bullet proof vest question

[.356luger]

in light of the Africa mall shootings i found myself asking if a vest/or a plate carrier would stop a magnum 12ga slug? If you were on the second floor of dicks in gwood for instance there would be a considerable advantage over an attacker. The only two ways up are the escalators and the elevator assuming of course you couldn't get to safety and had to fight. I dont believe the terrorist were armored but it did seem like an interesting topic at least to me. I wouldn't be in dicks sporting goods for the stance they took on ar15s but i still wondered the effects of slugs on vests.

I also couldn't remember if during the north Hollywood shootout if the police had slugs or just buckshot. Im also inclined to think that a slug without penetration could be temporarily incapacitating.

So does anyone have experience with this?

 

[strong89]

id like to think a 12 ga slug would blow through the plate.. but the other side of me hopes it doesnt... time for range time testing?

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

A 12ga 3" Slug, may not penetrate the plate, but my guess is that it will knock em on their ass, and take the fight out of them.

 

[.356luger]

A 12ga 3" Slug, may not penetrate the plate, but my guess is that it will knock em on your their ass, and take the fight out of them.

this is what i assumed... never having been shot with a slug thankfully but having shot deer trees cinder blocks ect it seems like it would be the equivelent of being hit with a 2 pound sledge.

 

[Trigger Time]

Some vest alone will stop a 12 guage slug. Plan on a broken rib or two.

 

[swilk]

"Plan on a broken rib or two ....." or 20.

My guess would be that even if the vest stopped the projectile your body would have to absorb all of that energy and it just might kill you anyway.

Running through a KE calculator ... you could be talking as much as 2000 ft lbs of energy ... about the equivalent of getting run over by a 78 Buick.

 

[Never A Victim]

The officers in the North Hollywood shooting did not have slugs, only buckshot. One officer was able to get a good hit with buckshot, but id didn't even slow the suspect down, just diverted his attention to the officer that shot him. A slug could have stopped that gunfight, even if it wouldn't have penetrated the body armor. Cops have been shot in the vest with slugs before and survived.

 

[cosermann]

Good question. Level II-A, II and III-A soft armor all stop the majority of pistol projectiles you're likely to encounter (plus 12 gauge, OO buckshot) although the blunt trauma experienced is less as the protection level increases.

Not sure whether the soft armor will stop 12 ga slug off the top of my head. Plates are rated to stop 12 slugs.

Edit: Box of truth test shows no penetration on IIIa, but significant backside deformation (as expected, ouch). Better than nothing, but you could die from the blunt trauma.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot16_4.htm

 

[freekforge]

3A soft armor will stop up to .44mag and .357sig it will also stop 12 gauge but the BFT is likely to kill you anyway. Dont think i would wear plates unless i knew 100% that i was going to get shot at they're just too heavy and bulky.

 

[Westside]

3A soft armor will stop up to .44mag and .357sig it will also stop 12 gauge but the BFT is likely to kill you anyway. Dont think i would wear plates unless i knew 100% that i was going to get shot at they're just too heavy and bulky.

and I will add that the splatter from a AR500 plate will hurt you as well.

 

[.356luger]

Good question. Level II-A, II and III-A soft armor all stop the majority of pistol projectiles you're likely to encounter (plus 12 gauge, OO buckshot) although the blunt trauma experienced is less as the protection level increases.

Not sure whether the soft armor will stop 12 ga slug off the top of my head. It's not really "rated" to do that (too much blunt trauma I expect). Plates are rated to stop 12 slugs.

Edit: Box of truth test shows no penetration on IIIa, but significant backside deformation (as expected, ouch). Better than nothing, but you could die from the blunt trauma.

The Box O' Truth #16 - Level IIIA Armor - Page 4

What would the deterioration rate of the plate be before its powder so to speak? I consider myself a proficient marksman with a gun during semi stressed times, buck fever, and would like to believe i could put multiple hits on target at say 50-75yds. I most often think of magnum slugs as the fusion slugs or the hornady ballistic or solid copper slugs. Not that any of these are designed for poking holes in Kevlar i would just be interested in seeing different test with different projectile. Ill see if i cant find some youtube testing with different slugs or projectiles.

This was a question of impact on the BG i dont wear armor at the mall i feel its tacky.

 

[IndyGunworks]

Deer hunting, and mortal combat are two completely different types of stress, not even comparable. I would be surprised if any person not experienced in combat could make multiple hits on a man size target at 75 yards with a 12 guage. (I am assuming since most people don't carry their shotgun into dicks that the OP was thinking about the ability to get from from the gun counter)

 

[cosermann]

FYI, current NIJ standard is here fwiw - https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/223054.pdf

While level IIIA might stop 12 ga slug, as the BOT test above shows, nothing below level III has to be tested against shoulder fired arms to meet the rating standard. In fact, there's no mention of 12 gauge i the NIJ standard. So, you'd be "on your own" using something less than level III with the expectation of it stopping 12 ga slug with acceptable backside deformation.

See also last 2 posts (9 and 10) of this thread: Slugs vs. Soft Body Armor - The Firing Line Forums

 

[freekforge]

I would imagine the BFT from a slug hitting a hardplate would mess you up too

 

[.356luger]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs6ai5b-nUM

Thought this was interesting to note the plywood

 

[Kagnew]

Some vest alone will stop a 12 guage slug. Plan on a broken rib or two.

Not to mention being knocked flat on your Obama!

 

[92ThoStro]

Energy will be transferred, and you could easily be killed with a magnum slug to the vest. It should not penetrate, but the sheer force alone.is enough to kill. I saw that Gander Mountain carries the barrier penetration slugs from Brenekke in.Castleton now, I wonder what those would do. They said they could penetrate the engine block on the back of the box. Expensive things though.

 

[gunman41mag]

I have a vest that will stop 500 S&W & 308 winchester, but it's heavy

 

[.452browning]

12 ga 3inch sabot slug vs safariland IIIA - YouTube

Inspection after

12 ga 3inch sabot slug vest inspection - YouTube

 

[kawtech87]

Interesting video and something to keep in mind maybe.

Modern Crossbow vs. Modern Body Armor! Tactical Assault Crossbow and Level IIIA Panel - YouTube