RMA Armament: American Made Ceramic Armor Plates

I purchased two pairs(4 count total) of these after the Kenosha Kid won in a stunning 2.5-0 upset.

They are made in the USA and are $135 a piece.

Veteran Owned and Operated.

They are a bit bulky, and a hair heavy, compared to the U.S. Military Ceramics but not by much. Curiously, they fill out most plate carriers nicely and make for a “well” fit package that I think wears nicely. Likely because of the built in Polyethylene “Trauma Pad”.

I posted a video below the link showing one plate taking a massive amount of damage.

The plate blocks a 30-06 AP black tip round.

Which is considerable.

Why did I buy these?

Because I can add them to a vehicle or use them as cover behind a window.

I added one to the back pocket on most tactical backpacks; And I can make a mobile bullet resistant shooting position.

https://rmadefense.com/product/level-iv-hard-armor-plate-model-1155/

RMA Level 4 Test. Same as linked above. 

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About the Author: Johnny Paratrooper

Born and Raised in Baltimore City, Maryland. History Degree. 8 Years Airborne Infantry and Scouts Platoon. Iraq Veteran. 4-5 Years as a doorman, bar back, and bouncer in Baltimore. Worked in Construction, Heavy Equipment Demolition, Corporate Security, Sales, Forest Service contractor, and the Hospitality Industry. Raised Catholic. Hobbies are race cars and sport bikes. Side projects are HAM radio credentials and long range shooting. MY EMAIL IS [email protected]. Founder of Green Dragon Academy https://www.patreon.com/GreenDragonAcademy

36 Comments

  1. SOG March 16, 2021 at 17:49

    My big ass heavy ar500 set i have thought of this would make a good barrier if covered with materials like sand bags for spawl etc from a firing position idk maybe a dumb idea but them giant heavy ass steel plates i may just turn into more targets

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 16, 2021 at 19:55

      I have considered turning a set of AR500’s into target steel. Target steel is much, much better for zeroing a weapon at Known Distance IMHO. Otherwise you spend a countless amount of time chasing your shots around and working the spotting scope like a monkey. I went shooting with JC Dodge the other day and we had this problem shooting paper targets. Although we did make it work eventually, it took much longer than it normally does if I go to some other ranges in the area.

      • SOG March 16, 2021 at 21:53

        For sure we confirm zeros on 200/400 onnsteel. It is almost like slow motion w spotting scope u can see the splash. Especially if u paint the blue or red or orange you will see the impact marks very pronounced

      • Matt Bracken March 17, 2021 at 08:06

        People might say this is hillbilly or trailer trash, but it works, and it’s about 100X cheaper than AR500s for steel targets.
        Just use old (empty) steel 20# propane tanks. Once they get rusty, folks chuck them out, they are easy to find, and for free/gratis.
        Out past 50 yards there is zero chance of ricochet back at you. (Naturally, you are always wearing eye pro as well.)
        A steel propane tank doesn’t quite ring like armor plate, but you can surely hear it. Your rounds put holes in them, but you are never going to put a new round through two old lined up holes, so you always hear the shot, even when the tank looks like swiss cheese.
        Even better, if you can hang the tank from a tree limb or an A-frame, you will not only hear the shots hit, you will see the tank move. And the tank is just about exactly the size of somebody’s “vitals.”
        A good day of shooting will see the empty propane tank all shot to hell, so you recycle it or whatever. If you are a professional trainer, with paying clients, it would probably look too cheap and trashy, but for us common dirt people out “free range” training, they are just the ticket. Just don’t leave them out there, get rid of them.

        • Johnny Paratrooper March 17, 2021 at 08:48

          I have seen you mention this before. I actually have some tanks that just hit the 12 year old mark and are no bien. I bought some new ones, and although I wish I had bought 40 pounders, I bought 20 pounders for storage convenience. I’d like to get a hold of some 40 pounders. Propane tanks are cheap. They practically give the 20 pounders away. I think I paid $72 for two new tanks and a fill up. I also like the ole’ 20 pounder tank inside of the milk crate trick. That’s the way to go. It fits perfectly in there.

          • NC Scout March 17, 2021 at 08:55

            Shooting, or advocating shooting, propane tanks is literally retarded.

          • Matt Bracken March 17, 2021 at 09:17

            “Shooting, or advocating shooting, propane tanks is literally retarded.”
            You are a professional trainer, and I understand your standards must be at the very top. People pay to shoot with you. I get it.
            But for common dirt people who want to hit steel at 100 yards and out, on their own land, empty steel propane tanks are fine. Just purge them, take the valve out, and then they are just a metal vessel the size of a torso.
            I’m sorry we have gotten into a pissing contest about steel armor, but calling me retarded is….retarded. I have shot tons of old “surveyed” and “certifiably empty” steel 20# “FORMER” propane tanks, and they make great targets for us common dirt people on our own damn land or that of our friends.
            There is no reason for anyone to say this is “literally retarded” unless they are superstitious, and believe that FORMER propane tanks contain some kind of evil mojo.
            A FORMER propane tank with the valve removed is just a piece of steel. At rifle distance past 50 yards, with nobody and nothing downrange, they are no more dangerous to shoot than AR500 steel or a tree stump.

          • NC Scout March 17, 2021 at 09:19

            I didn’t call you retarded, I called the idea retarded. Because its dangerous as hell and a liability to advocate in a public arena.
            Have you ever actually shot a propane tank? Let me know how that went. The irony of that silly ‘dirt people’ statement is that we have the common sense to not shoot propane tanks.
            There’s plenty of other sources of hardened metal to use as a reactionary target. But when you can get a professionally made silhouette for $50, why would you bother?

          • NC Scout March 17, 2021 at 09:52

            Further, about a ‘pissing’ match or whatever- tell me when you’ve treated a spalling injury? You never answered that question. I have.
            What you did do was take a post that was put up for one of our site supporters that helps us not have to pay for this site out of pocket, shit on it publicly when you’re outside your lane, then promote another guy who’s selling the same bullshit you’re complaining about (Chinese gear) who refused to support this site.
            Way to be a team player.

        • wwes March 17, 2021 at 08:59

          Another option, if you have any cabinet shops near you, is old laminate glue tanks. They can’t be reused and get thrown away, and they’re a little smaller than a propane tank, but they make great targets. Open the valve and they’ll completely vent the pressure off of the tank too, which propane tanks won’t do, plus they aren’t going to burn/explode. Old pressure tanks from wells can be had for free too.
          Around central NC you can exchange those rusty propane tanks at most of the big box stores for a “new” tank with no questions asked. And for less than twice the price of a new, full 20lb propane tank you can buy a 12×20 AR500 silhouette.

          • Matt Bracken March 17, 2021 at 09:40

            Remove Propane Tank Valve in 2 Minutes (No Special Tools)
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO4zC7kn49s
            DIY Mini Wood Stove (from a FORMER propane tank, includes valve removal)
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSfORUDMn3s&ab_channel=HNXMedia
            Shooting empty [NO VALVE!] propane tank with 7.62×39 & slug shot
            [This guy should be wearing eye pro, and he’s a little close, but it gives you the idea.]
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhKdwLKifnQ&ab_channel=taranjitpabla
            Pistols VS Propane Tank [EMPTY: NO VALVE!]
            [Personally, I don’t shoot ANY steel closer than maybe 100′, but this video shows how a hanging EMPTY! propane tank rings and swings when hit.]
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBSYkv9gs_s&ab_channel=HeavyMetalGuns%26OutdoorsLLC

          • wwes March 17, 2021 at 09:45

            I didn’t know that they had removable valves, I had never paid that much attention to them. I have pulled the valves on old oxygen bottles and made bells out of them before. The wood stove idea looks pretty neat!

          • Matt Bracken March 17, 2021 at 09:47

            NC Scout: “Have you ever shot a propane tank? Let me know how that went.”
            YES! I have shot tons of them. With the valve removed, and then purged with a water hose filling it up, then emptying it out, it is just a steel vessel that is as inert as a hammer. If you want to be extra extra careful, spray paint them international orange to indicate they are now safe “target grade” EMPTY propane tanks.

          • NC Scout March 17, 2021 at 09:53

            *Rubbing bridge of nose*…good for you. You do you.

          • Johnny Paratrooper March 17, 2021 at 09:58

            I’d have to advise against shooting anything other than a propane tank. And that should be done from more than 100 meters with ONLY rifle rounds. A pistol round could get tossed back to you quite easily by the shape of the container. Propane tanks are fairly thin steel, so you would be safe from a rifle round. Some other tanks, like old oxygen bottles or an old acycetalyne bottle are fairly thick. And the curved shape would make them pretty dangerous. Despite what the idiots on youtube do all day long, we are supposed to angle steel plates towards the shooter so that the round bounces into the dirt way from the shooter, and makes a positive splash effect. Unless you are hanging a steel plate at beyond 200 meters, then I would say you are safe. I have been to a pistol shooting range with steel targets at 7 yards and I was covered in little bloody marks on my hands and arms after 30 rounds of that redneck nonsense. Didn’t even feel it, but I was clearly bleeding in several spots. As a website that advocates safe and effective training, we have to also advocate against just walking into the woods and shooting random stuff. Because it’s not exactly safe.
            If anyone is interested in ricochet’s, watch this video below. Bullets do some pretty wild stuff, and they WILL bounce off of stuff. That energy HAS to go somewhere. And it could be redirected right back at the shooter if you don’t think through the scenario.
            Frankly, I think these guys are shooting these guns too close. I’m surprised someone hasn’t lost an eye/tooth, or been knocked out cold, from a ricochet. Though, if it did happen, it would almost certainly be deep six’d.
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0_Zf7LUR_U

          • wwes March 17, 2021 at 10:08

            I agree about oxygen and acetylene bottles, and just to clarify, I was not advising shooting them, just pointing out that I have removed valves from them and used them for other things. You do NOT want to shoot them. I can’t speak about the propane tanks because I’ve never shot at them, I use them and exchange them for new tanks. The glue tanks that I referenced are actually thinner and flimsier than propane tanks, there is almost zero danger of a ricochet with them, other than a glancing .22, or birdshot. Even birdshot will sometimes penetrate. The pressure tanks are also thin sheet metal, on par with a propane tank. It might still not be a good idea to shoot them- I have done it, but only straight on with 45-70, so there wasn’t much danger of a ricochet. I also agree about not shooting random things, if you don’t know what and where you’re shooting and that it is safe you shouldn’t be pulling that trigger. You’re definitely correct about not shooting steel up close too, that’s asking to catch a ricochet or a bullet fragment.

          • Johnny Paratrooper March 17, 2021 at 10:14

            Hell yeah brother. I’m glad we are on the same page. Youtube is full of very dangerous stuff that looks and sounds good on camera, but is frankly a terrible idea that could have serious consequences. Yeah, but by all means shooting the right metal contain is no different than shooting a coke can. But you just need to understand exactly what’s gonna happen. I have made a few sheet metal targets in my day. I even used a empty welding stick can painted orange. Which is about 12x8x8 and they work fine. But they are also thin steel metal. No chance of a ricochet.

          • NC Scout March 17, 2021 at 10:16

            Again, when actual steel targets are as inexpensive as they are, why?

          • wwes March 17, 2021 at 10:30

            Point taken, and I will say that since I bought some steel targets I haven’t shot any of that stuff anymore, it was mostly all when I was younger, dumber, and poorer. Steel targets are better and safer, especially if they’re angled or hung so that bullets will deflect down if they deflect, and the steel gives much better feedback. They really aren’t as expensive as I once thought they were. NC Scout, would you mind posting a link to the targets and hangers that you use? There are a ton of different ones out there, but I liked the hangers that you use better than others that I have tried in the past.

          • NC Scout March 17, 2021 at 10:46

            Anything with curvature to it leads to unpredictable ricochets. Not particularly a fan of getting shrapped by my own stuff. That’s why we run flat faced targets to prevent it.
            Here’s what we used in class. $59.
            The hangers are $21.
            Drive a 2×4 in the ground and you’re done.

          • wwes March 17, 2021 at 11:28

            Thanks for the links, those are even less expensive than what I had been looking at, I will be picking some up. Steel beats the hell out of only punching paper.

          • Johnny Paratrooper March 17, 2021 at 11:24

            I agree 100%. That was when I was a poor college student making $300 a week after taxes and Obamacare. Now I just buy once and cry once. Damn, those prices on shooting steel are great.

  2. Gunslinger21 March 16, 2021 at 19:38

    I purchased a set of their III+ plates to run in my pc. They are a tad thick but a helluva lot lighter than some of the alternatives out there. Great company, prices aren’t too insane, communication and customer service are pleasant as well.

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 16, 2021 at 19:57

      They are thick. I noticed the same thing. Especially comparing them to the 10 different plate brands my crew has. They are easily the thickest. But, I believe that is part of their resilience.

  3. Matt Bracken March 16, 2021 at 19:48

    Sounds great. I have very thin contoured steel “pistol plates,” very heavy steel “rifle plates,” (CATI brand) and LAPG (ChiCom made) ceramic plates that I don’t trust, being made by the ChiComs. (The ChiComs are notorious for making terrific prototypes and first-runs to get contracts, and then substituting cheap stuff for greater profit.)
    I’ll buy some of these U.S. made plates, mainly because I trust an American veteran to sell only good stuff, and not make fake crap like the ChiComs, who are not at all worried about lawsuits against them in CCP China.
    Yes, I know all about how steel plates can put a ricochet or “spall” frag into your arm or neck. I get it. But I think it’s better than nothing, as an option. Quality ceramic is always the way to go, when available. But I’m guessing in a couple months we common peasants will not be able to buy any new body armor, under a coming “Super Patriot Act To Stop Dangerous MAGA Domestic Extremists” Act.
    IOW, get the best hard and soft body armor now, while you can. It’s not going to last. It will be banned for serfs and peons, and reserved for LE Lords only.

    • NC Scout March 16, 2021 at 20:04

      CATIs carriers are Condor (Chinese made).
      Where does their steel come from? As in, what foundry and what is the exact treatment process?
      I posted a couple of videos you might wanna take a look at in my last response to you.

  4. SOG March 16, 2021 at 22:04

    Can we talk about helmets now? Hopefully US made to keep things civil. But imho helmet is necessary kit for the modern day minuteman.
    You need to cover your grape and have a method to handsfree your nods. Those cheap skullcrushers suck the ones that come w NVD pouches.

    • NC Scout March 16, 2021 at 22:08

      Get an ACH.

      • SOG March 17, 2021 at 12:40

        yessir have German ACH US ACH and team wendy bump helmet.
        surplus German i got for 75 bucks about 8 years ago, the ACH was surplus US armyfor i think 50
        prices can still be in same range if you know where to look

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 16, 2021 at 22:50

      The most important lesson about helmets is the same reason construction workers wear hardhats.
      You are going to hit your head. And you are going to hit it hard.
      Though, judging by your pen name, I would guess you already know this.
      I have had no less than three concussions. And I was wearing a helmet for exactly 0 of them.
      It’s called a bump helmet, or a crash helmet, for a reason.

  5. 71M March 16, 2021 at 23:24

    JP –
    Appreciate the veteran made source for this. Will order set in AM. Not trusting the ceramics I have but would damn sure trust more a veteran business
    Any outstanding source for ACH helmet? I wear a Stihl hard hat when cutting trees and limbs on my farm. Few neighbors snicker. One has stitches on his head. Wanna guess why? 🤣

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 17, 2021 at 09:30

      A Source? Never looked. I would bet some of our sponsors carry the ACH. Possibly LAPG. But I haven’t checked. I bought a couple old school Kay-pots. They are a hair lighter, and were cheap for the time. Those days are OVER. If you are an older gentleman, I would consider the expensive light weight models for obvious reasons. If you are 20-40, you can get away with the ACH. Though you are going to want to put it on every day and do 5-10 minutes of neck exercises.

      • 71M March 17, 2021 at 10:31

        Thanks JP –
        Yep, I be the older gentleman. Understand your answer. Had enough of ‘heavy” from liner and steel pot. I prefer my buff and jungle hat (copy).

        • Johnny Paratrooper March 17, 2021 at 11:22

          If you are older, you should invest in something expensive, and light, to protect your head. I can bounce back from an impact fairly quickly all things considered. You, however, might be down for the count from one solid impact. Which could require a surgeon/doctor to address. If there is even a solution. No offense. One day I’m gonna get old and fall apart too.
          “Once a man; Twice a child”

    • SOG March 17, 2021 at 12:34

      https://www.hardheadveterans.com/?msclkid=360b147f76f61706a737742d59bf8af7
      vet run helmet co decent prices
      you can also still score surplus kevlars at your local army surplus shops for 75-100 in some cases

  6. Anonymous March 17, 2021 at 00:00

    5

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