thesheepdog
New member
Hey sheepdogs, office chair commandos and those not appearing this film,
With all of the instability in our country right now, I have been doing research on some good body armor in the event stuff gets bad.
DHS, SSA, and the NWS have purchased 450,000,000 rounds of .40 S&W HP rounds.
Why?
It's a darn good round.
Says who?
Me.
Recently I have bee doing a lot of research in different types of ballistic armor to establish an idea of what would be best suited for me, a lawful citizen.
Generally speaking there are 4 major types of armor any law abiding civilian can own: Ceramic plates, UHMWPE (dyneema/spectra) plates/vests, steel plates and Kevlar inserts/vests.
Obviously the plates are for rifle rounds and vests are for pistol rounds.
Now with a lot of us on a budget, we really have to consider what is viable for us to buy, and what we're losing when we save some $$$ here and there.
So how does this apply to the .40 S&W?
Well I purchased a UHMWPE (spectra/dyneema plate) that is 1.5" thick (this is pretty standard) and decided to test it out with various types of cartridges.
Here are the results from 50 yard shots:
8 shots of Herters 9mm TNJ:
All rounds were stopped with one round cracking the backside of the plate. Good overall.
2 shots of reloaded 45 ACP HP low recoil:
Both rounds were stopped 1/8" through the plate.
2 shots 45 ACP Corbon +p HP's:
Both rounds were stopped 1/8" into the plate.
1 shot .40 S&W 180 FMJ:
The round completely penetrated the plate. Due to the fractured exit hole, I presume the bullet was ripped to shreds after passing through a jagged piece of the plate on exit.
This round is scary.
2 rounds 6.5 MPC 107gr SMK (similar ballistics to an AK 7.62x39mm, 2400fps 1400-1500ft lbs):
Both rounds were stopped 1/2"-1" into the plate.
2 rounds 6.5 MPC 100gr AMAX:
Both rounds were stopped 1/2"-1" into the plate.
1 round .50 Beowulf 350gr XTP:
Round penetrated with some fragments still in the plate:
So this just goes to show the power of.a .40 cal.
I am not biased towards this round at all as I don't even own one (I have a .357 Sig and a 9mm). But I have always liked the performance of this round despite the snappy recoil it usually has on most handguns.
So what does this post conclude:
Firstly, UHMWPE (spectra/dyneema) plates will stop certain rounds but not .40 S&W FMJ rounds or large magnum rounds (shotgun slugs, .303 Brit and .357 sig to be tested later) per my tests.
Secondly, .40 S&W is a good round. It penetrated what two assault rifle rounds could not. Stunned, shocked, amazed, yes!!!!
Thirdly I am not recommending any specific armor to you guys, I am just informing you of my test results so you think twice before buying expensive armor plates. Spectra plates are running about $300 a pair right now for level III protection. If I were you I would invest in steel or ceramic or make your own spectra plates and test them yourself. Yes you can buy spectra plates from plastic dealers for about $70 a pop. You will have to cut and form the plates into a shape that will fit into a carrier but like I said, do so at your own risk. I take zero responsibility for any of your actions.
With all of the instability in our country right now, I have been doing research on some good body armor in the event stuff gets bad.
DHS, SSA, and the NWS have purchased 450,000,000 rounds of .40 S&W HP rounds.
Why?
It's a darn good round.
Says who?
Me.
Recently I have bee doing a lot of research in different types of ballistic armor to establish an idea of what would be best suited for me, a lawful citizen.
Generally speaking there are 4 major types of armor any law abiding civilian can own: Ceramic plates, UHMWPE (dyneema/spectra) plates/vests, steel plates and Kevlar inserts/vests.
Obviously the plates are for rifle rounds and vests are for pistol rounds.
Now with a lot of us on a budget, we really have to consider what is viable for us to buy, and what we're losing when we save some $$$ here and there.
So how does this apply to the .40 S&W?
Well I purchased a UHMWPE (spectra/dyneema plate) that is 1.5" thick (this is pretty standard) and decided to test it out with various types of cartridges.
Here are the results from 50 yard shots:
8 shots of Herters 9mm TNJ:
All rounds were stopped with one round cracking the backside of the plate. Good overall.
2 shots of reloaded 45 ACP HP low recoil:
Both rounds were stopped 1/8" through the plate.
2 shots 45 ACP Corbon +p HP's:
Both rounds were stopped 1/8" into the plate.
1 shot .40 S&W 180 FMJ:
The round completely penetrated the plate. Due to the fractured exit hole, I presume the bullet was ripped to shreds after passing through a jagged piece of the plate on exit.
This round is scary.
2 rounds 6.5 MPC 107gr SMK (similar ballistics to an AK 7.62x39mm, 2400fps 1400-1500ft lbs):
Both rounds were stopped 1/2"-1" into the plate.
2 rounds 6.5 MPC 100gr AMAX:
Both rounds were stopped 1/2"-1" into the plate.
1 round .50 Beowulf 350gr XTP:
Round penetrated with some fragments still in the plate:
So this just goes to show the power of.a .40 cal.
I am not biased towards this round at all as I don't even own one (I have a .357 Sig and a 9mm). But I have always liked the performance of this round despite the snappy recoil it usually has on most handguns.
So what does this post conclude:
Firstly, UHMWPE (spectra/dyneema) plates will stop certain rounds but not .40 S&W FMJ rounds or large magnum rounds (shotgun slugs, .303 Brit and .357 sig to be tested later) per my tests.
Secondly, .40 S&W is a good round. It penetrated what two assault rifle rounds could not. Stunned, shocked, amazed, yes!!!!
Thirdly I am not recommending any specific armor to you guys, I am just informing you of my test results so you think twice before buying expensive armor plates. Spectra plates are running about $300 a pair right now for level III protection. If I were you I would invest in steel or ceramic or make your own spectra plates and test them yourself. Yes you can buy spectra plates from plastic dealers for about $70 a pop. You will have to cut and form the plates into a shape that will fit into a carrier but like I said, do so at your own risk. I take zero responsibility for any of your actions.