Where ancient armor was required to withstand the force of club, mace, sword, pike or arrows, modern armor must withstand the force of firearms, which can be far greater than any other weapons utilized in earlier times. Selecting the best armor solution for your needs is imperative. How do you take action, though?
Dispelling a Myth
First, it is important to understand that there’s no such thing as a bullet proof vest. Body armor is made to resist the force of bullets, by dissipating the impact force from the fibers with the vest material (or by deflection regarding hard body armor). Vests and other lightweight armor options still deform using the force of a bullet, and that deformation affects your body in the wearer. How much deformation towards the wearer’s skin is termed backface deformation.
Hard or Soft?
There’s 2 primary options in protective armor today. Soft and hard armor systems can be found, but both serve very different needs. For example, a gentle vest is more easily worn, much less cumbersome and much more comfortable than hard armor. This will make it the best choice for everyday use by law enforcement officers.
Hard armor was made more for battle as well as other conditions, where high-powered rifles will be the more established threats (soft armor is better for resisting handguns). Additionally there is a third option, semi-rigid body armor, which comes between soft and difficult armor options in comfort and protection.
Protection Levels
Choosing the correct body armor is very important, but can be hard. You’ll find seven classifications for industrial strength vests along with other armor solutions, which depend on the caliber, bullet weight and impact velocity they’re able to withstand.
You can find vest accessible that offer both protection and comfort. An even III-A vest the highest rating within a soft armor will protect you against most hand gun threats an officer, body guard or security personnel would be faced with while still being mobile. Note that the greater the protective rating, your mobility decreases over time. These vest generally will also gain one more pocket inside the front from the vest to insert a trauma plate which can be six by eight inches in space so they cover the location in the center of your chest for additional protection and impact dispersion.
Selecting the right choice is vital, nevertheless it can be complicated. Most public safety officers choose bullet resistant vest that could withstand the standard of handgun used by their officers, though some choose higher protection. The selection has to be depending on comfort, wearability, the requirement for concealment as well as other critical indicators. However, the amount of protection afforded the wearer could be the paramount consideration and may trump all others.
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