The traditional use of body armors came from the days of soldiers in the old days who used heavy plate carriers and helmets to protect them from being harmed by enemy soldiers while they fight for their country. These armors were called “hard armor” or “bullet proof armor”. Today this kind of armor has been adapted to become more useful to ordinary people such as law enforcement agents and ordinary civilians who go out for self-defense training. There are actually a lot of people who buy these vests to have it handy in case they find themselves in a situation where they need to defend themselves against an attacker.
Hard armor plating can also be used as protection against sniper attacks or other rifle threats that often occur during exercises and war games. Hard plate carriers are usually employed in conjunction with heavy caliber bullet proof vests and are composed of heavy gauge steel, polyethylene or ceramic. There are actually three different kinds of material used to manufacture plate carriers, stainless steel, nij plate, and polyethylene. They also come in a couple of variants to suit different needs and preferences of customers, including female vests and male vests.
Nij plate carriers are usually employed for personal self-defense training by police officers and security guards. Because of the material’s weight however, it is mostly used by police forces for ballistic examinations of suspects. High quality nij armor levels are effective against bullets and other metallic projectiles and are very tough to tear through even gas masks and strong ropes. Although this kind of vest is effective enough to be used as a defense against rifles and shotguns, it may not be enough against handgun attacks.