[Skunkabilly]

http://www.paca-vest.com/choosing-graphics/nij_chart.html

Not sure if this is THE NIJ chart (it's at PACA's website) but where does .45ACP fall in all of this?

[Mute]

IIRC, .45acp ball round should be stoppable by a Level IIA vest.

[Kevlarman]

I bought a cheapie $20 Kevlar panel off of eBay once, just to mess around with and shoot at.

I opened it up and counted 12 layers of Kevlar, which is below IIA standards (16 layers).

Shooting it with my Glock 30 ad a range of 3 feet just made the .45 FMJs bounce back. They didn't even penetrate the first layer! Methinks it has something to do with the large frontal area of the .45 slug. Of course, even though it won't penetrate, it's still going to transmit quite a whallop to whoever is wearing the vest.

My .177 caliber pellet gun penetrated 3 layers! :what:

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=405283

[Erick Gelhaus]

Skunk-
Neither the very knowledgable people I've been talking to nor myself think one should ever buy less than IIIA. The quote I got from the military SME was:
Wear IIIA, if it's too heavy, do more PT. If it's too hot, get a car with AC.

[Skunkabilly]

I was looking at the IIIA specs...rated for 9mm at 1400 fps...what 9mm goes that fast, from a submachine gun? :eek:

Erick, while i have your attention:

1. Also, if I have a IIIA vest and some numbskull at the range caps me, will it hurt less than a II? Had to ask :o

2. Assuming you get nailed in the trauma plate, is a IIIA the same as a II? Or does the vest rating still come into play?

For me it's not so much the weight as it is the concealment, but I AM going to be carrying a fullsize Beretta, or two so I can probably figure out a way to dress over it :D

[Schuey2002]

rated for 9mm at 1400 fps...what 9mm goes that fast, from a submachine gun?
1400 FPS "factory" 9mm ammo? That's pretty hot stuff.

The only ammo that I've ever heard of that is even close to that is the
123 gr. FMJ +P factory loads made by Hirtenberger of Austria, which will do roughly 1260 FPS out of the 8.85 inch barrel of an H&K MP5..;)

[Kevlarman]

Hey Skunk, did you see that video where I shot myself while wearing a level II vest? It stung! :(

[Skunkabilly]

No, you dork!!! :eek:

Where?

[Kevlarman]

Actually, it was the aforementioned eBay panel *in front* of me level II vest, but it still sting like heck.

http://www.spyse.net/kevlarman/files/shotmyself2.avi

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=407606

[Skunkabilly]

Ouch!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Schuey2002]

I've got to try that some time..


NOT! :uhoh:

[Mute]

Nice Rich Davis impersonation there kevlarman. Kinda reminds me of the old bugs bunny cartoon where daffy duck blows himself to bit for a stage show.

Daffy - "Yeah, but I can only do it once."

[Kevlarman]

Yeah, but nowadays Rich Davis puts a phonebook behind his vest to absorb some of the blunt trauma. I had a really thin Disney book. ;)

If you look carefully and in slow motion, you can see it drop to the ground as I take the vest off.

Annnnnd, the shooting I did before this once I was wearing a level IIIA, level II, and the cheapie panel. I didn't feel a thing. :D

[Skunkabilly]

You're still a dork!!!! :eek: