Nij Iiia
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 Light Lite Bullet Proof Vest Body Armor IIIA 3A NIJ NEW  US $339.00
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 NIJ IIIA Bullet resistant Glass Bulletproof 10in x 20in US $160.00
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 Bullet Proof Vest NIJ IIIA US $400.00
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 LEVEL IIIA NIJ bulletproof vest plate insert SAPI US $31.00
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 trauma plate hard NIJ IIIA stand alone 5 x 8 x 9 16 US $23.00
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Nij Iiia
Bullet resistant vest question?
I have this bullet resistant vest which it says is rated nij IIIA. So being as curious as I am, I cut open a corner in the back panel, and the insides puzzled me. I knew that the first 20-ish layers were probably kevlar because it is yellow, but I'm no expert so I'm not sure. But the last 10-ish layers that are closest to the body were white! So I thought back to other stronger materials like spectra or dyneema.
Anyways, I am confused as I am not sure about anything with this vest. The first 10 layers of alleged Kevlar were coarse woven, what I mean by that is that it doesn't look too tightly woven. The next layers of kelvar were so finely woven together that they felt super smooth, almost like polished metal. Lastly, the alleged dyneema was just as tightly woven and smooth.
So my real question is, is this how a bullet resistant insert is supposed to look? Its brand is point blank. Thank you.
Yup, this is how a vest is supposed to look. Earlier models from some manufacturers were all coarse woven Kevlar like the first 10 layers. Advances in composite technology and materials allowed the vests to become somewhat lighter and less bulky while offereing the same level of protection.
nij is the "National Institute of Justice". The NIJ performs many functions, one of which is to act as an "Underwriters Laboratories" for police gear. IIIA is the highest rating commonly found for soft armor, and it will stop a bullet from a .44 Magnum.
Unfortunately, you did ruin the panel you cut into. The farther away you go from the cut, the closer the vest will perform to the original specification. But in the vicinity of the cut, the vest will now offer substantially less protection than it did before you did that.
Magnum44 on NanoRepel