bullet proof armour question

[andyf]

just out of curiosity, if you get shot while wearing this stuff, and it stops the bullet ok, does it still hurt like hell / knock you for six?

Like I said, just curious! no hidden meanings!!

[Dodger]

I promise you it hurts like hell. (Not been shot myself but I know somebody who has).

Technical dissertation time:
Body armour comes in two or three different types to stop different kinds of projectiles.
The pathetic stuff is made from Kevlar and is good for stopping things like grenade fragments (just, if you're not right on top of the thing when it goes off) and flying bits of rubble and woodwork. The middle stuff is for stopping low velocity stuff like pistol rounds and shotgun slugs. The really good stuff is for stopping high velocity rounds, although an AP round with its tungsten carbide tip might regard it as butter. It's generally made from layers of ceramic and kevlar bonded together and then slipped into velcro'd pockets in whatever style of armour you're wearing. And there's no guarantee it'll work, although a big rifle-calibre round travelling at WELL over 1,000 feet per second is a very determined thing, I'm sure you'll agree. And of course if it's a sniper worth his salt who's doing the shooting he's not going to be aiming to hit you in the body armour anyway. Nice upper thigh shot so you lie there screaming and bleeding to death until somebody comes to help you and the sniper can shoot them somewhere very painful too so someody has to come to get them as well...and so on. My mate was shot from about 500 yards in Ireland and ended up with three broken ribs and a punctured lung as a result.
I can also tell you first hand it's not fun to wear body armour all day long - especially in a hot climate.
The fun part is that you can get thick Kevlar baseball caps that are supposed to stop your brains getting spilled all over the place, but the experts appear to agree that they are more ornament than use.
And of course it's all f@ck all use when the big artillery round goes off right next to you and the blast and shrapnel takes off your limbs and head......but hey look, his torso's not got a mark on it. Isn't body armour wonderful. Morbid git.

Now, quite why were you asking?

[This message has been edited by Dodger (edited 28-10-2001).]

[andyf]

Interesting reply ...

I was watching Three Kings last night and Mark Whalberg gets shot while wearing armour, gets knocked over, looks to be in some pain .. wondered how realistic this was as the rest of the film was fairly graphic.

That ok for you Dodger or shall I go fill out some more ask-dodger authorisation forms?

[Dodger]

Hmmm...Triplicate please.

Keep meaning to watch Three Kings.

[Keith_C]

Ahem - chat section for this methinks http://300zx.co.uk/200sx/ubb/wink.gif

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Keith
UK Supras resident lurker