Using Cardboard like Kevlar against 15 different calibers: FACT or FICTION?

[beavermatic]

Did a youtube video to debunk a myth about "cardboard kevlar" - what some beleive to be as using several layers of thick cardboard to stop bullet penetration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itx85XxSZY0

Yeah. I thought it was crazy too... but you should take a watch... kind of interesting what we came up with.

here's the overview:

In this video, we put 2ft of flattened desktop cardboard boxes to the ultimate test... to see if it can substitute for the mighty body armor that is Kevlar. Will cardboard holds its own? Or would you better off hiding behind a wall poster? Watch to find out! If your looking for shooting videos and pics of the shootout, skip to 20 minutes in the video. First 20 minutes is myself covering the topic at hand, outcome, ballistics, ammo, and weapons used.

Calibers tested:

.22hp
9mm
.380 hp, .380 standard
5.7x28mm
7.62x25mm
.40
.45acp
.500 s&w
5.56 nato / .223
7.62x39mm
7.62x51mm / .308 winchester
7.62x54r

Weapons used:

Bersa .22
Bersa thunder .380
Walther 9mm
S&W M&P .40
FN Five-Seven
Springfield XDm .45acp
Yugo 7.62x25mm pistol - Tokarev model
Smith & Wesson .500 revolver
Bushmaster ACR enhanced
Robinson Arms XCR-L with 5.56 and 7.62 kits
Arma-lite AR-15
FN SCAR 17s (.308, or SCAR-H[eavy])
Yugo SKS
Mosin Nagant Rifle


Note: this was tested with corrugated cardboard (the usual type for packing and shipping stuff). There is non-corrugated, and some of the folks over at xcrforum.com have tested only a foot of it - stating alot more caliberzs actually failed to penetrate as well (awaiting video/photo confirmation of this though)


hopy you enjoy!
-justin

 

[InigoMontoya]

One comment coming from somebody who used to design/test armor systems for a living....

In the armor world, the word "pass" generally means that the armor stopped the projectile. IE, the armor passed the test. For me, the use of the word "pass" to indicate a failure of the armor is very confusing. Yes, I figured out that you mean, "the bullet passed through the armor," but the usage is decidedly non-standard and confusing (to me).

 

[Destructo6]

This would only substitute for kevlar body armor if you donned a vest made up of it, 2' thick and all.

 

[sigcurious]

a 2' thick cardboard suit would also make good camo, "You can't see me! I'm a pile of recycling!"

 

[kilimanjaro]

You might not want to wear the cardboard vest in the rain. On the other hand, you could build a fort from refrigerator boxes....