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As mentioned yesterday I threw down some electronic bucks to order a set of Ceramic class IV Plates. If and when to purchase body armor is a topic worth discussing.  The if is pretty simple to me. If you are preparing for a seriously violent encounter then you want body armor. This is really painfully obvious. We sort of forgot about this after the whole invention of firearms made old school chain mail or metal armor useless. In the last few decades (not willing to actually look it up) progressively more useful body armor has come into existence.

At this time body armor is available at every man type prices. My
setup was about $ 500 all said and done. Going with a cheaper plate carried could have shaved it to about $ 450. In other words about
what a polymer pistol like a Glock or an XD costs and 2/3rds or so the cost of an AR-15. Certainly not pocket change but doable for most people with some planning and saving. If you have at least 1x fighting pistol and 1x fighting rifle per adult family member it might be smart to get body armor before buying some more guns that are going to get buried in a PVC pipe in the woods
left in the gun safe. By the time you are reaching for that 3rd AR
that’s been collecting dust for awhile odds are you’re in a situation
where a person may shoot at you.

 When is a much more interesting question. As I said about a recent post over at Commander Zero’s place 

“There is a time for everything. If somebody asked me whether they
should get a couple hundred rounds of buckshot and pistol ammo for guns
they have less than a hundred rounds for and put the remaining bucks
into a currently empty pantry or get a plate carrier I would say food
and bullets. On the other hand if they were looking at getting a 4th
handgun/rifle/whatever or a new optic vs body armor I would say to get
the armor for sure. That 4th handgun/ rifle could certainly be useful
but a plate carrier could save your life.

Finally to close I will paraphrase John Mosby aka Mountain Guerilla “If you have 6 AR’s in the safe but not body armor and night vision you’re screwing your friends and buddies.”  Somewhere between getting ready for a short term natural disaster and Red Dawn is about the right place.

 A plate carrier with rifle plates doesn’t fit into every scenario. Then again neither do buckets of wheat or solar panels or anything else. Also they are absolutely the right tool for  high threat environments. Also I believe being equipped for individual combat is a good thing. Soft body armor is easier on the budget and can often be found for $ 200 or less. Soft body armor can also fit a lot of more common moderate threat type scenarios. Scenarios like selling a used car for cash or moving large amounts of cash around. I would say in a perfect world having both is a good option.

Well those are my thoughts on that. As always input is welcome.