Body
Armor WORKS...
Read firsthand
accounts of those who have survived a shooting at the IACP
/ DuPont Kevlar Survivors Club...
"...as of
January 1, 2001, a total of 2,500 "saves" have been attributed to
the use of body armor.
58% of these saves were connected with felonious assaults and 42%
with accidents, such as car crashes.
40% of the felonious assaults involved firearms, 12% represented cutting
or slashing assaults, and 6% involved other types of assaults."
...Guide
to Police Body Armor, National Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology Center (NLECTC)
Certification
of Body Armor
The National
Institute of Justice has a rating system for body armor. As
you add layers of a ballistic fiber, such as Aramid fiber, you add
protection.
Vests are tested
not just for stopping penetration, but also for blunt trauma protection
the blow suffered by the body from the bullet's impact on the
vest. Blunt trauma is measured by the dent suffered by a soft clay
backstop to the vest a maximum of 1.7" (44 mm) is allowed.
NOTE: The standard
NIJ test rounds are listed below tested vests stop many other
comparable rounds, and lesser threats.
Level
|
Tested
for:
|
Comment
|
|
9 mm
FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) at ~1,090 fps
(332 mps)
.40 S&W Full Metal Jacket at 1,025 fps
(312 mps)
|
Minimum
Recommended...
...for
the vast majority of threats encountered on the street,
though you would sustain more blunt trauma injury than Level
II or III-A. The thinnest and best for concealability and
comfort.
Level
II-A has fallen out of favor, so generally a special order
item now.
|
|
9 mm
FMJ, at ~1,175 fps
(~358 mps)
.357 JSP at ~ 1,400 fps
(~427 mps).
|
A
great balance...
...between
blunt trauma protection, versus cost, and thickness / comfort
/ concealability. Handles the blunt trauma of higher velocity
+P rounds better.
What
we recommend most often for concealable wear.
|
|
9 mm
FMJ at ~1,400 fps
(~427 mps)
.44 Magnum Semi-Jacketed Hollow Point at ~1,400
fps
(~427 mps).
|
The
highest blunt trauma protection rating in soft body armor.
The best for very high-risk situations to cover more of the
uncommon or unusual threats.
Minimizes
blunt trauma injury to allow more effective return fire.
|
It is important
to know that Level II-A, II and III-A all stop the overwhelming
majority of pistol projectiles you are ever likely to encounter
(plus 12 gauge, OO buckshot), and also to know that NO
armor is ever 100% bulletproof under ALL conceivable
circumstances.
However, these
ratings often have a safety margin for penetration because blunt
trauma is usually the limiting factor in certification. For example,
Level II body armor would likely stop the III-A test standard,
(9 mm submachine gun at 1400 fps) from actually PENETRATING
through the Level II vest. But, the Level II vest would fail
on blunt trauma impact (the NIJ deems any dent greater than ~1.7"
(~44 mm.) on the soft clay test surface, a FAIL).
So, the advantage
in increasing protection Levels from II-A, to II, to III-A, is
NOT so much protection from PENETRATION of pistol fire, but a
significant reduction in the blunt trauma received.
To
see with your own eyes
just how effective soft body armor is...
Aramid fiber
such as Kevlar® or Twaron®, are the most popular ballistic
fibers with about 5 times the tensile strength of steel by weight.
When
a handgun bullet strikes body armor, it is caught in a web
of very strong fibers. These fibers absorb and disperse the impact
energy that is transmitted to the vest from the bullet, causing
the bullet to deform or mushroom". Additional energy
is absorbed by each successive layer of material in the vest, until
such time as the bullet has been stopped.
NIJ
0101.03 Standard
Level
|
Tested
for:
|
Early
generation ballistic fibers, though bulkier, only stop fragmentation
and very low velocity pistol ammunition.
|
.38
Special at 850 fps (feet per second)
(259 mps - meters per second
.22 at 1,050 fps
(320 mps) |
|
9 mm FMJ
(Full Metal Jacket) at ~1,090 fps
(332 mps)
.357 Magnum JSP (Jacketed Soft Point) at ~1,250 fps
(~381 mps).
|
|
9 mm FMJ,
at ~1,175 fps
(~358 mps)
.357 JSP at ~ 1,395 fps
(~425 mps).
|
|
9 mm FMJ
at ~1,400 fps
(~427 mps)
(e.g., sub-machine-gun velocity)
.44 Magnum Lead Semi-Wadcutter at ~1,400 fps
(~427 mps).
|
Detailed
Data on Rounds Stopped...
NIJ Standard 0101.03 Vs. 0101.05
The National Institute
of Justice (NIJ) modified the 0101.03 ballistic standard for the testing
of Body Armor. In general, the 0101.05 standard is almost identical,
but just slightly tougher - plus an assurance that no Zylon
is used in the vest.
"Is armor
that complies with NIJ Standard-0101.04 "better" than armor that
complies with NIJ Standard-0101.03?
NO. It has
only been tested to a different version of the standard."
...Guide
to Police Body Armor, National Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology Center (NLECTC.org)
|
"NIJ Standard-0101.04
is not intended to restrict or otherwise influence the procurement
and use of NIJ Standard-0101.03 compliant body armors...
... this
revision for new model compliance testing does not invalidate
or render unsuitable any body armor models previously determined
to be compliant using NIJ Standard-0101.03 requirements."
- NLECTC.org
|
So, on either
standard, you can rest assured you are getting a high-quality vest.
There are MUCH more important factors to consider such as how
well the vest covers your body, and how comfortable it is.
The 9 mm FMJ
test rounds are exactly the same, it is the secondary test round
has been slightly changed - noted in bold
below
NIJ
0101.03 Vs. 0101.05 Comparison
Level
|
Tested
for:
|
Difference
from the 03 to the 04 / 05 Standard
|
|
9 mm FMJ
(Full Metal Jacket) at ~1,090 fps
(332 mps)
.40 S&W Full Metal Jacket at
1,025 fps
(312 mps)
|
Threat round
changed from
.357 Magnum at 1,250 fps to
.40 S&W at 1,025 fps
|
|
9 mm FMJ,
at ~1,175 fps
(~358 mps)
.357 JSP at ~ 1,400 fps
(~427 mps).
|
.357 Magnum
round increased in velocity from 1,395 to 1400 fps
Increase
in velocity of 5 fps or 0.4%
|
|
9 mm FMJ
at ~1,400 fps
(~427 mps)
.44 Magnum Semi-Jacketed Hollow Point
at ~1,400 fps
(~427 mps).
|
.44
Magnum changed from Lead Semi-Wadcutter to Semi-Jacketed Hollow
Point |
|
A 'bulletproof' vest or
other armor will protect you from the vast majority of pistol ballistic threats
you are ever likely to face. But there is always a tradeoff between more protection
and more wearability (and the constraint to stay within your budget). Please
know that:
- rifle rounds
- unusual high velocity
pistol ammunition
- pistol ammo fired from
a rifle barrel
- armor piercing ammunition
- sharp-edged or pointed
instruments (e.g., knives, icepicks, etc.), and/or
- other unusual ammunition
or situations...
CAN defeat body armor.
Also, at some angles projectiles
can slide, or deflect off the edges of Armor, or ricochet. Furthermore, projectiles
that are successfully stopped by armor will always produce some level of injury,
resulting in severe bruising, broken bones, and possibly serious internal injury
or even death. Soft body armor defeats most pistol and shotgun projectiles,
but NO vest on earth makes you invulnerable to all threats. To
state the obvious, getting shot ALWAYS carries some risk.
Be aware that your head is
much more susceptible to blunt trauma than your body. ANY impact of a bullet on
a helmet WILL CAUSE INJURY AND CAN CAUSE DEATH. You put the odds more in your
favor with head protection, but, just as with ANY armor, no guarantee of invulnerability
can be made.
By buying Armor you assume
ALL risks of use or misuse, and agree not to hold us liable in any way.
In addition, YOU are responsible to ensure that your ballistic panels are positioned
inner side IN, and outer side OUT if applicable (check the inside vest panel
label).
|