How effective are bulletproof vest?

Question

Can a bulletproof vest protect you at close range? I also don't think it can protect you from a slug or AK47 but am just curious.

Answer 1

Will stop most handgun bullets but high powered rifle will go straight through.
AK 47 uses steel jacket 7.62 x 39 ammo at close range it would penetrate vest.
1oz slug from 12 guage would probably kill you whether it penetrated or not.

Answer 2

The threat IIIs can stop a ak-47 bullet, they are like 30-30win. Most armor has a hard time reliably stopping the .30/06 AP rounds even if they are rated for it. Might have changed but that used to be the case, they have made leaps and bounds with kevlar and ceramic plates now. Most bullet proof vests if they have a ceramic or titanium trauma plate and are rated for what ever it is you are getting shot by will stop the bullet most of the times. George got the specs right for the different threat levels.
A bulletproof vest if used for the threat level and hopefully above will stop at close ranges for pistols and some rifles.
However most rifles will go through at close range due to excessive velocity, 2000 feet per second or fps is more than the reference velocity listed in George's specs of 800 something fps.
Pistols are usually measured closer to the vests and drop off in velocity and won't have enough to punch through a properly rated vest at closer ranges. There is definitely no guarantee at point blank range, if they are fmj or ap rounds they will probably go through. JHP rounds have a better chance of breaking up. But, police officers have been safe in close range gunfights with pistols before. Rifles are harder to say as some have tons of velocity and other are weak in comparison so it varies.

A word about "cop-killer" bullets. There is no such bullet. No bullet can kill cops better than another. That is an anti-gun/media term for what they perceive a threat to cops. Just because a rifle has ap bullets or designed to pierce armor doesn't mean it kills cops. It leaves less of a wound channel and with good medical care the cop will probably live if not hit in a vital organ or central nervous system. Stop using their terms like assault rifle and cop killing bullets it is designed to draw up fear. There is no such thing if criminals knew what they were doing and they do they don't need those bullets or guns and they don't use them. Bullets were designed to kill, some better, some for different purposes. All you need is different tactics. If the media is right about those rounds than all the police officers would be dead from the other rounds that are just as effective for common calibers. The media hears the marketing terms or the NATO terminolgy and instantly thinks it pierces body armor it must be for cop killing. Most rounds for popular hunting rifles will go through body armor especially the .44mag rated armor which is what a common officer would wear.
Wake UP!

Teflon coating on a bullet does not mean it will penetrate body armor better. In fact all teflon does is reduce barrel wear, by reducing the friction inside the barrel and in alot of cases reduces the rifling print on the bullet. This is why they are illegal. Bullets that penetrate armor or are designed for it have steel or titanium cores. The military doesn't use teflon on its bullets because it is of no use, it doesn't help. Theoretically it is possible that it could reduce the friction, but the way kevlar is and with the trauma plate there wouldn't be enough teflon to do that, probably only on lower threat levels would it work in theory. You don't need it either because the .30 AP round makes the body armor designed to protect against it so bulky anyways. Pistols won't reliably penetrate with it, only if the core is harder. A jhp or a lead based FMJ would break up due to the soft core. It is not what is on the outside but the inside that will make the deciding factor.

Also you have to factor in bruising. With a 12 gauge shotgun I shudder to think what the bruising would be with a vest rated for a 12 gauge. A vest stops the bullet and spreads out the force, but still extensive bruising can and does occur. So even if it did stop the bullet you might not be in a position to stop whoever it was to put a finishing bullet somewhere where there wasn't armor.

Armor is not a really good safety factor, but adds to protection. There are so many places for you to get hit that could cause harm ie arm and leg arteries or head or neck or under armpit or the side of some body armor isn't armor. Police aren't magically protected by body armor and thus rely on force and numbers and training. It does save lives though and when used properly as part of tactics can help alot. I don't count on them though and would rather start and end the fight first. So get it just don't rely on it, stay out of fire it isn't a shield.

Answer 3

A bullet-proof vest will slow the impact. The bruising/contusions/broken ribs may be lessened by the presence of the vest. They're not perfect, and there is a lot of area of the body that is vulnerable. For instance, a shot through the groin can open a vein and kill as well as a chest shot. Just put the guns in the locker, lock 'en up, and throw away the keys.

Answer 4

I have nothing to add other than to sort of sum up.
1. Teflon coated bullets being armor penetrating is a myth. steel or titanium core bullets pierce armor
2. Most body armor will not stop a rifle bullet.
3. Ceramic plates and "upper end" body armor will stop most rifle rounds at a distance. I am not sure about ap bullets. I will defer to the other guy.

We all make mistakes and there are bad studies out there but ,beyond that, is unfortunate that on this site it is hard to parse out facts.

Answer 5

Most vests stop low to mid caliber handguns. However high caliber guns are more likely to pierce the vest. There are some bullets made specifically to go through vests. Also spraying a bullet with Teflon will enable it to go through.

Answer 6

in general, bulletproof vests will not protect you from anything with a pointy end... of course, the higher quality vest you have, the more types of rounds it can stop...

Answer 7

Yes, nowadays mostly all vests are able to block low caliber ammos. But certainly not the RPG-7 or Bazooka.

Answer 8

Yes it can, as long as the bullets are not the teflon tipped "cop-killers," today's Kevlar vests can stop practically anything even at close range.

But I must admit, I'm curious...... As you posted this question in "Sports", just which sport are we talking about here?

Answer 9

tyical Vests are rated by threat levels 1 -3A They higher end 3's will stop a slug but not an ak round or other rifle round.

Type I
(.22 LR; .380 ACP) This armor protects against .22 caliber Long Rifle Lead Round Nose (LR LRN) bullets, with nominal masses of 2.6 g (40 gr) at a reference velocity of 329 m/s (1080 ft/s ± 30 ft/s) and .380 ACP Full Metal Jacketed Round Nose (FMJ RN) bullets, with nominal masses of 6.2 g (95 gr) at a reference velocity of 322 m/s (1055 ft/s ± 30 ft/s).
Type IIA
(9 mm; .40 S&W) This armor protects against 9 mm Full Metal Jacketed Round Nose (FMJ RN) bullets, with nominal masses of 8.0 g (124 gr) at a reference velocity of 341 m/s (1120 ft/s ± 30 ft/s) and .40 S&W caliber Full Metal Jacketed (FMJ) bullets, with nominal masses of 11.7 g (180 gr) at a reference velocity of 322 m/s (1055 ft/s ± 30 ft/s). It also provides protection against the threats mentioned in [Type I].
Type II
(9 mm; .357 Magnum) This armor protects against 9 mm Full Metal Jacketed Round Nose (FMJ RN) bullets, with nominal masses of 8.0 g (124 gr) at a reference velocity of 367 m/s (1205 ft/s ± 30 ft/s) and 357 Magnum Jacketed Soft Point (JSP) bullets, with nominal masses of 10.2 g (158 gr) at a reference velocity of 436 m/s (1430 ft/s ± 30 ft/s). It also provides protection against the threats mentioned in [Types I and IIA].
Type IIIA
(High Velocity 9 mm; .44 Magnum) This armor protects against 9 mm Full Metal Jacketed Round Nose (FMJ RN) bullets, with nominal masses of 8.0 g (124 gr) at a reference velocity of 436 m/s (1430 ft/s ± 30 ft/s) and .44 Magnum Semi Jacketed Hollow Point (SJHP) bullets, with nominal masses of 15.6 g (240 gr) at a reference velocity of 436 m/s (1430 ft/s ± 30 ft/s). It also provides protection against most handgun threats, as well as the threats mentioned in [Types I, IIA, and II].
Type III
(Rifles) This armor protects against 7.62 mm Full Metal Jacketed (FMJ) bullets (U.S. Military designation M80), with nominal masses of 9.6 g (148 gr) at a reference velocity of 847 m/s (2780 ft/s ± 30 ft/s) or less. It also provides protection against the threats mentioned in [Types I, IIA, II, and IIIA].
Type IV
(Armor Piercing Rifle) This armor protects against .30 caliber armor piercing (AP) bullets (U.S. Military designation M2 AP), with nominal masses of 10.8 g (166 gr) at a reference velocity of 878 m/s (2880 ft/s ± 30 ft/s). It also provides at least single hit protection against the threats mentioned in [Types I, IIA, II, IIIA, and III].