Understanding Bulletproof Vest Testing: Safety & Effectiveness

A bulletproof vest can mean the difference between life and death for law enforcement officers and soldiers in the field. The vests are normally constructed of either metal plates laced together in fabric or heavily woven, lighter weight material that can absorb a bullet's impact. Body armor has its limits, and certain types of ammunition can pierce through a vest. Testing a bulletproof vest's effectiveness should be done carefully to prevent injury and to ensure the test is legal in the area it is conducted.

Things You'll Need

• 220-pound clay block
• Firearm
• Ammunition
• Toothpick
• Ruler or tape measure

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Instructions

• 1

  Place a bulletproof vest over a 220-pound block of modeling clay. Only do this in a place where you can legally and safely fire a gun, such as a firing range.

• 2

  Stand several feet away from the vest. The distance depends on whether you want to test the vest at close range or from further away. If you are testing various vests, keep the distance consistent for best results.

• 3

  Fire two or three rounds from your firearm into the vest.

• 4

  Examine the vest to see if it was breached and then remove it to inspect the clay block.

• 5

  Measure the depth of the divots in the clay model. One way of doing this is sticking a toothpick in any holes to gauge depth and then hold the toothpick up to a ruler or tape measure to see how deep the round impact would have penetrated.

• 6

  Place the vest back on the clay block and fire on it with a different caliber gun to get an idea of how the vest stacks up to different types of weapons from the same distance.