Ballistic Info

If you are law enforcement agent or a security guard or you are somebody that needs to have a personal protection, ballistic vest can be an optimal choice. This bulletproof vest protects against ballistic threats. These soft armor ballistic vests can reach level 3A protection. These vests are very lightweight, durable, and dependable. This is body armor gear for dangerous scenarios and harsh environments.

Why to buy bulletproof vest

A soldier or a law enforcement person is more likable to face threats when they are on duty or even off duty. Though, while choosing body armor, one should research in which area are they working on? As, when comes to bullet proof vests you will find different types of vests with different materials in the market. Though, by identifying your work, you will be able to purchase the best body armor that suits your needs, and will give you the level of protection you need. Here are some of the consideration, the main threats you may face if you are in these professions:

Military personnel: In war zones, it is very important to carry and wear bullet resistance protection vest to give a coverage and protection from the ballistic threats. Since in war zones, the threat of being shot is high. The wearer must make sure that they wear bullet proof vests to provide coverage and protection to their body. These vests can contain heavy plates, which also provide protection against rifle rounds.

Prison officers and police: It is obvious that the threats encounter in these professions is very high and massively when they are patrolling. An officer or a police who is working in a city is more prone to face the threats. The officers and police are frequently involved in situations where they are been attacked by needle, knife or being shot at. In such times, the bulletproof vest should help in spike and stab protection of such sharp objects which an officer may face in there day to day situations.

The ballistic vest brings a lot of benefits to the soldiers, police, law enforcement offices to give a protection coverage during the shootings and other dangerous situations when they are on their duty. The vests are made up of strong fibers which absorb energy which comes from bullets shot from pistols. These ballistic vests absorb the energy by its ballistic layers and stope the bullet.

Personal security plays vital role, especially on the job where you can be attacked. There many cases why one should always seek personal security. For this reason buying as ballistic vest is the best step to get there.

The bulletproof vests which are used by civilians are made from ballistic fiber as Kevlar. These soft armor vests are considered being the best against handguns as they reduce the energy impact of the bullet and they not only stop the bullet but also reduce trauma to the body, these IIIA vests mainly used against pistols ammunition as 9mm and .44 mag.

Bulletproof vests which are used in military and security sector have armor plates to increase their protection. In such vests, they use multiple layers of woven materials backing the front and back armor plates. Some of these vests also have stand-alone plates on sides to provide side protection as well.

Benefits of wearing bulletproof vests:

• Some of them have affordable price
• They provide ballistic protection for upper body
• Soft armor vests are flexible and can cover other areas as neck, groin and shoulders
• Some of them are lightweight and concealed, and can easily be hidden under clothes

Before purchasing a ballistic vest, consider some important things:

• Against what threat you seek protection
• Is the vest you buying is new and from what brand
• Are these vests were tested
• What is the weight of the vest
• What kind of fiber is used in the manufacturing of this ballistic vest

If you are going to purchase bulletproof vests, keep important thing in mind, these vests can be illegal in your living area, best to check with the law enforcement before you buy one.

Make sure it is perfectly fitted on your body, take proper measurements before ordering especially when buying online.

Bulletproof vest is type of body armor, that protects your upper body from bullets depends on its ballistic rating. When used with hard armor plates these vests provide protection from rifle round. These type of ballistic vests usually used by the military. Before purchasing such vest, one thing should always keep in mind that you should get the ballistic protection level or higher of what you need.

There two types of bullet proof vests that are highly popular: the first one is the Tactical Vest (also know as External Vest) and the second one is Concealable Vests.

Tactical vest can carry your gear and armor plates to protect against high caliber guns. They usually use MOLLE system and in some cases they have a backpack attached to them. They use ballistic material as aramid and polyethylene to stop the bullet. Some of them are fitted with ceramic armor plates level NIJ III and NIJ IV. They have wider protection than concealable vests and they more durable.

Concealable vest these vests are easily worn under jackets and can be easily concealed under clothes. They are highly lightweight bulletproof vests as they made from lightweight ballistic material. This type of body armor protects your body from lower caliber guns as handguns.

These vests usually have smaller protection area than the external vests. For better coverage of your body, better to use tactical and external body armor.

How and where to Buy

Before going to purchase such vests, first search in law enforcement supply shops, where you can get a new bulletproof vests from known brand.

Ballistic vests classified according to their level of protection, which is classified into the following levels:

• Level I: This type of vest protects you from the bullets of 0.22.
• Levels II-A and II: This type of vest protects you from the bullets as 9mm and 0.375 Magnum bullets.
• Levels III-A: type of vest protects you from the bullets of 9mm and 0.44 Magnum bullets.
• Level III and IV: Called hard body armor, it offers protection from rifle rounds as 5.56mm and 7.62mm.

There many different types of body armors but the most popular are the ballistic vests that used for anti-ballistic protection. The bulletproof vest provides a ballistic protection against bullets and even knife stabs. The anti ballistic vests protect against bullet rounds and other ballistic threats. There also stab-proof vests that protect from various stab attacks as knife stabs.

Types of Ballistic Protection Available

There are many types of ballistic vest that are available in the market.

Anti-stab vest: These vests offering protection against knives and needles. They can also be made in a way to also protect against bullets.

Soft armor: these ballistic vests considered to be the standard ballistic body armor and the most popular type. They protect against handguns as 9mm and up to 0.44 magnums rounds as level 3A vests (NIJ 3A).

Armor Plates: these plates covering front and rear parts of the body from high caliber gunshots as long range rifles and assault rifles. Such types, of body armor become common in the war areas and used in plate carrier. These vests usually cannot be worn undercover. They also can provide protection against minor explosions.

Modern ballistic jackets contain multiple layers of thick fiber which reduces the effect of bullets with such ballistic cloth. The bullet stopped by those multilayer fibers, while causing a small trauma to the body.

The Advantages of Bulletproof Vests

The main benefit of the anti ballistic armour is that it can easily be concealed in clothes. These vests are flexible as well as they are light in weight and you can easily wear them just like a shirt or a jackets. Their cover made up of smooth fiber so that they will not harsh your skin.

The second main benefit of the bulletproof vest is that it can be fitter with armor plates for higher protection against high caliber bullets in addition against stabs and other threats. The bullet proof vest by it self is lightweight and come in different models and sizes.

Recently, the National Institute of Justice published a report that indicated only 1/3 of all criminal justice agencies require their officers to wear bullet proof vests while on duty. Many police officers, security guards and other men and women who put themselves in the line of fire are not required to wear them unless they are on high danger tactical forces. The problem is that a routine traffic stop, DUI checkpoints, the serving of a warrant, extra jobs at the bowling alley or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time can make you a target of gunfire by the sheer nature of your outer uniform. Seasoned officers admit that you never know when a routine domestic situation or un-alarming call will turn deadly and that what you wear beneath your blues, both heart and body armor, are the two fragile components that can allow you to keep your own life in tact.

There is a good chance that your agency provides you will bulletproof vests. Before wearing your vest it is vital that you are fitted properly, rather than just ordered a size based on an approximate measurement. Gaps in the bullet proof vest can leave an opening for a stray bullet and can cause you to feel cumbersome when moving around. When a bullet proof vest fits properly, it will lie like second skin against your body and you will be able to easily adjust to the weight after you become accustomed to it. Additionally, after five or so years your vest may be outdated and the Kevlar threads can become weakened. It should be replaced. Other indications that call for a vest replacement are if you have lost or gained weight recently which has altered the size of your normal clothes. If your vest has ever been involved in a shooting or piercing incident, the vest should be deemed unusable and replacement purchased.

Bullet proof vests are not only affordable but come in a wide range of gauges to give you just the right amount of protection for your job. They also have a full and expanse line of tactical gear like bullet proof bags, trauma plates and other gear designed to give you protection in a high fire power situation so that you can walk away with your life. Israeli bulletproof vests produced with Israeli Defense Forces ensuring that their products will hold up to he most aggressive of stand offs. They can provide an entire force or team of security officers with the gear they need to remain safe as well as sell updated equipment to an officer that wants to protect himself. From a long line of bullet proof vests, body armor, bullet proof bags and even stop spikes, everything an officer needs to gain the upper hand is offered at reasonable costs with the highest level of safety and security in mind.

One of the most significant achievements in the development of body armor was the invention of DuPont’s Kevlar ballistic fabric. Invented by Polish-American female chemist Stephanie Kwolek while working for DuPont, Kevlar was accidently invented. Ironically, the fabric was originally intended to replace steel belting in vehicle tires. In 1964, her group began searching for a new lightweight strong fiber to use for light but strong tires. The polymers she had been working with at the time, poly-p-Phenylene-terephthalate and polybenzamide, formed liquid crystal while in solution, something unique to those polymers at the time. The solution was cloudy, opalescent upon being stirred, and of low viscosity and usually was thrown away. However, Kwolek persuaded the technician, Charles Smullen, who ran the “spinneret”, to test her solution, and was amazed to find that the fiber did not break, unlike nylon.

Her supervisor and her laboratory director understood the significance of her discovery and a new field of polymer chemistry quickly arose, giving birth to the incredibly strong fabric we all know today that stop bullets.

The next generation of anti-ballistic bullet proof vest was the World War II “flak jacket” made from ballistic nylon. The flak jacket provided protection primarily from ammunitions fragments and was ineffective against most direct pistol and rifle threats. Flak jackets were also very cumbersome and bulky and hinder a soldier’s effectiveness on the battlefield.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office lists records dating back to 1919 for various designs of bullet proof vests and body armor type garments. One of the first documented instances where such a garment was demonstrated for use by law enforcement officers was detailed in the April 2, 1931 edition of the Washington, D.C., Evening Star, where a bullet proof vest was demonstrated to members of the Metropolitan Police Department.

One of the first recorded instances of the use of soft body armor was by the medieval Japanese, who used armor plate manufactured from silk. It was not until the late 19th century that the first use of soft body armor in the United States was recorded. At that time, the military explored the possibility of using soft body armor manufactured from silk. This form of armor plate project even attracted congressional attention after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901.

This form of armor plate proved successful after the garments were shown to be effective against low-velocity bullets, those traveling at 400 feet per second or less, but however this armor plate did not offer protection against the new generation of handgun ammunition being introduced at that time. Ammunition that traveled at velocities of more than 600 feet per second. This, along with the prohibitive cost of silk made this new armor plate concept unacceptable. Silk body armor of this type was said to have been worn by Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria when he was killed by a shot to the head, thereby precipitating World War I.

As early as the dawning of time armor plate of some sort whether animal hides or wood has been used to defeat weaponry. Dating back to the Ancient Greeks and civilizations around the world people have created some form of protectant body armor during battle. Whether this armor was an armor plate using layers of bronze or animal skin layered over to form fit a torso thereby creating protectant body armor. As civilizations became more advanced, wooden shields and then metal shields came into use. These shields became mobile armor plate or carried body armor as we reference today.

The Roman’s Legions under the command of Julius Caesar saw a change in armor plate and all Legionaries wore uniformed body armor and armor plate designed shield mixed with bronze or metal. The Romans changed their weaponry as well and developed a standing military force up unto that time the world had never seen. The end result was world power for hundreds of years. Body armor can be extremely effective in terms of a whole military force as proven by the Greeks and expanded by the Romans.

Eventually, metal was also seen in expansion to body armor, what we now refer to as the suit of armor associated with the knights of the Middle Ages. Shields used as armor plate were still in use but the history of body armor was changing. However, with the invention of firearms around 1500, metal body armor became ineffective.

As history has changed with the advancement of weapons and ballistics, body armor and armor plate material has also changed with it. As time goes on it maintains a constant race for the development of advanced weaponry and stronger armor to defeat it. After the invention of cannons and early rifles body armor and the technology to develop some form of armor plate seemed ineffective for the average soldier on the battlefield. The only form of armor plate that seemed to defeat the rifle and even canon fire was thick iron used as armor plate on the sides of naval vessels as this was seen on both sides of the American Civil War.

It wasn’t until the 20th century that armor plate made an amazing comeback and for the first time in history it seemed body armor for the average soldier and law enforcement was on the superior side.