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Hey Folks!
On a whim I picked up a surplus level II w/ Spike Protection panel from a reputable seller on Ebay. I was really curious how a $30 used armor panel would perform and had to test it for myself.
The panel itself was pretty clean, with some wear/use marks but no material damage. The back label had been altered so I don't know the date of manufacture or supplier.
Test #1: 22LR 38grain Federal out of a 4.75" Ruger Wrangler from 7 yards
The panel caught the round just under the outer nylon shell. The flattened round was caught in the first layer of Kevlar
Test #2: 38 special 130 grain Winchester out of a 4" Revolver from 7 yards
The found was stopped by the first two layers of Kevlar and mushroomed out to pretty much fall in my hand when I walked up to the panel
Test #3: 45 ACP 230 grain Freedom Munitions out of a 4.25" 1911 from 7 yards
The round didn't even pierce the first layer of Kevlar. I searched around the panel but could not locate it through the mulch.
Test #4: .357 Magnum 130 grain Freedom Munition out of a 4" Revolver from 7 yards
This round made the most damage. It mushroomed out and got tangled up in about 3 layers of Kevlar.
Results from the first four tests:
No pass through or back-face deformation
At this point I cut away the outer shell to reveal two different panels. The first panel is about 10 layers of Kevlar. I believe this is to provide spall protection.
The second panel consisted of a nylon outer shell and about 20 rigid plastic like panels (I don't know the composition) with a thin foam backing
I repeated all the tests on the back panel only. I also fired one round of 20 gauge #3 buckshot from 10 yards.
Both the 38 and 357 were ejected out of the left side but failed to penetrate past two layers of material.
The buckshot went through the first layer of material only.
CONCLUSION:
The $30 level II panel I purchased on Ebay stopped 22LR, 38 Spl, .357 Magnum, 45 ACP, and 20 gauge #3 buckshot. I wish I had brought out a rifle so I could have defeated the panel. I was surprised that the .357 failed to penetrate more than a few layers...and nothing came close to going through the approximately 30ish layers of material.
Overall I'm impressed, and it was a fun day.
I'll caveat this post by saying it's a novelty purchase off of Ebay. If you're looking for something to save your life don't cut corners and be sure to buy the appropriate, unexpired, material from reputable manufacturers.
Safe Shooting!
On a whim I picked up a surplus level II w/ Spike Protection panel from a reputable seller on Ebay. I was really curious how a $30 used armor panel would perform and had to test it for myself.
The panel itself was pretty clean, with some wear/use marks but no material damage. The back label had been altered so I don't know the date of manufacture or supplier.
Test #1: 22LR 38grain Federal out of a 4.75" Ruger Wrangler from 7 yards
The panel caught the round just under the outer nylon shell. The flattened round was caught in the first layer of Kevlar
Test #2: 38 special 130 grain Winchester out of a 4" Revolver from 7 yards
The found was stopped by the first two layers of Kevlar and mushroomed out to pretty much fall in my hand when I walked up to the panel
Test #3: 45 ACP 230 grain Freedom Munitions out of a 4.25" 1911 from 7 yards
The round didn't even pierce the first layer of Kevlar. I searched around the panel but could not locate it through the mulch.
Test #4: .357 Magnum 130 grain Freedom Munition out of a 4" Revolver from 7 yards
This round made the most damage. It mushroomed out and got tangled up in about 3 layers of Kevlar.
Results from the first four tests:
No pass through or back-face deformation
At this point I cut away the outer shell to reveal two different panels. The first panel is about 10 layers of Kevlar. I believe this is to provide spall protection.
The second panel consisted of a nylon outer shell and about 20 rigid plastic like panels (I don't know the composition) with a thin foam backing
I repeated all the tests on the back panel only. I also fired one round of 20 gauge #3 buckshot from 10 yards.
Both the 38 and 357 were ejected out of the left side but failed to penetrate past two layers of material.
The buckshot went through the first layer of material only.
CONCLUSION:
The $30 level II panel I purchased on Ebay stopped 22LR, 38 Spl, .357 Magnum, 45 ACP, and 20 gauge #3 buckshot. I wish I had brought out a rifle so I could have defeated the panel. I was surprised that the .357 failed to penetrate more than a few layers...and nothing came close to going through the approximately 30ish layers of material.
Overall I'm impressed, and it was a fun day.
I'll caveat this post by saying it's a novelty purchase off of Ebay. If you're looking for something to save your life don't cut corners and be sure to buy the appropriate, unexpired, material from reputable manufacturers.
Safe Shooting!
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