Speaking of "going medieval"... how about rules for a bigger, nastier version of Hardliner Gloves, to represent the modern version of full-blown armored gauntlets? And they do indeed exist, under names like Riot Gloves, even today.
I'm thinking either (Str/2+1)P or keep (Str/2)P but give it a point or two of AP, to represent the heavier, more rigid payload, along with +1/+1 armor that's not compatible with PPP Forearm Guards. Milspec armor would, of course, come with them built in.