The brouhaha over “green tip” M855 ammo would be funny if it wasn’t. Despite the ATF’s strategic withdrawal on their plans to ban the popular rifle ammo – in the face of enormous pro-ballistic blowback, the Fraternal Order of Police’s assertion that M855’s no biggie and simple common sense – the civilian disarmament complex hasn’t given up. They’ve introduced a bill to ban the rounds anyway. You know, ’cause they can defeat cops’ “bullet proof vests.” As can any reasonable rifle round. Anyway, if the po-po want to stop rifle rounds, that’s doable. They just have to carry a shield. (Hey they used to have to roll them around.) Here’s the 411 on Baker Ballistics MRAPS-IV . . .
MRAPS-IV™ (Mobile Rifle Armor Protective Shield)
Advanced proprietary SiC ceramic faced polyethylene armor composite matrix combined with battle ready shock-absorbing support hardware – engineered using the world’s lightest and toughest materials: Titanium, Carbon fiber, Aluminum, Kevlar, and advanced heat-treated metal alloy.
Designed to be worn! The Baker Ballistics patented Bungee/Quick Release carry system allows the MRAPS-IV™ to be suspended off both shoulders “hands-free” for elimination of user fatigue and ease of weapon manipulation.
SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS
NIJ level IV ballistic shield hand carried – no wheels or field assembly required
Protects against steel cored armor-piercing and incendiary projectiles
Accurate centerline aiming
Load-bearing dual bungees with quick release eliminates fatigue and provides hands-free capability
Self-Aligning Weapon Support (SAWS™) long-gun positioning/aiming device efficiently indexes with Picatinny Rail
Ambidextrous design allows for left or right handed usage and weapon mounting
MRAPS-IV™ SPECIFICATIONS
Total Weight: 22.9 lbs (10.38 kg.)
Total Ballistic Coverage: 2.78 sq. foot (0.26 sq. meter)
Model ID#: MRAPS-IV-01
Ballistic Components: Proprietary polyethylene / SiC ceramic armor matrix and aluminum through-bolt protectors
Support/Trauma Reduction Hardware: Titanium, aluminum, advanced heat-treated metal alloy, Kevlar®, closed-cell foam
Skeletized support hardware components for weight reduction
Threat Level(s): NIJ Level III edge to edge & NIJ Level IV within ceramic faced regions
BALLISTIC CAPABILITIES
MRAPS-IV™ in the ceramic regions is capable of defeating the following threats at typical muzzle velocities:
.30/06 M2 steel core armor piercing
5.56 X 45 steel core armor piercing
7.62 X 51 steel core armor piercing
7.62 X 54 steel core armor piercing
The entire surface of the MRAPS-IV™, including the outer perimeter regions not faced with ceramic is capable of defeating the following centerfire rifle caliber lead core projectile threats at typical muzzle velocities:
5.56 X 45 FMJ
6.8 X 43 SPC
7.62 X 39 FMJ including mild steel core
7.62 X 51 NATO ball
7.62 X 54 180 gr. heavy ball FMJ
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
Available Colors: Sand, Black, Navy Blue, OD Green, Dark Green
Identification Decals: POLICE or SHERIFF
QuikDon™ – Instant wear attachment
FastTex® female snaps – Provides attachment to users’ tactical body armor anchor points
Protective padded carrying bag with shoulder strap
OPTIONS
Lighting system: Wide-angle high-intensity LED with remote switch capability
Custom colors/camouflage (minimum quantity may apply)
Custom identification decals
Hard Point Yoke Mounting Harness (used over tactical armor lacking upper anchor points)
Non-ballistic MRAPS-IV™ training shield available
U.S. Patent Numbers: 6,595,101 6,886,446 7,520,206 8,584,571
Easier yet, they could just wear Level III or Level IV armor instead of Level II Soft armor…
Good, except the plates only cover part of the chest. Looks like the shield has you from eyes down past the pelvis, when carried properly.
It’s hard enough getting officers to wear IIa in many municipalities. Want to get them to wear bulky III or IV all the livelong day? Good luck.
Level III does not guarantee protection against 5.56 – close up (as in, 25 yards or so), M193 will punch through AR500 plates, and M855 will punch through polyurethane. You need ceramic plates if you want protection against both.
There’s a big difference in soft and plate armor. Level III soft body armor is not the same as Level III plate.
Government employees, not on foreign battle fields, should be barred from using any armor.
Always nice when one of the silliest comments of the day is right near the top of the section.
How so? If cops are not cruising around in their tactical gear and urban assault vehicles, they may think twice about shooting up the next pair of newspaper delivery women in a random truck.
I’m pretty sure that since newspaper women don’t shoot back your comment is unrelated to the discussion of police wearing any armor.
The point is that armor gives them a sense of invincibility and encourages them to do reckless things without the expectation of being held accountable for their actions. Those cops should have been lynched on the spot when they lit up a pair of random bystanders. I say we send the cops out there with no armor and one bullet for their guns. See if it helps the blatant police misconduct problem.
If they felt invincible, they wouldn’t have opened fire like that. People spray bullets when they are afraid, too afraid to think of anything but making the bad thing go away.
You act like this is a widespread problem.
Chris, are you REALY as stupid as your posting makes you out to be
Mr. Mallory,
Failing to wear soft body armor would be against our policy. However, I may or may not have actually done that in 104 degree heat in a patrol car when the A/C went out. I’m not getting heat stroke for policy.
In my military LE days, we did not have shields like that, so I do not know what the advantages and disadvantages are. What comes to mind is this: A smart bad guy can simply shoot the legs out from the one holding the shield, and then casually shoot the “good” guy who is now rolling around on the ground weighted down by a ton of body armor.
Smart bad guys aren’t that common. Well, that’s not true, but the smart bad guys usually have to worry about IRS agents with clipboards.
Well, I hate to remind you but IRS agents have a SWAT team too.
Heck, I bet the janitorial staff at the USGS office in Moab Utah has a SWAT team. 🙂
Hell, IRS has a SWAT unit too…
oops, looks like me and the Griz were typing at the same time…
Forget IRS; how about EPA, or Department of Agriculture, or Department of Fish and Wildlife, or the Consumer Product Safety Commission?
Heck, the Railroad Retirement Board has a SWAT team.
I am aware. Those teams are generally still used against the stupid bad guys. The Bernie Madoffs of the world don’t habitually shoot it out with the cops.
You would think so, at any rate. But then, we’ve got SWAT guys busting down the doors to take down unarmed 9-ounces-of- pot dealers. Who’s to say that the under-utilized IRS SWAT guys won’t start taking down the Bernie Madoffs… Seriously, what the hell DOES IRS have a SWAT team for, anyway?
Why does any government agency have anything ridiculous? To justify their request for a larger budget next year, and to give the project manager talking points for the next promotion.
“Weighed down by a ton of body armor”… Spoken like a true donut munching fat body who could not be bothered with basic PT standards. Here’s an idea… If your officers are in any serious way encumbered by 15 lbs of properly fitted body armor… Fire them.
First, he said Military LE, which means he _did_ meet PT standards.
Second, the article lists the weight as 22.9lbs, not 15.
Third, this is not a product likely to be used by regular patrol cops, so that’s added to maybe 60-70lbs of other gear. I gain 35 when I put my regular uniform on, plus 10 for the rifle and another 25 if I grab helmet and plate carrier. I am not on SWAT, though, and have no desire to be.
Fourth, most of the cops who would have trouble with the weight in my department are actually women, who are quite fit for their size… but just don’t have enough size for equipment totaling near their own weight.
1. 15 lbs is a good IIIA vest with SAPI plates.
2. How the hell do you add up a patrol cop’s gear to 60 lbs (sans vest)? What are they carrying that weighs anywhere near that much?
3. I’m not sure where you’re getting your gear… A pair of Large SAPI plates barely add up to nine pounds. (ESAPI adds up to 12, but you’re hardly likely to be facing 30-06 AP ammo, now are you?) My vest and kevlar don’t break 15. (2x Medium SAPI plates in a 3.5lb Class IIIA carrier with a 2.5 lb kevlar)
4. I hear the world’s smallest violin starting up. Some jobs are just not appropriate for smaller females who cannot keep up with the size and weight requirements. Maybe those ladies should have considered careers that don’t require them to be as physically capable?
So pwrserge, I would love to hear details of your many years of experience. It is always great to hear from people who have done it, not these people who claim to be an expert after taking some four-day force-on-force vacation training course. I would especially like to hear specifics on equipment, hours training, firearms, ammunition, trauma kits, restraints, helmets, and whatever else you carry. My experience is a bit dated, as you can imagine, so I am always interested in the latest toys. I do not miss those days, though. Building entry was always a pain in the &$$. Anyhow, teach us something. We’re waiting.
Ok… You asked…
I was a USMC 1371 so, to steal a term from an internet gun expert, SWC were a major consideration for me. (Given that 1371s carry piles of extra crap that they don’t give to 03s, especially if you’re in Division) When I was in, we still used the old Interceptor platforms with ESAPI plates and I would have given my left nut to be able to swap them for something as light as a modern tactical vest with modern ceramic plates. (My full vest weighed in at over 30lbs when you added all the extra bits and even the bare vest + plates weighed in at 15 lbs.)
Thus, when I got to buy my own gear, I went with the lightest vest and plate combo possible. As I said earlier, you can get a full setup of IIIA Vest + Plates + IIIA Kevlar in at under 15lbs if you try.
So let’s continue the list (assuming you can neglect boots, utilities, etc, because you wear them regardless.) and assuming we’re talking about a SWAT officer rather than a street cop.
Armor 15 lbs
Primary Weapon (M4 equivalent) 7 lbs
Ammunition for Primary (4 magazines) 4 lbs
Secondary weapon (Glock 17 equivalent) 1.5 lbs
Ammunition for Secondary (3 magazines) 2 lbs
Less-lethal (TAZER and/or OC Spray) 2 lbs
IFAK 2 lbs
Restraints (zip cuffs) <1lb
Comms 2 lbs
Flash / OC / Smoke Grenades (2x each) ~3 lbs (using an 8oz M84 as a guideline)
Web / Holster gear 3 lbs
Total: 42 lbs of actual kit
I know I'm missing quite a few odds and ends (I'm not a LEO, so there's probably some stuff they pack that I'm not aware of), but that gear list barely outweighs a full Interceptor system + kevlar back in my day. But as a former 1371, every time I hear somebody complain about the weight of their gear, I give out a little girlish giggle. There's a reason we were sometimes called "super grunts".
I guess I should have been more clear, my fault. I am a patrol cop. My uniform plus daily gear weighs about 35lbs, without rifle, helmet, or plate carrier, which stay in the car until needed and go back in the car as quickly as practical. The weight does not bother me.
I don’t have unlimited funds, and neither does my department. My plates are large ESAPI, not because I expect to be facing any particular threat, but because that’s what I could find. The plate carrier has other stuff on it too, and maybe it’s too heavy, but I haven’t been issued practice ammo since Sandy Hook. I’d rather cover that then another set of lighter equipment. Also, the weight does not bother me.
So, when I was talking about 60-70lbs of gear, I really meant the SWAT guys who are likely to use the shield the article is talking about. Regardless of whether there is lighter stuff available, or if anyone thinks they should be carrying more or less gear, that’s about what it weighs around here. The shield is what Bob108 was talking about, so any real discussion of whether someone would be weighed down by body armor in the scenario he brought up should be considered as a SWAT guy, with the shield either fallen on him or somehow tangled up with him and making it difficult to move, hence “casually shoot the “good” guy who is now rolling around on the ground weighted down by a ton of body armor.”
I thought the mention of women being the only ones I work with to have a problem with the weight of the gear was a subtle way to contrast the men, but I guess it didn’t work. All the men on my patrol squad have no problem with their gear, I just didn’t want to come across as some jerk saying “cops are tough, you got a problem with that?”
Lastly, thank you for your service. I was Army myself, and infantry. Please do not take that as an attempt to start a measuring contest- I have nothing but respect for Marines who don’t spend all their time trying to tell me my branch of the military was full of cowards or weaklings. I hope you’re not one of those… but you did lead off with “donut munching fat body” at someone (Bob108) who never claimed to be civilian LE, only military.
@Hasdrubal
Fair enough… I lead off with “doughnut munching fat body” for anybody who complains about gear weight. (It’s an old Full Metal Jacket joke.) Being able to work in the gear is a basic requirement of the job. My assault kit came in at 100 lbs without the three day pack and I spend quite a bit of my off time after MCT in the gym just so that I could keep up when I got to Division.
I’m not one of those to denigrate other branches (other than the Navy, because… reasons) but the point I was trying to make is that even the SWAT guys have very light gear requirements comparing to modern infantry, they just don’t carry the same amount of miscellaneous crap as they have a much more narrowly defined mission. The shield example is even more hilariously bad as it would require the guys stacked up behind the guy with the shield to stand there and do nothing as their buddy goes down.
Sorry to hear about your kit situation. Were I in your shoes, I’d spend the cash on normal SAPI plates (ESAPI weighs too much and is not needed for even the most extreme threat your are likely to face) and a good level IIIA carrier. It sucks, but in my current profession I had to buy a $2000 laptop out of pocket because my job didn’t issue me a good enough model. (They are under the impression that engineers have the same performance requirements as the guys in accounting.) Again, it sucks, but you can write it off on your taxes (and being a LEO, you should be able to get the kit at a steal.) A good vest + plates will run you around $1500 retail.
I’ve heard good things about these guys.
http://www.bulletproofme.com
Somebody beat me to the rebuttal. I think even in my youth I would have given a kidney to only have to carry 15 lbs of body armor. Have you ever strapped yourself inside that much gear before? Give it a try someday. Back in the day, we ran between 5 and 10 miles a day, and it was still difficult maneuvering with that crap on.
Actually, yes, yes I have. (Far more actually.) Well fitted gear that you do even a modicum of training with is easy. (Provided you’re physically fit.) A cop carries far less gear than any infantryman and has to do far less with it. Even SWAT don’t come close.
Why do you think those 2 LEO’s in Ferguson were both shot above thier armor? Because that is where the shots were aimed. On purpose! Real life evolution of the bad guys.
Fat chance. Try luck.
Estimated 120 yards, with a handgun… yeah I’m sure he really aimed for headshots.
Well I’m 5-0 and I oppose banning M855, standard capacity mags, etc. Heck, I’ve given away M855 as part of birthday and Christmas presents.
Can I have some?
Because MRAPs (mine-resistant ambush-protected) or SAWs (squad automatic weapons) don’t already exist. How original.
I hate that shit. Someone went through alot of effort to come up with a new acronym to describe something new and these jackwagons come along and try to confuse the issue.
The problem with ANY gun law is that they literally only effect law abiding gun owners! If a criminal’s intention is to defeat body armor, he will smuggle, manufacture, or modify AP ammunition.. for example high carbon steel screws into the inside tip of a JHP.. the same way a semi auto can easily be made full auto, and the same way heroine gets smuggled in here from Afghanistan of all places! Making them illegal will only encourage another black market, and give police a false sense of safety,.. I know a guy who has 70,000 LC m855 green tips canned and sealed, he has been buying bulk and not shooting much for years, he is no criminal, but you can bet that most of those rounds he will get old and die with. There has got to be lots of other guys out there just like him, these rounds will be available for decades regardless of a ban.
No cop has ever been shot with M855 round or from any AP round I believe. So why is this even a issue?
I have the best idea yet.
Let’s kill the misnomer of “Bulletproof Armor”
There is no such thing… every time I hear some politician spouting garbage keywords I want to vomit
“Bulletproof armor”, “cop-killer bullets” “Armor piercing bullets”
If your “Bulletproof Armour” is an old navy jacket, a .22lr can be a “Cop-Killer bullet” and I expect the ATF and the gun-grabbers then to reclassify it as “Armor Piercing bullet”.
“Battle ready,” “SAWS” …sigh.
I can’t help but wonder why the only 2 labels available are “POLICE” and “SHERIFF”. Maybe I’m just being difficult, but why not “SECURITY”? or “CIVILIAN”? or “MILITIA”? I’ve always wanted to get one of those nifty blue nylon windbreakers that all law enforcement agencies seem to have with “CIVILIAN” in gold letters on the back. I would think that these shields would be useful to corrections officers, bank guards, armor car guards on high risk runs, even fire fighters and EMT’s in more dangerous urban areas.
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