Why I wear armor....

[DerMann]

If it were up to me, I'd be wearing a red tunic, navy serge pants, and a khaki pith helmet.

 

Armour in airsoft just inhibits your mobility.

 

Now if I were fighting IRL, I'd have full head to toe coverage.

[sekiryu]

No armor for me... Armor is for those who cant take the pain...

 

What pain?

[Gadge]

Ehhh. The types of scenarios that occur in airsoft would usually grant armor. Going without armour ("going white") would only be used in two scenarios. 1: Very low intensity conflict 2: In garrison/training. However if a mission IS to make contact or contact is expected (airsoft revolves around contact, we dont work to train local militias) armor is going on. In iraq, its standard to load up when you DONT expect contact.

 

Secondly armor saves lives! It can stop shrapnel (soft armor) and small arms fire. Even stop 12 guage and shotgun slugs. I enclosed a link so you guys can check it out http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot16.htm

Now plates...they stop rifle rounds. Well at least three. Thats what they are "supposed" to stop by military standards. From the most part they do. Usually one shot is all you need to know your in a bad situation.

 

As for being in a static postion. This is probably the only place you would even think about considering to take OFF your body armor. However, like in any war. You load up to go out and fight. The government would not invest in armor for soldiers if they knew it didnt work. In fact today's military armor IS created to to fight in. A bomb disposal suit is created to dispose of a bomb. However today's body armor is made to carry second line gear (fighting equipment), for firefights. Saying that body armor wont save your life in a firefight most of the time is.....well; think about it  . Albiet you CAN die from getting shot in the arm/leg by a 7.62 it isnt as bad as getting shot elsewhere. The number one killer is not immediate death, but lack of immediate response. Trauma injuries are critical to respond to in a warzone, the first few seconds determine what road your going to take. Thanks to torniquets, quickclot, and hemostatic agents ballistic wounds are warzone treatable. However there are not tourniquets or quickclot agents that can be applied when a round hits direct in the heart, lungs, liver, spine. However people can live without a limb; sad but true.

 

As for speed and stealth. You do make a point. Snipers and body armor arent usually best friends. While jumping walls, debussing from vehicles, and crawling through corridors arent ANYONES best friend while wearing armor. However there are pro's in real deal armor. You increase your chances of living, and thats generally fun. It also helps that it is intergrated into being a fighting platform, provides an extra layer between you and whatever hazard (nails, glass, ash, rocks). 

 

Now I am not saying any of this is appliable to airsoft. I am just making sure we dont confuse reality first.

 

Personally I voted that I perform best in it. Thats just me; train the way you fight and fight the way you train.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I can assume you've never served in the British Army then?

 

Armour is frequently left behind for recce work.

[bRydeR]

The post above reminded me of one of the reasons I stopped wearing it. On most sites it gives you NO advantage and actually *detracts* from the realism for me.

 

On most sites if you take a shot to the body armour it's still a "kill", which kinda defeats the object when the purpose of real armour to it to stop exactly that Hardly very milsim when you take a shot to your PPE which is *designed* to stop you getting killed, but is still a kill in airsoft.

[greg]

I wouldn't like to wear armer 'cos all the *rickrolls* that do , don't know they are being hit!!

 

It's bad enough with a tac vest. Which I don't wear either, for the same reason.

 

 

Greg.

[Bizurkur]

I have a sort of merc loadout right now, so Urban Camo pants + white tshirt + tac vest is all I need.

I can still feel my hits, and I look kickin rad

[the_viral_phantom]

I sometimes wear armour but with soft inserts so its no to heavy but still gives the feel of having plates to a certain degree.

Viral.

[morpcat]

I don't wear it, even though a CBAs in DPM (including desert) are fairly easy to get hold of. I'm not too worried about the weight of it as I have to put up with that sometimes outside of airsoft, but I'm more worried about not noticing body hits. I can't think of anything worse than having someone accuse me of cheating and kicking off a huge arguement all because I decided it would be cool to wear armour.

[Icemaster109]

I can assume you've never served in the British Army then?

 

Armour is frequently left behind for recce work.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Correct; I have never served in the British Army. But I have served in 2 Branches of the US military. I have served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Likewise I keep in touch with a friends from all services. Although I can't speak for the all the British forces; I can go by what I have seen. And from what I have seen there are strict policies for wearing armor OCONUS. From what I have seen everyone is wearing armor. From the Marines to the reporters to the Iraqi National Guard. They are all wearing armor. Sorry, thats just the way it is; and I am not taking this silly argument any further.

 

Now Back to your regularly scheduled programming.....

 

Why I wear armor (for airsoft!)

[Gadge]

Right so you havnt actually been trained by the British army but you *know* how it is with us.

 

Ok whatever like you say its not really worth arguing about

 

I respect your experience but its not always the case.

[Nitemare1]

I don't wear armour because..

 

Its heavy

Its expensive

Its restrictive

We use 6mm plastic balls, not 7.62 nato rounds!

 

Admittedly, I've had some games where I wished i'd had some extra padding on but never full ballistic BA..

 

Cricket box would've come in handy on a few occasions too!!

[aznsk8s87]

Well, AK bullets could hardly be called NATO rounds...

[Nitemare1]

Well, AK bullets could hardly be called NATO rounds...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

SLR, GPMG, M60, M14.. All 7.62..

 

My point is our guns don't use projectiles anywhere near as powerful as these BA systems are designed to stop..

[Gadge]

Once again most body amrour is *not* designed to stop rifle rounds, just hold you togehter when you're hit.

 

60 per cent of battlefield casualties come form artiallry and sub velovity fragments *this* is what body armour is designed to protect you from.

 

Recently ballistic plates have been added which wil stop a rifle round but the ammoutn of coverage given is ridicualous compared to the size of the unprotected area.

 

Same with kevlar helmets, not designed to stop rifle rounds.

[Nitemare1]

casualties come form artiallry and sub velovity fragments *this* is what body armour is designed to protect you from.

.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Ok.. Hope never to attend a site where artillery is a probelm

[Gadge]

Which was precisley my point initiialy about how airsoft scenarios are not the sort you'd need armour for as you rarely get 'shelled' on site

 

In modern warfare artillery is the killer, mostly mortars.

The othe rbig killer is sub velocity fragments, these are inouous things liek fenceposts, stones, paving slabs, bits of glass in windows that get picked up by the blast and put through you at a good rate of knots...

 

Body armour was designed to stop all thsi, a plus side was they found that it held you togehter beter after rifle rounds had torn you up giving the medics more of a chance to fix you.

 

Later lates were added over the heart and spine to give you a minimum chance from rifle rounds.

 

Stuff like CBA will stop a shotgun or a spent 9mm round but you're still going to have a bad day vs rifle calibre.

[bRydeR]

Correct; I have never served in the British Army. But I have served in 2 Branches of the US military. I have served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Likewise I keep in touch with a friends from all services. Although I can't speak for the all the British forces; I can go by what I have seen. And from what I have seen there are strict policies for wearing armor OCONUS. From what I have seen everyone is wearing armor. From the Marines to the reporters to the Iraqi National Guard. They are all wearing armor. Sorry, thats just the way it is; and I am not taking this silly argument any further. 

 

Now Back to your regularly scheduled programming.....

 

Why I wear armor (for airsoft!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I know as a little about US Military rules as you seem to know about British Army but they're probably very different. Most (all?) British forces regularly train and operate without body armour and in some branches it's strictly optional.

 

Back to the subject in hand, I personally don't like armour in airsoft; I don't wear it and would prefer if other people didn't, but it's their choice and if it's enhances their personal enjoyment of the game then who I am to say they shouldn't or them to tell me I should - as long as we all have fun - which I suspect is why most of us play?

[Belladonna]

I know as a little about US Military rules as you seem to know about British Army but they're probably very different.  Most (all?) British forces regularly train and operate without body armour and in some branches it's strictly optional.

 

Back to the subject in hand, I personally don't like armour in airsoft; I don't wear it and would prefer if other people didn't, but it's their choice and if it's enhances their personal enjoyment of the game then who I am to say they shouldn't or them to tell me I should - as long as we all have fun - which I suspect is why most of us play?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

lul wut?

 

 

 

tbh, in airsoft, it doesnt matter, if your a hardcore geardo, fine, wear it,

if you want some padding protection, fine, wear it,

if you think it looks cool, fine, wear it

but if you dont want to, fine, dont wear it

and if your some anal geardo who decideds people should, expect to get a slap in the chops if you go around telling folk they should be wearing it or shouldnt....

R

[Rusty65]

A point I've just though of regarding taking hits. Surely playing with armour the majority of the time will get you used to hearing instead of feeling your hits?

 

I've always worn some kind of armour in the majority of games I've played and I can only think of one or two times when I've had someone dispute that I was hit, in which case I generally just say fair enough and walk off to the dead zone.

 

Then again it is personal preference, I'm currently running some replica sapi plates in my sord chest rig as it keeps it nice and rigid. So long as you aren't unsporting whilst wearing armour there isn't really an argument for or against wearing it.

 

That being said I think wearing real SAPI plates is a bit OTT. Especially as they aren't cheap or light. But each to their own.

[Counting Count]

wearing real SAPI plates is a bit OTT

 

This is quite true, but this also becomes a problem if you own as I do an old MkI / II flak vest... there is no way to keep the vest in the correct shape without the ballistic liner, but never mind...

 

I've recently had a moscart fired at me within 5' using CO2 and I'd have a nice large bruise if it was not for the thin layer of foam and replica SAPI plates in the vest... or to defend from some of the viscious rebounds (and thus split BB's) at a couple of CQB arenas I've played at.

 

I must admit its a little irritating to have someone ignore there hits because of the "I'm Wearing Armour" excuse, for most players who are wearing armour does give a little something to the game, it is a small few who gripe about not taking hits, just think how many times have you not felt a hit because of kit, clothing etc?

[swannie_2006]

I am having SAPI plates in my Maritime Vest. It gives more rigidity to the vest, also some additional "ballistic protection" against sniper BBs.

 

I also love my armour. It looks cool, it is handy to stuff things into it so they are at arm's reach when needed.

 

I never had any problems taking hits with armour on. It comes twofold: because of the SAPI plates I hear when I am hit. And because of the armour I am a bit slower so it is easier to take me out

 

Last time at GroundZero I was covered in armour from head to toe. Only place not covered were my face ( I hate full face masks). Of course I was hit in the face. Tough luck.

 

my 2 pence

[GuzziHero]

No takers on the Spartan gaming then? Cissies.

 

*breathes sigh of relief*.

 

In my opinion, players who dont take their hits...it doesnt matter if theyre wearing armour or not. They wont take them anyway. I know a player who got so hyped that one game I put 6-7 BBs onto his unarmoured arm with a 290fps Armapistol from <10ft and he didnt even *flinch*...he hadnt ignored them, just not taken them! I had to hit his head before he felt and took it I felt like a poopz.

[Kraut]

My MOLLE rig is a plate carrier (HSGI MC Weesatch). When it's loaded with mags, it's droopy and gets in the way. I cut up a foam camping pad and placed them in the plate carrier. It now has the rigidness to support and keep shape, but it's lightweight and flexible. It stops BBs to a degree, but I can hear the plastic-on-nylon plain enough to call myself out. Has never been a problem. I don't wear it in the summber because it's very brutal in Oklahoma, so a belt works for me. But when it's cooler out, I use the PC to carry a lot of stuff with me in the field, and the foam "armor" helps keep shape.

A friend who introduced me into airsoft is hardcore milsim. He got some SAPI plates and a helmet from the SF squadron and wore them in the field. He was the SAW gunner, so he didn't do a lot of moving around, but his gear was insanely heavy. But it's his choice and he called his hits like a champ. It's really not a big deal.

[Belladonna]

counting count: i use camp mat inside mine, work fine

'balistic protection from sniper bbs?'

are you kidding? thier useing plastic balls, not teflon coated .308

R

[Rusty65]

I do feel that camping mat isn't quite the same as the ballistic filler in flak vests. Camping mat is a little too rigid compared to the ballistic filler.