Are helmets bulletproof ?

[rogdeb]

nQ4
I like this guy, he is a vet and has a beautiful family. He does a lot of charity work for animals, and has many guns that he tries all sort of stuff with. his 3 youtube blogs are, demolition ranch,,,, off the ranch, all about his family, and vet ranch, all about his non profit vet clinic
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[echo_four_romeo]

Love his videos!

 

[El Toro]

No

 

[Old Guy]

No

You beat me to it.

 

[C&C]

I knew the answer but the helmet did better than I ultimately thought it would. Bird shot resistant; impressive.

 

[Old Guy]

I knew the answer but the helmet did better than I ultimately thought it would. Bird shot resistant; impressive.

I'm not really surprised it stopped the .22; a human skull has been known to do that. But I shot one once with a 357 magnum and a 158 gr hollowpoint, and it didn't even move. I thought I'd missed it, but when I examined it there was a little entrance and exit hole. Without any fluid inside the bullet didn't expand. So then I put a jug of water in it and shot it again. Again, there was a small entrance hole, an exploded jug, and no exit hole.

 

[Pterodactyl]

I can say with certainty that a Kevlar helmet will not stop a 5.56 mm round.

 

[exskibum]

I can say with certainty that a Kevlar helmet will not stop a 5.56 mm round.

No ****. Not a positive experience for anyone wearing the helmet in that "demo."

.22 cal bullets and the 3/16" steel plate 50 yards off my deck:

Target consists of orange peel adhesive targets stuck to cardboard that is clamped to the steel plate.

3 rifles* (and loads): Gamo break action spring .22 pellet, .Ruger 10-22 (.22 LR), and S&W M&P15 (.223cal/5.56mm).

Results: Lead .22 pellets leave minimal mark on the black steel and are completely flat on the ground in front. Lead .22LRs leave slight indentation on surface of black steel and are flattened in front of plate (not as thin as pellets). Jacketed .223s treat steel like cardboard and punch a .22 hole straight through. (Apples and oranges in projectiles, load energy and velocity, but an impressive difference none-the-less for punching the same sized holes.)

* I'm surprised the .22LR in the video didn't penetrate all the way to the helmet's interior, but it was shot from a pistol whose barrel was maybe 4". A higher velocity load and/or a longer barrel (e.g., a rifle) would make that difference up easily enough.

 

[redzgrider]

3/16" thick steel? .1875"? That's a lot more penetration than I would anticipate for a .223

 

[TomInPA]

Very entertaining, and that is the point, right?

 

[exskibum]

3/16" thick steel? .1875"? That's a lot more penetration than I would anticipate for a .223

Yep, so says a double check with the cheaper caliper from the toolbox.

And your reaction is the same I had when I got an itch to check out the EOTech sight's pattern on some Caldwell bullseye targets (instead of the usual homestead itch scratchers: .22 LR or pellet gun). The plate is hung on a hollow old stump with a hill behind. Ammo was Fiochi FMJ .223, 55 gr., no teflon coating, neither tungsten nor steel core, and it was kicking up dirt behind the target. IIRC, velocity is north of 3000 fps, though.

 

[FJRay]

In most cases it will do the same to 3/8 plate. I made some swinging targets using 5/16 circles cut off of 3" cold rolled shaft and at 100 yards the .223 from my AR15 punched nice holes.

 

[Pterodactyl]

I've seen two helmets that were hit by rifle fire. One was the old army steel pot with a liner. The round was an 8mm Mauser. Hit the helmet in the front where the rank was shown and exited the rear of the helmet. Never penetrated the liner, but followed the gap between the liner and the helmet. The soldier was unharmed. The second was a Kevlar hit with a round from a M16A1. It entered the soldier's head just below the rear of the helmet and came out the forehead and penetrated the front of the helmet. He was KIA.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Most Kevlar stuff is only rated for pistol ammo. Rifle rounds, even .22 burn right through them. I would never consider a MC helmet as protection from a bullet.

 

[Cav47]

Most Kevlar stuff is only rated for pistol ammo. Rifle rounds, even .22 burn right through them. I would never consider a MC helmet as protection from a bullet.

Heck, Harley riders don't even think MC helmets protect them from pavement, let alone bullets!

 

[Old Guy]

Most Kevlar stuff is only rated for pistol ammo. Rifle rounds, even .22 burn right through them. I would never consider a MC helmet as protection from a bullet.

Heck, Harley riders don't even think MC helmets protect them from pavement, let alone bullets!

Do rags, on the other hand ..........

 

[El Toro]

I used to shoot long range (like 1700 yards) but for general fun, we had a great 12" diameter 3/8" steel "gong" set up at 300 yards. Centerfire rifle calibers would go through it like it were pot metal.

One day when my son and I were shooting alone, we walked out to the gong to do some quick draw pistol shooting. I had 9mm, 45acp, and a .454 Casual along.

The 9 wouldn't move the gong at 10 yards. The .45 would barely move it. The Casull would punch holes.

It's not about the caliber. It's about the load. A Casull is loaded like a rifle round. The others are loaded like handgun rounds.

.22 caliber encompasses a wide range of powers, from the lowly rimfire rounds to rounds like the .22-250 or the 220 Swift. I know which ones I don't want to be catching.

 

[harper]

Wait. Why is this off-topic?

 

[C&C]

Wait. Why is this off-topic?

Good question; but the probably answer is we don't have a 'digression' thread. But excuse me, I further digress.