We were slow at work

We were slow at work and to kill time we shot some old Pointblank IIIA soft armor I had to see how it would hold up after 16 years. Did pretty good.

Shot it with the following at 25 yards.

115 grain 9mm Federal FMJ----Stopped

124 grain 9mm Federal HST----Stopped

230 grain 45 ACP Hornady XTP---Stopped

Federal 2 3/4 00 buckshot---stopped all but two pellets that came out the sides. If it was a larger piece Kevlar we guess it would have stopped it. Did pretty well for 16 year old soft armor.
https://www.theakforum.net/cdn-cgi/i...38-jpg.334334/
https://www.theakforum.net/cdn-cgi/i...10-jpg.334335/
https://www.theakforum.net/cdn-cgi/i...07-jpg.334336/
https://www.theakforum.net/cdn-cgi/i...02-jpg.334337/
https://www.theakforum.net/cdn-cgi/i...56-jpg.334338/
https://www.theakforum.net/cdn-cgi/i...08-jpg.334339/
https://www.theakforum.net/cdn-cgi/i...35-jpg.334340/

Cool.

I've got some old II I considered replacing then shooting but, it's just sat most of its life so it should be fine / still good.

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Originally Posted by zack991

We were slow at work and to kill time we shot some old Pointblank IIIA soft armor I had to see how it would hold up after 16 years. Did pretty good.

Shot it with the following at 25 yards.

115 grain 9mm Federal FMJ----Stopped

124 grain 9mm Federal HST----Stopped

230 grain 45 ACP Hornady XTP---Stopped

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Well done sir! :)



I am too damn cheap to screw up good armor like that. Last time I got bored and did some shooting at work I just built a bullet catcher with some 1 3/4" thick oak scraps layered between 3/4" thick plywood pieces. Figured there was no way a 230 grain FMJ could make it through 12" of that catcher regardless of how fast I drove them...

https://i.imgur.com/rkQMEpE.jpg

Loads fired ranged from pretty much 'standard' 1911 hardball loadings of about 850FPS on up to about 1,200FPS (about 200FPS shy of a full house 460 load) using Speer 230 grain FMJ projectiles and AA#7 powder.

https://i.imgur.com/vuHQTGU.jpg

Not sure if Speer uses a harder lead alloy than what you were shooting or if the difference was due to you firing HPoint rounds or not but I did not see the same level of bullet deformation that you did even shooting into a harder 'catcher'. Yeah, I saw some deformation but not like what you showed in your pictures.

https://i.imgur.com/CssqT9B.jpg

I did send the girls off to the break room during the actual firing... Do not think it would have been a good idea to subject their ears to that sort of stuff.

Measuring how far my brass launched from where I was standing after spring tuning / firing:
https://i.imgur.com/NCRDa3A.jpg



Just an opinion here but... After seeing how deep the 230 grain bullets that were driven a little fast penetrated and seeing the boards they still managed to split after going that far - I can't for the life of me see how a bullet 'resistant' vest / soft armor could save someone from a shit ton of broken ribs or internal damage regardless of if the bullet actually penetrates or not.

We ended up taping the side panel to a box with rubber back stop material inside. On impact it ended up inside the box in almost like a crumpled paper ball. Took a little work to flatten back out after the shotgun. I was a little surprised the 9mm HST didnt flatten out more and noticed alot of material packed in the hollow point. In any case that would have been very painful even with it being caught.

I wish I has some type of clay to see how much deformations the rounds caused. I got video of the 45 acp hitting it. Definitely had some energy as did the 9mm going another 200fps

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zack991

We ended up taping the side panel to a box with rubber back stop material inside. On impact it ended up inside the box in almost like a crumpled paper ball. Took a little work to flatten back out after the shotgun. I was a little surprised the 9mm HST didnt flatten out more and noticed alot of material packed in the hollow point. In any case that would have been very painful even with it being caught.

I wish I has some type of clay to see how much deformations the rounds caused. I got video of the 45 acp hitting it. Definitely had some energy as did the 9mm going another 200fps

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That is my thinking as well.

I can't see myself just shrugging something like that off like it was no big deal.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DG23

Just an opinion here but... After seeing how deep the 230 grain bullets that were driven a little fast penetrated and seeing the boards they still managed to split after going that far - I can't for the life of me see how a bullet 'resistant' vest / soft armor could save someone from a shit ton of broken ribs or internal damage regardless of if the bullet actually penetrates or not.

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Although I have never been shot (and hope I never do get shot), there is definitely a risk of blunt force trauma injuries even if the bullet doesn’t penetrate the vest. Below are a couple good articles, but I think this quote pretty much sums it up well:

“The perception of invulnerability can be deceiving. Wounds incurred to the wearer of body armor will be predicated on the level of vest versus the caliber and velocity of the bullet and where the bullet strikes. Resultant torso injuries can include blunt force trauma to internal organs that could produce lacerations and rupturing; vertebral disc injuries at the point of contact on the vest; potential for spinal shock; blunt force trauma to musculoskeletal tissue; and perforations of the skin.”

https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork...the-unexpected

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18606346/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ViperTwoSix

Although I have never been shot (and hope I never do get shot), there is definitely a risk of blunt force trauma injuries even if the bullet doesn’t penetrate the vest. Below are a couple good articles, but I think this quote pretty much sums it up well:

“The perception of invulnerability can be deceiving. Wounds incurred to the wearer of body armor will be predicated on the level of vest versus the caliber and velocity of the bullet and where the bullet strikes. Resultant torso injuries can include blunt force trauma to internal organs that could produce lacerations and rupturing; vertebral disc injuries at the point of contact on the vest; potential for spinal shock; blunt force trauma to musculoskeletal tissue; and perforations of the skin.”

https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork...the-unexpected

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18606346/

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Good articles there to read.

Appreciate that input on the topic. :)

We took body armor, with a small front shock plate, and shot it twice with a .45 Winchester Magnum handgun. The body armor was suspended from a target hanger at an indoor range. Both 230g projectiles passed through the shock plate and both body armor panels. The body armor barely moved when it was hit.