armor. Like I said from what I've SEEN, level III steel will stop green tip and is rated for 308 under a certain velocity. I think that's just simply due to the hardness of armor rated steel vs the mild steel core in green tip. Yes it IS a steel core "penetrator" but it's not AP. Seems as simple as a harder object vs a softer one. So yeah after doing 2 more months of research I'd say your comment holds up. It's velocity that defeats steel, not the projectile specifically. Still don't wanna take one to the chest, but im confident in my decision.
I've heard duct taping the coating to the plate to mitigate spalling from multiple hits, keeping the coating against the plate. Seems to make sense but I've yet to find any review that does that. However I'd also assume keeping it snug in a carrier would accomplish the same thing. Great testing though! I'm gonna mostly be worried about the local crack head and not the alphabet showing up to my door so I plunked the money down on some of these from Tacticon. Great sale with plate carrier so why not?
Steel armor is better than no armor, if you need to upgrade in the future, you can give the affordable armor to your spouse, parents, relatives, etc.
I would absolutely never gamble with my life & limbs like that. No offense, but that sounds like a horrible idea. There are dedicated, purpose-built “Spall Guards” that you should get if you are concerned about it.
Some of the best are made by DRMOR-Gear. Owners’ name is Dave & he has forgotten more about armor this past year, than any of us ever knew in our lives.
Again; no offense. Just don’t wanna see anyone get blasted with spall. 😮
@@drjones762 Yeah, I bought the kevlar sleeves for 'em.
Guard dog has so reason plate covers as well.
@@Noddafan Yeah. I bought them.
Any hint at what 6.5 Creedmoor would do?
I would love to see this
The destruction continues, love it.
How in the world did you get your hands on m855A1 it’s beyond hard to find and out right illegal to take but not own
It's available on GunBroker and various forums all day. It's gray market. YMMV
Bravo! Great video! Great sarcasm, facts and salesmen ship!
Much appreciated!
If you have an opportunity would you be able to test the ar500 lever 3+ lightweight steel plate with a polyethylene backer against all these threats, I would be very curious to see the result. Thanks so much for all you do.
I’ve completed testing! Let’s see if I can get it done
@@BuffRANGE thanks so much, your the best.
On a personal note each time I placed iiia or even 1/2" thick lexan behind level 3 steel it has contained the armor slug and bullet fragments.
This was seen using a 16" barrel and 40gr fort scott 5.56.
I have seen a video of hot m193 out of a 20" penetrate level 3 steel and the soft iiia behind it then proceed several inches into ballistic gel so while the iiia backer helps I wouldn't totally rely on it.
If SHTF you might want steel plates for multi-hit capability. If your using Ceramic plates and take multiple hits and it cracks, your out of the fight. Won't be able to order new ones if everything is shut down.
*gets shot once and shrapnel frags and slits your thoat* - steel armor boi
"gets shot twice and now your armor is worthless but still can breathe" - ceramic armor boi
@@ProjectSwietek Are you operating under the idea that anyone with even half a brain is using steel armor without frag coating? And in this case, every steel armor from Tacticon comes with frag coating standard.
@@Arkancide People who shit on steel like their lives depend on it do not talk about spall coatings.
@@ATruckCampbellYup, there are even products out there like one from Scorpion Tactical gear that is a sleeve for armor plates. The backside is padding, and it is Kevlar wrapped to help with spall as well as the spall coating. It’s a great product that I own myself.
If you're taking multiple hits center mass, your tactics suck and you probably also have holes in your arms and legs.
I'll take the plates that weigh half as much and can stop 7 hits.
Hey Sir, how are you? I'm looking to buy these exact playes from tacticon. I'll be buying trauma pads aswell, can you please tell me the name of that sleeve you mentioned that the plate goes into to protect from spall?
Could in inquire as to why you would want to buy all of that? At the end you'll end up with a Level III plate that weighs 8lb and won't pass RF2. you could easily buy one of TA's TASPIV03 plates: alnk.to/flwEjG7
SAS sells a sleeve: alnk.to/4qLFvkf
Gaurd dog sells a sleeve with Trauma built in: gdbodyarmor.com/product/ar500-anti-spall-and-trauma-pad-sleeve-package/
and even AR500: alnk.to/9xjDX08
Fwiw, Tacticon's rifle bags are 100% chinesium and IIRC their 36" bag is actually more like 32"-33". They claim it is 36" diagonally....
Lots of items are made in chine.. I've carried tacticon's rifle bag slam full of gear every day for years.. never had one issue with the bag.. I bought It years ago and it was pretty darn cheap at the time. I actually own quite a few of their products and have been pretty happy for the price. Especially there armor!
I wonder at what velocity this plate is significant and exactly when it fails.
I think that this plate sitting behind a tile array sandwiched between 2 piece of polyethylene with a 3a backer and the whole thing bonded and stitched where possible and the whole thing having edge to edge coverage,
Also matching lower side panels and shoulder and arm panels for complete side coverage would be a hell of a setup,
I think it wouldn't be to heavy and for a vehicle crew rig it probably could be heavier still with extra thick tile or even 2 layers of tyle.
You better hope the furthest you'll need to move is from your couch to the fridge, because that shit will be unbearable heavy for any real use.
It just kills me to with ceramic Armor after six shots it's just gone. Do people who use ceramic carry backup plates?
Great video…..Do you have a video on the Ar500 A1 plates??
Yes from a long long time ago.
Have you done the predator steel Kevlar coated ? Level 3
Yes
ua-cam.com/video/KOsRTTLFLI8/v-deo.html
Thanks for testing. If you wanted to squeeze more juice and have more value, see if you can report/show any frage.
The frag is all over the table :D
I’m new with plates but if it stops rifle rounds it’ll definitely stop pistol and shotgun rounds or is that lvl 4 plates?
Technically NIJ rated armor is only rated to stop the rounds the NIJ specs. Sometimes you can assume/infer if it stops A it'll stop B, but it's never a guarantee. Generally speaking a Level III plate would stop most pistol and shotgun rounds.
Does steel armor desitegrade when hit? And do you think those rounds (from this video hitting the steel armor) would break ribs? AND if a 50 bmg ap were op against 1 inch of ar500 and didn't go through. Would that man still be in the fight er would he die of blunt force trauma?
generally the steel remains intact. That's hard to answer. Steel doesn't localize blunt force trauma, but it does still transfer that energy somewhere. You'd need more than 1" of AR500 to probably stop specialty 50 BMG, and that would be a very heavy plate :O
@@BuffRANGE And the 50 bmg would hit let's say a 2 inch ar500 plate (i know i's FAR TO HEAVY for a soldier) but he wore it anyway. What would the blunt force trauma be? Could it hit so hard. that the heart would stop?? (normally it won't but it's a 50 bmg so it has so much power so therfor it can stop a heart?)
@@frederikgram8970 my wife works with Cardiologist frequently. They've seen way less stop a heart. It runs off of electrical impulse. Any concussive trauma to the heart has the potential to stop it. Any lengthy action to get the heart beating again can cause permanent brain damage. Blood carries oxygen to the brain, no oxygen to the brain= vegetable if that person survives. Quite sad.
i would like to see tests using some quality duct tape around the plate to keep the frag coating tight to the steel.
Probably a little more effective, but frags and muzzle energy will displace it.
Thank you
You're welcome!
The K.O.A.D has been lifting! Haha great work as always!
Thanks for noticing. :) trying to get the blood sneks really showing in the arms. :)
Do you think that simply putting a steel band like from a pallet around the edge of the plate on or under the coating would be worthwhile?
I'd probably stop the spalling a bit better that not having a steel band.
You could probably spot weld the stuff on the edge of the plate. but who even runs steel lol.
Welding AR steels is difficult and expensive
@@Two-Stack Worse still it can cause problems with the heat treat...
@@Two-Stack I made an anvil out of a 3.5X9X.5 inch plate of AR500 and a 3.5X9X12 piece of steel by surface grinding both surfaces and stick welding them together. The stuff was developed for the mining industry hence the name Abrasion Resistant, and they use it to line the inside of the backs of trucks and other stuff with high use. I doubt they bolt the stuff on since drilling it sucks, so it would seem like they weld it, since my AR500 welded to my mystery steel nicely. I was thinking more along the lines of spot welding like what is used in making spray can and bean cans, since it's better suited for holding thin bits of metal together in a cheap to do way.
So did they fix the problem then because you guys say that it will stop these rounds but apparently it didn’t
If they have not removed the M855A1 threat profile from their website product listing that's on them.
What is best overall heavy armor max protection, lightest (so more expensive) multi curv ceramic plate available for purchase ? I don’t care how expensive it is
Protection is terms of srp, blast protection, (everything)
Max protection; The Adept Colossus. It's been the only commercial plate I've tested to stop M993, and at velocities well above spec. There could be others but it could be stuff civilians aren't privy to?
SRP? Blast Protection?
Yeah I knew m855a1 was gonna go through because it will go through ar650 at over 3200 fps as well.
I like the cati level 3+ better
Did not see that video, how did that do?
Stopped m855a1 from 16 inch but not 20 inch however it stopped m193 from 20 inch independence m193 which is fastest 55g there is
M193 rounds are still the top G
Is buying their plate carrier and two of theese plates worthy of $150 ?
$150 isn’t bad better than nothing. You can always upgrade later.
The website says this plate is rated for m193 out of a 20 inch barrel going 3200 fps. Did they have anything to say about that or
Could very well be the V50 rating of the plate.
Ahhh i see. Thanks
@@viin2148 To further expand the V50 rating means that at that velocity penetration could occur 50% of the time. This is where You'd have to go back to the manufacturer and ask them to validate their threat profiles for those velocities.
the tldw the longer the barrel the spicer the round penetration ap or not
Pretty much :D
Could you test steelops steel plates.
you mean these? ua-cam.com/video/PQgMuDKldBY/v-deo.html
So it stopped all but m193 and m855A1?
That's indeed what the spreadsheet says. Also it didn't stop AP threats, but it was never intended to.
This is the kind of test that's interesting to watch...Now with all this armor bonanza either get unalived or world of pain!@
For the algorithm!
Esapi gen 3 S?
Can you test steel armor at a 45 degree impact against some of the rounds that defeated it head on? Noone has done it and I think it would provide valuable info since your target won't always be standing straight infront of you.
I mean you effectively increase the amount of material the bullet has to penetrate. EX: MIL-46100E can stop M2AP at a 45°, but not at 0°. I generally show worst case, but if I get a set of steel in at some point, you do bring a good question. I'll see what I can do.
@@BuffRANGE The angled tests would still be interesting to see how well the spall coating works, given a square hit, while facing less material, is going to shatter the bullet, but at an angle, the bullet may stay more intact and therefore not be captured by the coating.
How does one acquire a1 rounds?
War Pig Armory or Dozer Munitions has it. War Pig has a “Buffman” discount code even. They’re not cheap
I thot this armor was suppose to stop everything you shot at it in this video? And i just bought 2 differnt sets from them on a good deal. It was ar500 plates 3+ and there battle vest lite for 150 and then there original battle vest with ar600 3+ plates for 225. Anyone think i should of saved my money and went else where or got different plates?
If M193 and M855a1 are not a concern for you then by all means they’re decent plates.
@@BuffRANGE I don't think they should be. Thanks for the quick reply. I thought they were a good deal so I grabbed em. While on sale. Got there battle belts also cause everyone raved about them for the price.
@@BuffRANGE thing is I thought there ar 500 and ar600 3+ were suppose to stop green tip.
@@m.od.3116 green tip is M855. And yes they do. M855a1 is the enhanced version of M855 and its not easy to stop :)
@@BuffRANGE and I thought m193 was just your standard run of the mill 5.56 round. I'm confused on why these plates wouldn't stop that? I'm confused somehow maybe. This stuff isn't a huge concern but if it suppose to stop that like advertised?
Do you recommend this armor plate
In my personal opinion I don't recommend steel plates unless you want them for training. This steel held up better than other offerings because it stopped our faster than spec M80 ball.
@@BuffRANGE I was curious because I Own there AR500 steel but what brand and company do you recommend
For a 150$ gettinf a plate carrier an 2 plates with coating cant go wrong ..is is the best no but will it stop bullets fuck ya and for 150 for a whole set up no reason everyone doesnt have body armor an just get lighter more expensive shit later when you can afford to ..atleast 150 gets you a plate carrier anf two plates
I thought AR500-600 is supposed to stop m193???
Not necessarily. There are variations of steel alloys that are needed in addition to just pure hardness to do it.
Oh wow, m193 is pretty common so that’s a bit of a worry. What steel plates should I look for to protect?
@@fieldsrealty2091 only like caliber Armors AV2 and CATI Armor steel ops RF2. Very few steel can stop m193 over 3250
Steel cuz I know I'll never be able to afford a replacement and steel is multi shot for life.
No unfortunately it's not. Energy deposited on steel over time can cause it to crack. With the new NIJ 07 standards, these plates will need to increase in hardness to stop M193 at 3,250 fps, and become brittle. They then will crack and fail after a few shots.
Wow... lvl 3+ that cant stop steel core 5.56. Green tips arent even "armor piercing" rounds. If it were black tips with a tungsten carbide core id expect it to rip through... weird that .308 stopped but green tip went thru.
The green tips you are thinking of are m855. M855a1 is the newest evolution to those and they are even hard for ceramic to stop. At a high level, Level III is ONLY M80 ball. Anything else under NIJ 06 has to be added as a special rifle threat. Now NIj 07 adds 5.56 but it was just published 12/23
The spalling would still probably kill you so what’s the point?
You mean the frag? Probably a good chance it would make its way through the carrier :)
@@BuffRANGE I assumed you would know what spalling is…
@@Pb_Slinger well "spalling" is what comes off the back from a penetration. Frag is what comes off the front. Sometimes they get used interchangeably.
do you have proof it would kill you? i still have yet to see any. one or two shots and the frag doesnt leave the carrier nylon. so what kills you?
Maybe Tacticon products are not as good as they claim
That makes me laugh, "this is a scar "pistol". lol. ATF is a joke.
ATF is a government agency. Have the politicians change the laws. Very simple.
@@coolbreeze2.0-mortemadfasc13
Small correction I'd like to propose: ATF is a government agency that loves to change their 'interpretation' of existing laws at their leisure. Have the politicians change the laws AND remove ATF's ability to interpret laws without Judicial oversight.
Why people hate soo much steel plates ?
They’re heavy and spalling (fragments from bullets) can still kill you.
@@coolbreeze2.0-mortemadfasc13 The weight vs protection ratio sucks.
Moral of the story, avoid tacticon steel plates
Air plane crew
WTF I have these plates, they say right on it it'll stop m855a1, 308, 300 win mag? Time to get a refund I guess
The m855a1 is a miss print.
Well, TA is lying on their info. I own 2- 10×12 3+ frag coated. You get what you pay for. The only saving grace i have is our criminals like to run around with 10" AR pistols and 10" AK's. Jumping to Diritium plates now. Piggy bank get ready.
You may want to evaluate the ShotStop videos I have ;)
You couldn't hit your straps if you tried. Bolt action rifle with a scope and you tried calling your shots a 45yds or was that feet? Laughable.
the truck bed coating seals up the hole and makes it very hard to confirm ;) Have a nice day..