3i7M Level III+/RF2 Ultra Lightweight Rifle Armor Plate

The 3i7M is the lightest rifle plate in this guide, and the reason sits in the fine print: it is an in-conjunction-with plate. At 2.2 lb in SAPI-M it undercuts every stand-alone ceramic option by several pounds, but it reaches its rated protection only when it is worn over Level IIIA soft armor. Chase Tactical is specific about which soft armor: the NIJ Compliant Product List entry reads Guardian 3i7m ICW sa3920, so the listing describes the plate plus the sa3920 IIIA panel as a system. Chase Tactical separately states the plate was independently tested by an NIJ approved laboratory to the NIJ 0101.06 standard in conjunction with sa2910 Level II soft armor.

Buy this plate only if you already own, or intend to buy, the soft armor backer. Dropped into a bare plate carrier with nothing behind it, a 3i7M is operating outside the configuration Chase Tactical tested and listed. That is the single most important thing to understand about ICW armor, and it is the reason an ICW plate can weigh half what a stand-alone plate weighs at a similar published protection tier.

Construction is 100% DSM Dyneema UHMWPE consolidated with XTclave, a high-pressure process that packs the polyethylene tighter than conventional pressing. Areal density comes out at 2.7 psf and thickness at 0.87 inch. The exterior is a polyurea shell with a Rhino Extreme 11-50 anti-spall coating rather than a fabric wrap, so the strike face resists abrasion without adding a Cordura layer. Published test rounds are 7.62 NATO M80 at 2,780 ft/s, 7.62x39 mild steel core at 2,400 ft/s, and 5.56 M193 at 3,250 ft/s.

Sizing runs multi-curve SAPI S through XL, at 1.9, 2.2, 2.5, and 2.9 lb respectively. Chase Tactical backs the ballistic material for ten years and the cover for one. The plate is Berry compliant and made in the USA.