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Gear Review: AR500 Armor Urban Go Plate Carrier & Plates

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AR500 Armor Urban Go Plate Carrier, c Nick Leghorn

A good offense is often the best defense, but when the bullets start flying it might not be such a bad idea to have that whole defense thing covered too. That’s where items like bullet proof vests and plate carriers come into play, offering some solid protection against flying lead for your vital squishy bits. A relatively new player to this game is AR500 Armor, and they’ve sent us one of their Urban Go Plate Carrier kits to test out. And I must say that I’m pretty impressed.

To be fair, the only thing that AR500 Armor actually manufactures is the Level III steel plates that go inside the plate carrier, the rest is made by Condor and sold in the kit. But if Bushmaster can get away with using other people’s parts and re-branding them as their own then I’m going to let these guys slide as well.

The kit comes with two NIJ certified Level III steel plates, rated to stop everything up to and including multiple hits from 7.62 NATO rifle rounds. The plates are coated in AR500 Armor’s special coating, which is designed to minimize the splatter from bullet impacts. Bullets have a tendency to create small particles of lead and copper when striking a solid surface like a steel plate, and while any old plate will stop the round the special coating is designed to keep those nasty fragments from flying up and slicing into your neck and jaw. And from what I can see, they work pretty damn well.

This video shows the steel plate being run over, dropped, and shot with multiple caliber including “armor piercing” 5.56 rounds, but the only result is that there are some slight deformations and the coating is a little worse for wear. I admit that we didn’t test the plates that we were sent as they’ve been earmarked for some fun experiments we have coming down the line, but much like the soft IIIA plates I reviewed a week or so ago the guys at AR500 Armor did a damn fine job of stress testing the plates and putting the whole thing on video. And after talking with their guys, I trust their results.

AR500 Armor Urban Go Plate Carrier, c Nick Leghorn

The plates ship with a plate carrier manufactured by Condor Tactical, as well as two pistol magazine pouches, two AR-15 magazine pouches, and a cross chest draw MOLLE handgun holster. The handgun holster works okay, but personally I didn’t see a real big need to include it when I kitted out the vest. And the reason is based on how the vest is intended to be used.

The guys at AR500 Armor explained that their concept behind the Urban Go Plate Carrier kit is to provide something that can be quickly thrown on during a home invasion scenario, so it makes sense that you’d want a handgun to be part of the kit. I’m guessing that for these guys, the rifle is the go-to gun for home defense and that’s their preference. But for me a handgun is my choice for home defense, and my handgun has a silencer. So even if I took the extra few seconds to put the plate carrier on before jumping all John Woo style into the living room, I’d still have to take more time to get the handgun out of the holster before I use it. I guess the usability of that particular piece of kit really depends on what gun you’re using as your primary HD gun.

For those looking for a SHTF vest, this would suit your needs pretty well also. It’s a minimalist setup with no extra material or straps, just the minimum required to do the job. And the coating on the plates would keep them in good working order for years to come.

AR500 Armor Urban Go Plate Carrier, c Nick Leghorn

The thing weighs about 20 pounds fully loaded, and as my ex-military friends remarked it reminded them of one of the perks of being discharged: you get to stop wearing body armor. It’s not something I would voluntarily take on a hike or wear around town, but it’s not ridiculously heavy either. The only issue I had with it was when I went to shoulder my rifle, the plates interfered a bit with my ability to get a solid grip on the gun. Then again, that’s a training and tactics issue and that problem is common to almost every plate carrier system.

As for the protection it offers, the plates do a good job of covering the vital bits on your body. The thoracic cavity is almost completely covered even on a large guy like me, with the exception being that I think the apexes of my lungs might still be poking out. Oh, and my head, but then again as Sterling Archer puts it it is just a vest after all. There are also no side plates to the vest, meaning that shots from the side wouldn’t be protected by the plates.

In terms of price, the kit is just about on the money when it comes to the competition. But the real winner with this is that you don’t need to go to three different websites to piece the thing together yourself, it comes as a complete kit with one purchase. I tried to price out a comparable plate carrier kit and the cheapest I could make it was about $250, but that was for flat plates (not curved, like these) with no coating on the plates and ordering from three different websites.

Some people don’t feel the need for a Level III chest rig. But for those who do, AR500 Armor’s Urban Go Plate Carrier & Plates kit is a good solution at the right price.

Specifications: AR500 Armor Urban Go Plate Carrier & Plates
Weight: 15 lbs in plates, 1.5 lbs in vest, plus mags and ammo makes it about 20 pounds
Price: $300 as pictured (curved plates and heavy coating extra), $210 base
Website: AR500Armor.com

Ratings (out of five stars):

Ease of Use * * * * *
It comes in a single box, and everything is pretty well laid out in terms of using it.

Utility * * * *
Assuming you need a bullet proof vest with level III protection, it’s pretty damn useful. Extra points for the protective coating, but minus a couple for the lack of side plates.

Overall * * * *
This really is the best value I’ve seen for a level III plate carrier. I’d like to see some side plates on it, though.

0 thoughts on “Gear Review: AR500 Armor Urban Go Plate Carrier & Plates”

  1. My Saiga 12 is mostly a range toy. I have a few 10 round stick mags and a 20 round drum. I will be doing a conversion on it in the future so for now I will stick with the 5 round mags until it meets 922R. For full power buckshot loads it runs flawlessly. It is a lot of fun to blast a bunch of lead pellets at pumpkins or other deserving food items. I haven’t run birdshot through it yet so I can’t comment on function with low brass loads. I have thought about using it to hunt with in the future as I can buy 2 round mags. I also paid $630 for it during Firearmageddon last year. Other places I looked at wanted $1000-1200 for a new unconverted Saiga.

    Since the Saiga puts you in the higher classes of 3 gun I bought a Mossberg 930 SPX. It cycles every type of ammo I throw at it. I also like shotguns a lot, so having a few choices now is nice.

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  2. My wife gave me a SIG 250C in 9mm for Christmas. I have been to the range several three times firing one hundred rounds each time. The gun is working flawlessly, no failures to feed and no failures to eject. Having spent most of my life shooting revolvers, the long trigger pull and reset were not difficult to get used to. It is very similar to the trigger pull on my Ruger GP100. Accuracy has improved with each visit to the range. The secret is practice. Dry firing the weapon at home and spending a lot of time at the range getting the feel of the trigger. Like the Ruger GP100 you can stage the trigger on the P250. As you pull the trigger there is a a pause just before the trigger breaks. It is almost like a single action trigger pull. The SIG P250C is much more accurate than I I am, but I will keep on practicing to see if I can realize this guns true potential.

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  3. Seems like every progressive forgets this premise (correlation/causation) from Stats101. Thanks, TTAG, for keeping with the truth (and better writing. I can’t count how many times I catch very poorly written articles in the gun rags and blogs, in terms of grammar and spelling).

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  4. That thing is way to small, as far as gut shots not being immediately lethal; perforated bowel you have some time to deal with it, but liver, spleen, pancreas, abdominal aorta, renal arteries, vena cava those guys will kill you pretty quickly. Also the tops sides and lower portions of you lungs are exposed. It need to be bigger.

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  5. the study pretty conclusively shows that restrictive gun control measures do not reduce crime.

    No, it doesn’t do that either. For all we know, crime rates would be ten times worse without the restrictions. And in less-restrictive states, crime rates might also be worse now than they would if there were restrictions.

    Not that I believe any of that, but there it is.

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  6. Good review. AR500 plates (steel or soft) are offered at pretty hard to beat price. I have a couple of the curved L3 plates in a different plate carrier for unwelcomed social visits / SHTF.

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  7. What is the quality of Redfield like? Is this a Bushnell competitor?

    From initial impressions….Bushnell TRS-25 can be had for around $90, as can the Primary Arms Micro Dots. Aside from the form factor difference, they are all red dots. This weighs a couple ounces less, but has a 6 MOA dot. If it is indeed selling for $200, what justifies the extra $110?

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  8. Okay, in the first picture, it says 12×76 on the receiver. Is that how Europeans/Russians refer to 12g? Do they use the metric designations for shotguns calibers as well as regular cartridges? Except the “12” is still gauge rather than diameter in millimeters… I DON’T UNDERSTAND!

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  9. The chest plate should end 1 inch above the navel standing, so on this guy it is a bit like a postage stamp bikini .. the top should be one inch below the upper sternal apex, so he has that one covered, but I can not see how severe the angles are for his arms to work .. with both arms straight out to the front the shoulder joints should almost be able to hold the plate up but still be able to aim right or left with a shouldered rifle. Can not see the clearance there. Other than it being too short for his anatomy, it looks like a good rig ( if it really can hold up as a class three ..) DITTO on the lack of 6 x 6 side plates in a cummerbund .. if it had that, it would be a great rig.
    Robert Seddon

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  10. Would be nice if it was DOT approved, but that would add way too much bulk and heft to be a practical future combat item, also all I see is exposed neck, I wont feel bullet proof until i am bulletproof.

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  11. FYI, it is not illegal to CC on California college campuses. California PC 626.9 (L section) allows for licensed CCW holders to carry.

    HOWEVER, the colleges can still make their own rules for students and faculty. But, as far as i know, they only relate to employment/enrollment and carry no criminal penalties.

    Just gonna let that sink in…. 🙂

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  12. I purchased a Zastava M57 Tokarev and really liked it, that is until the captive recoil spring/guide rod broke. Customer service is abysmal, I have been trying to get a replacement part from the importer since mid October 2013 – and after looking everywhere to get this piece I have still not found one. While I like the gun it has turned out to be an expensive paperweight – because of the lack of replacement parts and bad customer service I would not purchase another product from this company, It is very bad to say that if you decide to buy this gun purchase 2 so you have spare parts for when it breaks.

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  13. I can’t tell if they always toss in a “but” just to keep up appearances among the anti’s and hoplophobes or if they honestly believe in that “but.”

    If the former, it doesnt help anything to pander to loons. If the latter then you’re just a tyrant waiting for your turn among the oligarchs.

    Reply
  14. i bought a 2022 in July 2013, one of the best purchases i have ever made for an even 400.00,the trigger is actually quite good, especially when compared to more expensive pistols.it is also extremely accurate and shoots any ammo w/no problems.

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  15. I work for a company that applies line x coatings and this stuff really works to stop shrapnel from shattered rounds. Applied thic enough, it takes multiple direct hits in the same spot from my 308 to even chip it off the steel. (That being said, if there is no steel plate behind it, the bullet will pass right through)

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  16. For those saying getting tagged by a rifle with armor will not knock you on your tookas ….. you are crazy , and obviously never been shot with a vest on I have .

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  17. ar500 takes for ever to ship! been hit wearing soft armor it sucks. i was not knocked down; but it did push, and the pain resulting was enough for me to fall back. work in the ghetto in Sacramento, CA.

    P.S Gangsters have full auto, why cant we? jk

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  18. So you wrote a review of a product you didn’t test and went off what the manufacturer told you their test results were? If you’re reviewing the carrier or mag pouches only thats one thing, but to claim you tested body armor when you clearly didn’t isn’t a review at all.

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  19. Tried to exchange my new AR500 Armor plates for a simple issue immediately after purchase. I was advised that due to “nature” of item there is no exchange or any customer support offered whatsoever. I suspect this is a one or two man operation that has no physical inventory on hand and doesn’t want to risk getting stuck with their own product collecting dust on a shelf (or maybe they’re tetoring on the brink of insolvency?). Either way; I’d avoid buyinging AR500 Armor products. You’d get better customer service from a gypsy home improvement contractor.

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  20. From what you said in some of the first lines “The best offense is a good defense” may be clique and silly but oh man is it true hahaha. I was looking at a bunch of different body armor from different websites, and this article is giving a few different websites but there is another called http://www.thebestbodyarmor.com/ and it’s pretty cool. It gives some info on the different NIJ levels they have and it kind of rolled along with what this article was saying. It’s nice to know that some of the research I have been doing on body armor is all supporting each other hahaha.

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