The host introduces a Level IV SAPI-cut plate from Guard Dog Body Armor, a local manufacturer based in the Carolinas. The plate is a polyethylene and ceramic design weighing about 6.5 pounds, with a curved SAPI profile intended to conform to the body. Level IV is described as being rated to stop up to a .30-06 military-grade penetrator load, though no such specialized ammunition is used in this test. The host contrasts ceramic and polyethylene plates with steel armor, noting that steel typically requires a spall liner to capture fragmentation, while this plate type does not. The goal of the session is to see how this affordable Level IV plate handles multiple hits from common calibers and whether any rounds fully penetrate the armor during live-fire testing.
The plate is mounted in a modular armor carrier on a test dummy. The first shot is a standard 115-grain 9mm round fired from a Beretta M9A3 using Fiocchi ammunition, aimed at the upper portion of the plate. Inspection shows no penetration and no visible damage on the back face. Next, the host switches to 7.62x39mm, firing a single 122-grain round from a Zastava ZPAP92 Tactical pistol equipped with an adjustable brace, quad rail, angled foregrip, and muzzle brake. The shot is taken at roughly 10 to 15 feet. Again, examination of the rear of the plate reveals no penetration, indicating that the plate has successfully stopped both the 9mm and the close-range 7.62x39mm impacts so far.
The test progresses to 5.56 NATO M855 green tip, a 62-grain projectile. The first M855 shot is fired from a short-barreled rifle, a Mark 18 with a 10.5-inch barrel and a Geissele Single Stage Precision trigger. The host notes that shorter barrels produce lower velocity, which can affect armor performance. The impact is placed on the lower portion of the plate, and inspection shows that the plate stops the round with no rear-side breakthrough. The test then moves to a 16-inch AK-pattern rifle firing 7.62x39mm at the lower right area of the plate, followed by a 16-inch 5.56 rifle firing another M855 green tip round near the center. After these hits, the front shows increasing deformation and damage, but the back of the plate remains unpenetrated, suggesting effective multi-hit resistance across different rifle platforms.
After multiple impacts from 9mm, 7.62x39mm, and 5.56 M855, the plate is removed from the carrier for closer inspection. The front face shows clear evidence of ceramic fracture and displacement where the bullets have struck. The host notes that the ceramic layer is breaking apart as designed to absorb and dissipate energy, and some copper jacket fragments are visible embedded in the damaged areas. The plate feels warm from repeated impacts, and sections of the ceramic are described as starting to fall apart internally. Despite this internal damage and visible bulging, the rear face of the plate remains intact and unscathed, with no complete penetrations observed. The carrier’s multiple straps and Velcro retainers are shown holding the plate securely in place during the test.
With the plate already compromised by several hits, the host lays it on the ground and escalates to .308 Winchester. A DS Arms Improved Battle Rifle, an FAL-pattern rifle, is used to fire a single .308 round at point-blank range into a relatively fresh area of the plate. The impact produces a dramatic effect on the front, with a noticeable bulge forming on the back face. On inspection, the plate shows significant deformation, but there is still no complete penetration through the rear. The host emphasizes that the plate has already absorbed multiple rifle and pistol hits before this .308 shot, yet continues to prevent full pass-through. The test highlights how the ceramic and polyethylene structure continues to function even after substantial cumulative damage.
To explore performance on a heavily damaged section, the host targets an area of the plate where much of the ceramic has already been destroyed by previous rifle rounds. A 115-grain 9mm round is again fired from the Beretta M9A3 into this compromised region. Before shooting, a loose piece of ceramic is moved aside to expose the weakened zone more directly. After impact, the plate shows additional bulging and deformation, but the 9mm round still does not fully penetrate the back face. This result suggests that even after the ceramic layer has been largely expended in a specific area, the remaining structure and backing material can continue to stop lower-energy handgun rounds, though with increased backface deformation.
For the final and most demanding test, the host uses a .300 Winchester Magnum rifle loaded with a soft-point bullet. The shot is taken at extremely close range into an open area of the already damaged plate. After impact, the back of the plate shows a rupture in the rear covering and a pronounced bulge. On closer inspection, what appears to be the soft tip of the .300 Win Mag bullet is found lodged at the back, suggesting that the projectile was largely defeated and disintegrated within the plate. The host concludes that, despite the rear material being broken open, the bullet itself does not appear to have fully exited as an intact projectile. Considering the plate had already absorbed numerous hits from 9mm, 7.62x39mm, 5.56 M855, and .308, the ability to stop a close-range .300 Win Mag soft point is described as a notably strong performance for this Level IV ceramic and polyethylene design.
The session ends with a summary of the Guard Dog Body Armor Level IV SAPI plate’s performance. Across the test, the plate stopped multiple 115-grain 9mm rounds, several 7.62x39mm impacts from both a Zastava ZPAP92 Tactical and a 16-inch AK, 5.56 NATO M855 green tip from both a Mark 18 short-barreled rifle and a 16-inch rifle, a point-blank .308 round from a DS Arms Improved Battle Rifle FAL, and a close-range .300 Win Mag soft point. The front ceramic layer shows extensive fracture and loss of material, and the backface exhibits significant bulging in heavily impacted areas, but no clear evidence of a fully exiting projectile is observed. The host notes initial skepticism about affordable armor but concludes that this approximately 6.5-pound Level IV plate demonstrates robust multi-caliber, multi-hit capability suitable for serious consideration.
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