Spall protection options ar500

[DerMerchant]

I was thinking of ways to increase or preserve the spall protection on ar500 armor. Would wrapping an already spall coated plate in duct tape help to prevent the spall coating from chipping off? Also, would placing a soft armor insert over the front plate help at all?

 

[jmorris]

Shoot houses put the steel plate behind Sheetrock and or plywood so the frags are contained, rubber in various forms can work too. Repeated shots in the same place, require all to be replaced to be effective.

If duct tape works to save the coating and prevent frags, I’d save the money on the coating and invest in duct tape...

 

[jmorris]

FWIW the steel staying flat is why we use AR 500 in the first place, this high speed video shows bullet impacts with soft steel and hard steel.



Right from the beginning you can see fragments going back in the direction it came from. Around 1:09 in you can see impacts on hard plate divert the bullet fragments radially vs all different directions. That’s the key to using hard plate.

Worth noting that mounting it with any protruding fasteners on the impact side can change the direction of fragments that impact them.

 

[DerMerchant]

FWIW the steel staying flat is why we use AR 500 in the first place, this high speed video shows bullet impacts with soft steel and hard steel.



Right from the beginning you can see fragments going back in the direction it came from. Around 1:09 in you can see impacts on hard plate divert the bullet fragments radially vs all different directions. That’s the key to using hard plate.

Worth noting that mounting it with any protruding fasteners on the impact side can change the direction of fragments that impact them.

Nice video. I'm probably going with a ceramic front plate+trauma plate and perhaps a steel back plate after looking into it. It just doesn't seem like any spall protection out there is good enough for my peace of mind. Though I do like the idea of the ar500 steel helmet in regards to minimal backface deformation.

 

[jmorris]

I am sorry, I was too late then too early. I thought you were talking about targets not body armor.

 

[DerMerchant]

I am sorry, I was too late then too early. I thought you were talking about targets not body armor.

I can see why you would think that. But I haven't bought anything yet, just looking at options.