According to the Small Arms Survey, American civilians owned an estimated 393 million firearms in 2018 — that number has undoubtedly grown considerably in post-COVID years. The vast majority of those firearms will never be used maliciously against another human being, but as with any tool, some will inevitably be misused to harm the innocent. If you consider yourself a prepared individual, are concerned with protecting your family from violence, have an active shooter plan, or are just a firearms enthusiast — and I imagine you’re one or all these things if you’re reading this magazine — you should seriously consider owning a set of body armor, or “plates” as they’re often referred to.
With advances in ballistic technology, rumblings about legislation banning civilian body armor ownership, and recent violent crimes around the country, responsible and discerning citizens are considering their need for body armor more than ever. As with most big purchases and competitive industries though, there’s a litany of mis-information, snake-oil, and ratings that frankly confuse the consumer. Today, I’d like to cut through the marketing jargon and talk about real-world performance and applications of body armor. I’ll also outline the different materials that plates are made from and their trade-offs and explain the different rating systems associated with body armor.
While researching this article, I spoke with several different companies to get varied perspectives on this ancient technology, which dates back to the Mycenaean area around 1400 BCE.
Types of Armor
Jeremy Gray, former president of HESCO, gave the most concise explanation of body armor I’ve ever heard: “Armor is a mechanical system designed to fail.” It defeats ballistic threats (primarily bullets) by doing one of two things: abrading the projectile or shattering it.
essentially shatters the bullet. But as we all (should) have learned in high school physics, a couple things happen as a result. Energy is never created or destroyed; in this scenario, it’s transferred. Some of that energy is the punch you’d feel when the armor takes a hit, but most of that energy makes the round explode on impact, sending spall — tiny lead, copper, or steel fragments — everywhere. “Everywhere” can include your
