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Posted: 3/8/2011 11:45:47 AM EDT
| How effective are 9/.40/.45 against level 3/4 Sapi plates? I know they are meant to stop rifle rounds but I was wondering if they were hit with a handgun bullet what would happen. Would they be able to stop multiple hits from a handgun round without breaking? |
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Quoted:
How effective are 9/.40/.45 against level 3/4 Sapi plates? I know they are meant to stop rifle rounds but I was wondering if they were hit with a handgun bullet what would happen. Would they be able to stop multiple hits from a handgun round without breaking? No, they will incur the same type of degree damage... Total number of rounds? I would say NO more than the number of rifle threats that plate is rated for.... Will one round penetrate? Not likely... But multiple rounds will net a bad day for the wearer |
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If your Level III/IV plates are in-conjunction with plates (meaning you need soft armor behind them) then you will be okay. The Level 3A armor inserts that go behind the plates will stop any handgun round that got through the hard plate.
I'd rather run a level IV plate with soft armor backers, then to run a level IV standalone plate without the backers. But that is just my preference. If you get shot once, get the hell out of the way before you get shot again. Just so you know, there have been many hard plates tested where they shot the plate dozens of times. Most of the ammo never penetrated the remnants of the plate, but you can't guarantee that. Try to buy a multi-hit plate if you can (good for at least 3 rounds spaced out a little) and run faster ! 
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Possibly. Depends on the angle of the hit, the penetration of the first round, and the damage done to the plate. I have seen plates get shot over a dozen times when the ceramic was all cracked apart, and it still stopped 12 gauge slugs and some AK rounds.
The chances of getting shot in the same hole are pretty slim. But if it did, you could get hit through the vest if the first hit allowed the rifle round to penetrate the hard armor. Take a look at your Level III plate and make sure it is rated for the threats you may face. A lot of Level III plates do not stop M855 and M193 rounds from AR-15s. Most SAPI plates do, and Level IV plates do as well. Just make sure you find out what rounds your plate is successfully tested against. |
| The plates I wear are from Bulletproof Me level 3 with a 3A vest supporting. I wear a 3a vest (from them) with the pates. They said it will stop M855 and M193. Ive heard that handgun rounds would bounce off the plates. I don't believe that, but i haven't seen any test on them from handgun rounds. The reason I am asking is i wear my vest 6 days a week in Baltimore, MD. Thanks for the info. |
| The level 3 plates at BulletProofMe are not rated to stop M193 and M855 rounds. They will go right through. The only plates they sell that will protect you are their Level IV and SAPI plates. I would give Nick a call from there and ask him. He will tell you the same thing. Just want you to be safe. |
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Which Bulletproofme.com plates specifically?
They have about 4 different level III plates. Steel, ceramic and 2 different polyethylene. My understanding from reading Doc. Roberts stuff is that steel has a hard time with light and fast ammo like 193, poly has a hard time with ss109 type ammo and ceramic would most likely be effective in defeating the array of 5.56 loadings. I totally agree that you need to be sure that your plates have been tested against the threats you expect. I just want to be clear on which plate construction type(s) are being discussed. |
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All of the Level III plates that Bulletproofme sells are not rated for M193 or SS109 (Steel, Poly, and Ceramic). If you click on the Level III link it shows you that they are only rated up to .308 and some mild steel 7.62X39. The M855 penetrator and the M193 will go right through the Level III plates. MSA,PPI and others make some Level III plates that are rated for M193 and M855, but most out there are not unless they specifically state they are tested to stop them.
The level IV plates they sell and the SAPI plates are explicitly tested for all M16 variants such as M193 and M855/SS109. I went with the SAPIs to save weight over the Level IV plates. Plus the SAPI plates cover all the threats I can think of outside of 30.06 AP rounds. Not too many people have AP 30.06 rounds during gun classes or tactical competitions. Quoted:
Which Bulletproofme.com plates specifically? They have about 4 different level III plates. Steel, ceramic and 2 different polyethylene. My understanding from reading Doc. Roberts stuff is that steel has a hard time with light and fast ammo like 193, poly has a hard time with ss109 type ammo and ceramic would most likely be effective in defeating the array of 5.56 loadings. I totally agree that you need to be sure that your plates have been tested against the threats you expect. I just want to be clear on which plate construction type(s) are being discussed. |
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Quoted:
All of the Level III plates that Bulletproofme sells are not rated for M193 or SS109 (Steel, Poly, and Ceramic). If you click on the Level III link it shows you that they are only rated up to .308 and some mild steel 7.62X39. The M855 penetrator and the M193 will go right through the Level III plates. MSA,PPI and others make some Level III plates that are rated for M193 and M855, but most out there are not unless they specifically state they are tested to stop them. The level IV plates they sell and the SAPI plates are explicitly tested for all M16 variants such as M193 and M855/SS109. I went with the SAPIs to save weight over the Level IV plates. Plus the SAPI plates cover all the threats I can think of outside of 30.06 AP rounds. Not too many people have AP 30.06 rounds during gun classes or tactical competitions. Got it. Thanks for explaining that. Comprehension fail on my part. |
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