What's the deal with modern "bullet proof" vests?

[SmithSwede]

It was my understanding that "bullet proof" vests from the 1950s and 1960s were really designed to stop shrapnel from grenades, or maybe low-penetration pistol bullets.

What's the deal with modern vests?

Do they stop most any conventional pistol round?

 

[sipowicz]

Yes

BulletProofME.com Body Armor - Ballistic Protection Levels

 

[CajunBass]

There is no such thing as "bullet proof." There is "bullet resistant" but not "proof." If you make a bullet big enough and fast enough, you can drive it right through the center of the earth.

Can you tell I've spent the last 30 or so years making "Kevlar"?

However, depending on the "level" of protection you are willing to pay for, vests today are designed to defeat handgun and rifle fire. As the threat level of protection goes up, so does cost and weight. How much you want is up to you.

 

[FlYFiShErMaN]

Yes

BulletProofME.com Body Armor - Ballistic Protection Levels

Yep - what he said!!

 

[haggis]

Can you tell I've spent the last 30 or so years making "Kevlar"?

Do you mean that stuff that was code-named "Fiber B"?

Buck

 

[pawncop]

The emphasis is on resistant. And remember there are gaps, the vest does not cover the entire body.

 

[CajunBass]

Do you mean that stuff that was code-named "Fiber B"?

Buck

Way back in the day, yes, it was called "Fiber B." That was the first pilot plant name. I got over there a year or so after they stopped calling it that, and started up the first production plant. I was working there but in a different dept during the "Fiber B" days.

 

[sheriffoconee]

We issue Level II concealable vests, and I have a Level IIIA outer vest.....
The IIIA vest is quite miserable to wear most of the year here, it is heavy and hot....however, it does offer considerable protection against blunt force trauma, and the outer carrier makes a great place to hang magazines, radios, gloves, and lots of other crap that I end up needing sometimes....

The Level II vest is much better to wear every day...there is a big jump in comfort level between the two.....

For those of you who were involved in making the stuff, thank you......while I am not a member of the almost 3000 LEO's who have been saved with their armor, some good friends of mine are, and I am glad to have it....and I am glad they are still around

 

[ColbyBruce]

Mine is bearly adequate

I have vest made by American Body Armor & Equipment Co. I am not sure if it is complete or is suposed to have inserts in it. I got it intending to run my own series of penetration tests and never got around to it.

 

[sheriffoconee]

there is body armor in that picture??? a bear????
mmmmm, all I can see is the picture on the wall.....hahaha...
CB, that ABA armor has the soft panels inside....there is likely a pocket on the front for a "trauma pack" or a small hard plate...it is usually the first thing we take out when we wear them under our shirts....in spite of the additional protection they offer over the heart...you can buy those small trauma packs or plates pretty cheaply.....
that armor is probably good to go for most anyone that is gonna shoot at you...

 

[AZretired]

We issue Level II concealable vests, and I have a Level IIIA outer vest.....
The IIIA vest is quite miserable to wear most of the year here, it is heavy and hot....however, it does offer considerable protection against blunt force trauma, and the outer carrier makes a great place to hang magazines, radios, gloves, and lots of other crap that I end up needing sometimes....

The Level II vest is much better to wear every day...there is a big jump in comfort level between the two.....

For those of you who were involved in making the stuff, thank you......while I am not a member of the almost 3000 LEO's who have been saved with their armor, some good friends of mine are, and I am glad to have it....and I am glad they are still around

When i retired my department was issuing vest made of "Spectra Shield". A level IIIA vest is just barely thicker than a level II Kevlar and quite comfortable. we did not allow outside wear of the vests, vests need to be concealed.

 

[Waldo R]

I'm using a level II vest with kevlar and trauma pad.
Results on my type of vest came back stopping .9mm rounds up to .357

 

[GatorFarmer]

Vests that would actually stop bullets and were made on an industrial scale date at least back to the American Civil War. Weighing about as much as a full on modern vest with rifle plates, they were made out of steel and could indeed stop rifle bullets of the day, at least sometimes. Some were better made than others. One of the Civil War history mags had a write up on them some months back. Given the values of the era, it was often considered cowardly to wear one.

Killer Jim Miller meanwhile wore a piece of boiler plate under his trademark long frock coat, which saved him in an Old West shoot out. Apparently this trick was used from time to time in real life.

Gangsters in the 20s and 30s could avail themselves of early vests using either armor plates or thick silk. The Colt .38 Super Auto was originally marketed to shoot through these and car bodies.

Early flak jackets would stop some fragments, .45 ACP and sometimes .38 rounds. Truman wore an early vest that would stop up to a .32 if I remember right. Early personal armor relied on either plates - metal or ceramic, or else nylon panels.

The NIJ standards for testing were recently revamped. Now armor has to be proof against higher velocity threats and also is tested for wear.

The circa '98 Point Blank Hi Lite IIIA vest that I had was substantially ligher and more comfortable than the IIIA Second Chance vest - made of simple Kevlar 129 and not a composite. However it cost about twice as much.

A lot of departments started issuing IIIA back during the days when the MP5 was the hot ticket item for SWAT. Basically the IIIA was what you wanted to stop 9mm rounds at subgun velocities. I always wore IIIA since I was worried about the humble Hi Point carbines myself.

I also have an Izzy made Marom Dolphin vest (an IDF contractor) that is external wear. I have Level IV rifle plates front and back in it. Basically your entry level set up if you're worried about someone with a rifle.

In the U.S. anyone can own and wear body armor, though some states regulate the possession by convicted felons. Some companies will only sell to you with mil or LE ID, but that is policy, not law. PMCs can usually get theirs with a letter from the company.

Level IV+ plates are the hot item now. It's not an official NIJ designation, but is an industry term for plates that will stop multiple AP hits. The reason you want this is because the M955 5.56mm round is a real penetrator, hard to stop, and while it once showed up only on some SAW belts, is now seeing wider issue. Since friendly fire isn't, the Level IV + plates have new interest in them. They're also better about chugging off AP rounds from an SVD or similiar. Even an old MN can kill you pretty dead after all.

If you're poor, good old steel plates are idiot proof and cheap. They're heavy, but eh... About nine pounds each, give or take. Eastern European and Russian practice for a long time was just to use steel. Cheaper and just make the conscripts deal with a few extra pounds.

 

[yaktamer]

Oh, "Marom Dolphin." For a second there I thought you were talking about a marine mammal from the Great Salt Lake.