EnGarde Level III and Level IV Armor Plates

Last month I took out a couple armor plates from EnGarde Body Armor to the range so we could get some video of them being shot by multiple rounds and multiple calibers. Since I am still very new to body armor this was a very educational trip, however if I do ever get the opportunity to shoot plates again I will be setting them up with clay so the damage done behind the plate can be seen.

The video of the plates being shot at the range can be seen HERE.

The Level III plate from EnGarde is constructed of Dyneema and measures out at 10"x12". It is curved so it fir very comfortably when I wore it in the EnGarde T.R.U.S.T. carrier, and it is meant to withstand multiple hits from a .308 and when you watch the video you can see that it withstood shots from .223, .300BLK, 7.62x39, and .308 . The only round that it did not stand up to was the 7.62x54R fired from a Mosin Nagant, that round pierced clean through the plate.

The plate is meant to work in conjunction with a Level III-A to provide complete Level III protection.

One noticeable thing with this plate is the weight at 2.75 pounds it is very light compared to the Level IV and I think would be easier to wear for a long period of time while offering a great level of protection.

The Strike Face of the Level III Plate

A view of the plate from the side, you can see the curve that is molded into it.

The Level IV plate from EnGarde is constructed of Aramid and Ceramic, it measures out a 10"x12" and like the Level III plate it is curved, however there is not as much curve to it due to the ceramic plate used on the front of it. Level IV plates are meant to stop everything up to a 30-06AP round, while I wasn't able to get my hands on any AP rounds for the range trip I was able to use the poor mans 30-06 on the plate. The 7.62x54R round fired from the Mosin Nagant was stopped by this plate, even after the plate had been hit multiple times with the other rounds that we used that day.

At 7 pounds the plate does feel a bit heavy (just opinion of a new guy who hasn't had the fortune of handling other plates) but the level of protection that is offered is pretty amazing.

Front (Strike Face) of the Level IV Plate

A view of the slight curve that is built into the Level IV plate.

As I stated at the beginning of the post, if I ever have the opportunity to shoot body armor plates again there will be a few things that I will do differently. First would be to setup a block of clay behind the plates so the affects of the plate being hit can be seen by the amount of damage that was done to the clay. In all honesty I believe that if you were shot at 25 yards with a couple of these rounds you would die from your heart being stopped or extreme internal bleeding, the plywood behind the plates after the .308 and 7.62x54R was splintered and broken.



I would also make sure that the next time I shot plates they would be in a plate carrier, this would add more stability to the plates and also would give a much better idea of how the plates would react when actually wearing them.

Level IV Plate after being shot with .223, .300BLK, 7.62x39, and 7.62X54R

Level III Plate after being shot for the last time with a .308

Level IV plate after taking multiple hits throughout the day. The bottom left side of the plate is where the 7.62x54R hit it.

These are the rounds used. Left to Right- .223 (55GR FMJ), .300BLK (125GR SP), 7.62x39 (123GR FMJ), .308, and 7.62x54R.