Front of Kevlar® Vest
(nylon cover removed)
Level II Vest (5-YEARS-OLD) Shot from 18" (46 cm)

Back of the Kevlar® Vest
(before nylon cover removed)
- ZERO Penetrations (just some dirt from the backstop)

Ballistic Testing Rounds – Shot From 18"
Level II, 24 Layers of Kevlar® - OVER 5 YEARS OLD

(clockwise from left, above)

.38 Special +P Hollowpoint , ~950 fps (~290 mps) ...... ZERO Layers Penetrated
9 mm Hollowpoint, ~1100 fps (~335 mps) ................. 1 Layer Penetrated
.45 Ball, ~900 fps (~274 mps) .................................... ZERO Layers Penetrated
OO Buckshot, 3" Magnum, ~1200 fps (~366 mps) ..... 4 Layers Penetrated
(from a 26" barrel ~66 cm)
9 mm Full Metal Jacket, ~1150 fps (~351 mps) ....... 12 Layers Penetrated (of 24)
9 mm MagSafe Frangible, ~1950+ fps (~594 mps) ................... 18 Layers Penetrated (of 24)*

* Level II armour is only rated up to 1175 fps (358 mps) with 9 mm!
No Vest Penetration here, but Blunt Trauma ('Backface Deformation') probably greater than the 1.7" (44 mm.) allowed.

1 Layer Into the Vest

12 Layers Into the Vest

18 Layers Into the Vest

Mag Safe at 1950 fps is well beyond the tested rating of Level II Vests
BUT STILL 6 LAYERS F Kevlar® TO GO!

Would you like to test-shoot VERY old Police Surplus armor?

If you'd like to test-shoot a 20+ year old vest to see just how good VERY old armor is, one panel is just $25. It has always stopped 9mm FMJ, and .357 Magnum JSP for us.

Pre-1987 vests are on the old NIJ 0101.02 standard and so, for legal reasons, we don't sell these vests for life-saving protection.

NIJ 0101.02 Standard NOT SOLD FOR THE PROTECTION OF LIFE OR PROPERTY.