Body armor failure and questions.

[C-grunt]

My dept recently had an officer get shot. The .40 S&W hollowpoint struck the officers vest approximately 1/4 inch from the bottom of the level IIIA armor panel. The round penetrated the armor and severely injured the officer. He was treated and is doing better. The vest was only 3 years old.

Afterwards we recieved some rating information and it seems that these vests are not tested near the edges. Is it common for rounds to penetrate near the edges?

I also found it concerning that these vests will only stop a 9mm fired from a submachine gun 50 percent of the time.

My department is doing some testing with the vest and others like it to see why it didnt stop a round its rated to stop.

[militarymoron]

moved to terminal ballistic forum.
IIRC, the manufacturer specifies the edge distance that the armour is supposed to be tested, but it cannot be more than 2" from the edge of the panel.
1/4" is pretty darn close to the edge.

[bp7178]

There is much more to the ratings than just what rounds they will stop. How close to the edges, how many hits, velocity the ammunition is traveling at etc.

IIRC, the Colorado verification test is one of the better testing methods.

[ST911]

Did the round actually perforate the armor at the impact site, or did it deform or crush the edge enough to allow the round to pass around it?

[sgtjosh]

Did the round actually perforate the armor at the impact site, or did it deform or crush the edge enough to allow the round to pass around it?

That was my thought also.

[C-grunt]

According to the memo going around it actually penetrated the armor. Any officers that have the vest are being told to let their supervisors know and I think the dept is gonna buy them new ones.

[ST911]

Manufacturer and model?

[SeriousStudent]

Prayers sent that the wounded officer makes a speedy and complete recovery.

[Iraqgunz]

Body armor is one of those things that isn't very sexy and is often overlooked until you need it. Having experienced the wonders of kevlar I can't overstate how important getting a good vest and proper fit is.

I would take a look a look at the latest testing protocol that DocGKR posted once concerning contact shots, etc... I seem to remember reading something about edge shots. I may be wrong.

[tpd223]

Hitting that close to the edge I would expect a failure to stop the bullet.