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Thread: Rethinking Armor

  1. #41
    Site Supporter Hambo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by breakingtime91 View Post
    My town has four shootings in a week and 5 break ins.
    I'm not saying not to buy armor, but gross stats are meaningless. Dig into the reasons and you'll understand if your town is going full Purge or if dopers decided it was time to skip payment. Everybody is home here, so thievery, which fuels the dope trade, is down. There's no unemployment compensation for a guy who steals shit to fund his habit.
    "Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA

  2. #42
    Quote Originally Posted by Condition Write View Post
    Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but as a civilian purchaser, I'm having more luck finding reputable sources for plates and plate carriers than for concealable soft armor. I was about to get back into IDPA before the public health situation went sideways and I was thinking that something in Level II might be worthwhile PPE for other people's screw-ups there and at classes. Given my usual lifestyle choices, I feel like I'm more likely to get a lead injection on the range than in a gunfight.
    Is this a rational fear? Getting shot at an IDPA match.

    I suppose it's more likely to get shot by someone at a practical shooting event than on the golf course, but outside of ND into the shooter himself, how often does one get shot at a IDPA/USPSA match?

    I wear, at times, soft armor at work, and it's not terribly uncomfortable. That's not the issue.

    The issue is if I thought it was needed to participate in IDPA/USPSA, I just wouldn't participate.

    (For every round that the armor stops, another could easily hit you in the groin, leg, face, side, etc.)

    Speedy recovery to you, @GJM!
    Last edited by BigD; 03-26-2020 at 10:35 AM.

  3. #43
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    I almost was shot in the foot at an IDPA match by an idiot holstering on a load and make ready. So armor wouldn't have helped. The others shot at IDPA were I used to shoot were Serpa booboos into themselves.

    Other NDs were bad gun handling in a 'safe' direction.

  4. #44
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Glenn E. Meyer View Post
    I almost was shot in the foot at an IDPA match by an idiot holstering on a load and make ready. So armor wouldn't have helped. The others shot at IDPA were I used to shoot were Serpa booboos into themselves.

    Other NDs were bad gun handling in a 'safe' direction.
    USPSA and IDPA are remarkably safe. The only time plates would have helped me was at a match that had knock-down steel at ~7yds (bad idea). I was ROing a lady Open shooter, and one of her shots fragged me in the tummy with a .22 sized ball of jacket. It went through my clothes, and about 1/4" into flesh. It hurt, but I kept going. During the rest of the run, a blood spot started spreading on my shirt and I began to worry that I'd been shot. Now I tease her about the scar she gave me.

    So, no plates for me, but definitely safety glasses or ballistic-rated sunglasses that wrap around.
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

  5. #45
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    I got cut at a class where we shot at a steel plate head on top of a humanoid target. It was set to drop down to indicate a hit. So bang. Now when I'm standing around, folks say my beard is turning red. The SWAT guy who was an instructor said he could shave off that area or we could just try direct pressure. It wasn't that bad so I did and it stopped.

    Two weird shootings at matches.

    First, we are standing around and something comes whistling in from the adjacent rifle range and whacks an Army guy (shooting with us) in the head. Raises a welt. It was a ricochet of something. Probably an idiot shooting at a rock. He said he was OK and didn't want anyone do anything. Oh, well. Then when we were standing there, we hear a whistling and another round comes in and bounces off the tin roof of the range table. This caused folks to go to the rifle range and give someone a talking to.

    Second, another rifle idiot shooting not at a target bounced a round into a guy and righteously shot him. This stopped the match and called out the law and ambulance.

  6. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by Glenn E. Meyer View Post
    I almost was shot in the foot at an IDPA match by an idiot holstering on a load and make ready. So armor wouldn't have helped. The others shot at IDPA were I used to shoot were Serpa booboos into themselves.

    Other NDs were bad gun handling in a 'safe' direction.

    Subgun match years ago at Knob Creek had me extracting a jacket from ball ammo out of the back of my hand after a steel-only stage. Had a pretty good run even with the lost time from the "glance" at why my hand was burning. I'm definitely a full-time eye & ear protection guy but I have considered some extra protection when RO'ing weekends before hunting season kicks off.

    Keith

    P.S. Best Wishes @GJM

  7. #47
    Site Supporter PNWTO's Avatar
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    Neat thread.

    My previous thinking for HD was pretty anti-armor as I haven’t worn a plate carrier consistently for almost a decade. I thought the weight would be a minor hindrance and the additional cost was not worth it.

    Now my HD armor thinking is basically why not? I already wear 40 lb pack for ruck training so there’s no issue for endurance. Plus you get better load carriage, organization, and the availability for all sorts of reflective patches to potentially ID yourself when if/when some amped up first responders are involved.

    Plus, now that I’m working for an agency that does a lot of disaster relief and management, there could feasibly be a need to upscale my personal protective posture.

    Just rambling out loud and trying to avoid a “Timmy” thought progression. I also really like the idea of a bump helmet when either driving during a disaster scenario or for navigating unknown terrain but that’s different thread.
    "Do nothing which is of no use." -Musashi

    What would TR do? TRCP BHA

  8. #48
    Quote Originally Posted by BigD View Post
    Is this a rational fear? Getting shot at an IDPA match.

    I suppose it's more likely to get shot by someone at a practical shooting event than on the golf course, but outside of ND into the shooter himself, how often does one get shot at a IDPA/USPSA match?

    I wear, at times, soft armor at work, and it's not terribly uncomfortable. That's not the issue.

    The issue is if I thought it was needed to participate in IDPA/USPSA, I just wouldn't participate.

    (For every round that the armor stops, another could easily hit you in the groin, leg, face, side, etc.)

    Speedy recovery to you, @GJM!
    I was almost shot at a trap match. Like inches from my foot. I lost my concentration missed the next four birds and lost the shoot off.
    I'll wager you a PF dollar™ 😎
    The lunatics are running the asylum

  9. #49
    Quote Originally Posted by UNK View Post
    I was almost shot at a trap match. Like inches from my foot. I lost my concentration missed the next four birds and lost the shoot off.
    No double there have been lots of close calls at shooting matches, USPSA or otherwise, but as long as all safety rules are followed it usually is just a learning point.

    However, in 2017 there was a fatality at a USPSA matching in California. A round from a rifle bay deflected and killed a competitor. I don't know if soft armor would have saved the shooter.

    (Poor range design and possibly poor range maintenance. Reportedly rain may have washed away the dirt filling the plywood backstops of rifle range. The pistol bays were behind the rifle range.)

    The round didn't come from a USPSA shooter, but that's no consolation. Anytime you are around guns the odds of being shot by one are higher than if no guns around.

    I think the risk is very small of being shot at a USPSA event, but I can see if others worry about it. But like I said, if I felt like I had to gear up, that's a sign that it's not worth it, given that the soft armor will only stop some hits.

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