Body Armor for home defence??

[A pause for the COZ]

I have been experimenting with home defense options of late.
Open carry, CC carry, Stashing guns. ect.

Our main plan has been in an event. To barricade, call the police and let the threat come to us.
Seems reasonable, There is in fact nothing out side the home that I would be willing to die for, nor willing to take a life for.
If I know some one is stealing stuff from my shop. More than willing to let the Cops do what Cops do.

Good plan, except thats not how its working in the real world. What I find more than not. My role is as a security guard.
( Wife wakes up, stiffs me in the ribs." I hear some thing, Go look")
arrrrgggg ok.....
Off I go.
This happens at least 20 to 30 times a year. Have never run into a threat as yet. Other than a Timber Wolf once in the barn.
One thing I did notice, that gave me pause ( pun intended)

In each case I have given up my tactical advantage to insure that there was a threat.
One time I ran into some of my Sons buddy's having a Air Soft war with pretty realistic looking AR's and AK's at 3 am. ( I still yell at them for that)

So after review, It seems I may run into an encounter even if thats not my intent.
Because no matter what I think. When the wife says go look. Ya got to go look. Other wise she wont shut up.

I kind of upped my game a bit. I added a set of Armor.
Since you can buy it now. And it is pretty cheap if you mix and match and shop.
I picked up a cheap carrier and installed 2A Kevlar in the front and back with a 3A hard plate in the front.
Added my 45 and some extra mags and the all important flash light.
All told for the Armor it ran me $145 total.

Had it out on its first live run the other night. Crashing sounds coming from an out building. Wife gave the nudge. Off I went...

Was in fact a masked intruder.... A raccoon trying to get a free chicken dinner. He got off with his life but no chicken.

Any body else totting armor???

Test so far. I like having all my stuff right in one package and next to the bed. I am in it in two seconds.

[Blacktimberwolf]

Buy a tank , a racoon, your sons friend with a soft air, what's next? Your neighbor,taken a walk in the night, a cat on the roof ? You live in a very dangerous surroundings.Sometimes you will shoot someone by mistake if you go on that way. Get some surveillance cameras, so you don't have to go out, your wife can see the horrible threats around your home and you don't have and don't cause any risk, not for you and especially not for your neighborhood.
If there a real threat, you can grab your gun and you can easy call the police and watch it on tv.
Maybe not american style but it protects you from trouble.

[garryc]

96# of the time before you can get that on it's over. If you are in your bedroom and you close the door better you get low behind the mattress. A perp would have to breach the door and hit your head or very upper chest while under fire. Not going to happen.

[A pause for the COZ]

96# of the time before you can get that on it's over. If you are in your bedroom and you close the door better you get low behind the mattress. A perp would have to breach the door and hit your head or very upper chest while under fire. Not going to happen.

Yup know that. Did not say I threw out the normal plan. Barricade call the cops ect.
This is in addition to that. The 99% of stuff that happens. The times that barricading is not the appropriate response. If I called the cops and barricaded every time I have to investigate a noise. They would soon have enough of me.
Of that I am aware that 99.9% of those. Nothing is needed.

Sooner or latter though, I will come face to face with a Meth head looking for Pawn shop finds.
5 break ins in the last year with in 5 miles two with in the last month with in 3 miles. Thats just the ones I know about. So I am not just imagining things.

I would prefer not shooting some one pilfering my stuff, Just dont want to get caught unprepared.

[A pause for the COZ]

Buy a tank , a racoon, your sons friend with a soft air, what's next? Your neighbor,taken a walk in the night, a cat on the roof ? You live in a very dangerous surroundings.Sometimes you will shoot someone by mistake if you go on that way. Get some surveillance cameras, so you don't have to go out, your wife can see the horrible threats around your home and you don't have and don't cause any risk, not for you and especially not for your neighborhood.
If there a real threat, you can grab your gun and you can easy call the police and watch it on tv.
Maybe not american style but it protects you from trouble.

Huh?
I think you misinterpreted what I was saying.
any way.
As for my wife, I dont have a problem with her nervousness.
She has a reason to be.
Fact is most bumps in the night are just that. Bumps in the night.
But some times they are something very very different.

Sometimes you will shoot someone by mistake if you go on that way.

This is the point of the kit. So that does not happen. I cant think of any thing worse happening.
That would even be worse than me needing to shoot and not doing it. At least I would pay for my mistake and not an innocent. Wife would still have a chance. She knows what to do.
I could not bear shooting some one by mistake.

[Blacktimberwolf]

Than it would be better to buy a tested body armor vest not a homemade. You only live once.

[A pause for the COZ]

Than it would be better to buy a tested body armor vest not a homemade. You only live once.

If this turns out to be a useful idea. I will upgrade.
If it fades into an idea that just goes away. Well it goes away.

[Bultaco]

Wow. Just wow. If I had to live in that paranoid state I would move. The only problem is it is a state of mind.
You have such great security problem in Minn.?
Oh I forgot it was a raccoon.
Maybe you should just get on with your life.

[Jim243]

In each case I have given up my tactical advantage to insure that there was a threat.

Motion sensing flood lights go a long way to insure there might be an actual threat out there or scare away any kid playing paint ball at 2:00 AM.

I am also surprised you do not have a big dog to guard the hen house and barn. Every time I have had to check the house for strange noises, my German Sheppard was on point leading the way. You just have to train them not to go running off after a raccoon or other critter.

I see no problem with you wearing armor but it has limited coverage and you may want to include a steal helmet with it. Me, I would use flood lights and wait till day break to check outside. Like you said there is nothing worth losing your life over outside in the dark. (a 1,000,000 watt flash light might help also).

Stay safe.
Jim

[roashooter]

I see a mind set/trend starting here...so I must add....make sure the body armor is waterproof..so you can have it on when in the shower/bath...cuz you dont want to be caught without....

[kilimanjaro]

Nothing wrong with suiting up, but spending a few hundred on a wireless camera setup is in order. If the bad guys are getting closer, like you say, use the time to prepare your defenses.

[Snyper]

Motion sensing flood lights go a long way to insure there might be an actual threat out there or scare away any kid playing paint ball at 2:00 AM.

Or a cat
Or a dog
Or the wind in the trees

My neighbors lights flash on and off any time the wind blows or an animal moves in the yard.

Putting on pretend body armor and looking for trouble is a sure way to find it

[Frank Ettin]

Originally Posted by A pause for the COZ

....When the wife says go look. Ya got to go look. Other wise she wont shut up.....

Outside the scope of a serious discussion on T&T.