FAQs

Spartan Armor Systems tests a wide variety of steel thickness / hardness combinations before releasing new body armor to market. We chose to use AR550 Armor due to its phenomenal forming properties and given the fact that the hardness hits the “sweet spot” when it comes to threat protection. With a 10% increase in hardness over our standard Spartan™ Omega™ AR500 body armor, the AR550 armor does exceptionally well with defeating higher velocity threat profiles, while maintaining the integrity of the steel plate.

Here are the latest independent test results on Spartan Armor Systems AR550 Armor from Oregon Ballistic Labs.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AR550 TEST RESULTS 

What type of finish does your plates have?

Fragmentation protection is a critical feature when selecting your body armor platform. A common drawback of steel body armor is that projectiles can fragment and ricochet off the face at a zero-to-20-degree angle. This means that bullet fragments have the potential to end up in your legs, arms, neck and head which may result in life treating injuries. A full coat of our fragmentation mitigation coating prevents or greatly minimizes these types of injuries. Put simply, a $60 upgrade to our full coat of Encapsaloc™ could be a lifesaver.

THE FULL COAT OF OUR ENCAPSALOC™ COATING SYSTEM IS OUR RECOMMENDATION FOR OPTIMAL PROTECTION

We tested a wide variety of bed lining, Kevlar sleeves and urethane coating systems with mixed results. In fact, we found that some coatings caused more harm than good, so we set out to create a superior coating. We factored in durability, adhesion, consistency, texture, elasticity, and price point during our testing. After years of tweaking and testing in an effort to offer the best possible fragmentation and spall mitigation in the industry, Spartan Armor Systems™ developed a specialized coating system to be the absolute BEST coating for our plates. With over 20 years of industrial grade coating experience in our arsenal we are confident that our Encapsaloc™ formula is the gold standard for fragmentation protection in tactical applications for law enforcement and civilian use.

BASE COAT VS FULL COAT

Our sets of steel core body armor come standard with a base coat. Although the base coat will not contain fragments when struck, our testing shows that the fragments project farther away from the body as opposed to an uncoated plate. The base coat helps reduce corrosion from exposure to the elements and esthetically looks better. Still, we cannot stress enough the benefit of going with the full coat for your body armor. A full coat of Encapsaloc™ will mitigate fragmentation at minimal cost.

What do we do that is so special? Preparation is PARAMOUNT when it comes to coating our body armor. All our body armor goes through a multi-step process to ensure maximum adhesion and function of our anti-spalling coating. First, each steel plate is shot blasted to remove any mill scale, oils, dirt, and debris. Next, the plate is wiped with acetone to ensure cleanliness. After the acetone has dried, they go into the spray booth for final inspection. After quality control has done their check, the plates then get a professional application of our Encapsaloc™ coating system.

Yes, our Hercules Level IV and Hercules Xtreme Level IV ceramic body armor plates are manufactured at our Tucson, AZ facility.

We have targets that have experienced literally thousands upon thousands of impacts. Granted, we only shoot lead. If properly taken care of, these targets can potentially outlive you!

AR500 steel is a quenched & tempered steel. It is commonly used in situations where it will experience severe impact and abrasion. “AR” stands for “Abrasion Resistant” and the 500 is the Brinell Hardness. The Brinell scale characterizes the indentation hardness of materials through the scale of penetration of an indenter, loaded on a material test-piece. It is one of several definitions of hardness in materials science. In short, the higher the Brinell rating, the harder the steel. AR500 steel has been used as a reliable armor plate source by the military, armored car companies, and several body armor manufacturers.

We rate our targets to withstand any impacts from any lead centerfire weapon traveling 3200 FPS or less from 100 yards. You can (and we have) shoot much closer but do understand the closer you shoot will result in quicker target fatigue. Our plates are also rated with withstanding ANY pistol round from any safe distance. Always keep your safety and the safety of others TOP PRIORITY when determining a shooting distance.