Testing effectiveness of ballistics clothes (kelver, spectra, etc)

[sheepdog]

I know the old 5 times stronger than steel on Kevlar, 10 times on spectra etc. But what about cheaper materials like ballistics nylon and tyvek? Thinking about making a shooting jacket for the range and having a some light ballistics protect from a kaboom, ricochet, or other such craziness wouldn't be bad. Not that one can be protected from everything but its the cost point is low...

[yondering]

I've read about down filled coats stopping bullets from low velocity pistol rounds in the cowboy days...


If you're making a shooting jacket, it sure might be nice to add some recoil protection in the shoulder area.

[sheepdog]

I've read about down filled coats stopping bullets from low velocity pistol rounds in the cowboy days...


If you're making a shooting jacket, it sure might be nice to add some recoil protection in the shoulder area.

Yeah I'm planning to. I was going to make one like the USMC sniper school jacket.

[rhubarb]

http://theboxotruth.com/docs/bot15.htm

The Box O' Truth

[Boz330]

I did some informal testing of Kevlar and ballistic cloth some years ago for a company I worked for at the time. The down side to ballistic cloth is that it is very stiff and doesn't flex easily at all. It is not terribly expensive though, $13 a Yard last time I bought some. That was a long time ago though. Kevlar is quite pricey and it takes several layers to achieve any sort of protection.

Bob

[cajun shooter]

As a Police Officer and Firearms Instructor I've had plenty of experience with the bullet stopping jackets, vest and other various forms of materials. I even did some testing with the FBI. To have any promise of stopping a head on round you will end up with a hot wearing piece of clothing. The reason that a lot of Viet Nam troops shed the old nylon type of vest was because of it being uncomfortable to wear. We were trained to wear a vest that would stop a round from your own carry weapon as that is what a large majority of officers are killed with. I wore a level 3 vest that felt like my skin was on fire in the Louisiana heat. I was hit several times by rounds that were coming back from the old lead filled berm and they would break the skin but do no harm. I was also hit twice by poor gun handling of trainees and they were minor injuries. I don't think that you will find a range instructor that has been hit to were the damage was of a serious nature. It all goes with the job and you just can't cover all your bases. I 'm not trying to say that you should be of no concern but I don't think that any of what is available would work for everyday wear.