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I have worked on a gun range for a few years and just recently started to consider purchasing body armor and wanted to know what y'all's thoughts are? Have you owned or wore it before? What type and brand would you recommend? How much can one expect to spend? Lastly, my initial purpose would be for range use but may extend to wearing it on the street (you never know) but is this prudent or illegal.

Given some of the people I see at the range, I'd be wearing body armor if I was on the line for a living too.

Nothing illegal about wearing it on the street, but its not something you see every day. Can't imagine its going to be real subtle.

I had Tee-shirt type lighter thinner good for most handgun rounds, a heavier, higher threat level one, and free one furnished by the 100 club,
That was back in the 1980s/early 1990s and I no longer have them nor recall the manufacturers nor "threat levels" they were.
I moved out of Houston area and to the country, so I'm better protected already with few Liberals around so ...

Even the Tee-shirt lower threat level type is a bit bulky, like wearing a quilt under your shirt and the one fact I'm sure is the still same ...They all make you appreciate air conditioning.

If I worked in a gun range or went hunting with first-timers, I might wear them if I still had them. Most people in hardhats never need them, but at work on I see higher risk jobs, not a horrible idea to wear protective clothing

Taypo wrote:Given some of the people I see at the range, I'd be wearing body armor if I was on the line for a living too.

Nothing illegal about wearing it on the street, but its not something you see every day. Can't imagine its going to be real subtle.

Understatement if there ever was one. I can see the Dillard's ad now "Wear our armor for when the lacrosse games goes bad"

Definite on the range pals I've seen there.

thatguy wrote:I have worked on a gun range for a few years and just recently started to consider purchasing body armor and wanted to know what y'all's thoughts are? Have you owned or wore it before? What type and brand would you recommend? How much can one expect to spend? Lastly, my initial purpose would be for range use but may extend to wearing it on the street (you never know) but is this prudent or illegal.

Not illegal if you are OK to purchase body armor, pretty much the same as being able to purchase/possess a handgun. They make some IIIA (protects against nearly all handgun rounds, not rifle though) that will go under a shirt without being detected. You can also get these with plate holders, you can add plates later and slip them in if you want. Costs rage widely depending on level of protection and plates can be anywhere from $150-$400 a piece generally depending on used, traditional, or ceramic.

I wouldn't work on a range with people I don't know without body armor, I'd consider that essential.

TVGuy wrote:

thatguy wrote:I have worked on a gun range for a few years and just recently started to consider purchasing body armor and wanted to know what y'all's thoughts are? Have you owned or wore it before? What type and brand would you recommend? How much can one expect to spend? Lastly, my initial purpose would be for range use but may extend to wearing it on the street (you never know) but is this prudent or illegal.

Not illegal if you are OK to purchase body armor, pretty much the same as being able to purchase/possess a handgun. They make some IIIA (protects against nearly all handgun rounds, not rifle though) that will go under a shirt without being detected. You can also get these with plate holders, you can add plates later and slip them in if you want. Costs rage widely depending on level of protection and plates can be anywhere from $150-$400 a piece generally depending on used, traditional, or ceramic.

I wouldn't work on a range with people I don't know without body armor, I'd consider that essential.

I did think it was illegal, but perhaps the times I have heard about it in the news it involved already illegal activity.

It is illegal for a FELON to have....but that is it.

Target1911 wrote:It is illegal for a FELON to have....but that is it.

I believe there are also some states where it is illegal period, luckily we live in Texas.

For wearing at work I think comfort and reliability would be more important than how it looks.

My take is that there is nothing inherently wrong with body armor........ but it just isn't for me, at least not for daily wear. I'm what you might call "horizontally challenged", and I sweat a LOT when the temperatures go up....even in just a t-shirt and shorts (although, I have lost 47 lbs since March 8th, and am on track to lose what excess weight remains by early 2016). I have a number of friends in the shooting community who have full-on kit, whatever you would call "military grade" armor with the heavy ceramic trauma plates, etc. (I don't know anything about the "levels" of armor protection.) These friends are, for the most part, veterans of the recent wars, and they are heavily into all kinds of competitive shooting events of the "run and gun" variety. They also participate in fund-raising remembrance events (like this past Memorial day), where they either carry a ruck for 23 hours with the equivalent weight of the trauma plates, or they wear the actual vest and plates for 23 hours, and they walk, earning donations by the mile from supporters, which go to the specific charity which organizes the events (can't think of the name at the moment).

For me personally, I don't know if I could wear heavy armor because of my back. I find the weight of even a pistol and magazines in a shoulder holster to be uncomfortable these days for me. BUT.... the heavier armor is the only kind that would interest me, and then only in the HIGHLY unlikely event of actually being in a pitched battle. I'm 62 years old, and I'm at that weird age where I'd love to live another 20-30 years, but I don't care if I die tomorrow because I have the assurance of knowing where I'm headed. So for ME, in that context, body armor just doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

If I worked on a shooting range, I might feel different.

The Wall wrote:For wearing at work I think comfort and reliability would be more important than how it looks.

If you've ever worn BA, you know that comfort comes first...especially here in Texas. It gets really hot.

If you do end up purchasing BA, make sure you get proper coverage. There are many lower priced kits out there that don't cover all vitals on front and back because of small ballistic areas and also sides under the arms.

Check out Bulletproofme.com They usually have decent deals on PD trade-in/surplus vests.

Avoid Zylon! Premature degrade when exposed to moisture.

We had an incident where a ND struck a side partition; funny thing is BA would not have made much difference but it did make me think..

I'm looking for lightwieght for sure, something that will stop most common pistol rounds. I haven't really considered wearing it everyday but never say never.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I wore it for over 10 years and the three "Hs" describe it: Hot, heavy and horribly uncomfortable! Body armor sucks like a 20# leech.

Chas.