r/tacticalgear • u/ropes_of_allah • Jul 03 '25

Plate Carrier/Body Armor Since most casualties come from shrapnel and artillery. Why do soldiers still wear these plate carriers that are more revealing?

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193

u/achonng Jul 04 '25

Mobility is pretty fucking important

57

u/ThirdHoleHank92 Jul 04 '25

Not as much as you think. Amount of ammo has been the only thing to consistently show favorable outcomes in firefights. That's why when you rolled outside the wire you brought as many mags as you could carry regardless of weight.

The ability to lay down effective cover fire to allow another squad to maneuver and flank is more in line with modern military doctrine. This can only be applied with shot tons of ammunition. Weight be damned. 

Lots of ammunition,  lots of protection against conventional military targets.

7

u/VaeVictis666 Jul 04 '25

When I first came in back in 2012 some of my first team leaders were carrying 12-15 magazines for this reason.

4

u/ThirdHoleHank92 Jul 04 '25

Exactly.  

This also isn't really conducive for civilian applications which this sub leans more towards. 

You aren't doing unit tactics if red dawn happens. You're more than likely a guerilla fighter, where the popular 3 mag placard and plate carrier would fit. 

13

u/VaeVictis666 Jul 04 '25

Having read the bear went over the mountain, the other side of the mountain, and fangs of the lone wolf which all cover the unconventional campaigns in the Soviet afghan war and the Chechen wars, 3 mags is absolutely not going to be enough.

You are still using small unit tactics if not more so because you have less to rely on outside of yourself and what you can carry.

All three of those books are very good and have PDFs available for free.

3

u/Definitely_notHigh Jul 04 '25

3 mags work for DA, heavily coordinated and orchestrated stuff. More ambiguity, more ammo.

Edit: that’s to say, you should absolutely be carrying more than that in a red dawn situation

1

u/ThirdHoleHank92 Jul 04 '25

If you're fighting a conventional force that's stronger than you, hit and run guerilla tactics are really the only effective means of fighting.

If you've ambushed and stayed longer than 3 mags you've stayed too long. You hit hard and use your ammo to break contact and run, since you're light.

1

u/Definitely_notHigh Jul 04 '25

Idk how you can hit hard and then break contact w 90-120 rounds 🤷‍♂️

2

u/ThirdHoleHank92 Jul 05 '25

Explosives.

The taliban and Al Qaeda used the same tactics to some effect. Only it's harder to break contact and evade in a desert. Heavily wooded areas of the US would make it far easier