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Flak Jacket vs. Bullet Proof Vest

BOBBYWINS
Please excuse my ignorance,but it's just that I've never been around them or had any use for them.

What's the difference?

Does one offer more protection than the the other?

Or are they basicaly the same thing?

The reason I ask is that a buddy has a chance to buy a "Flak Jacket"(That's what he's callin'it.) at a pawn shop for $60.(Not that he needs one,but he's just the type that will buy anything he thinks he might make a buck on.)

I found a few "Bullet Proof Vests" on the auction and they were goin' for $500-$600.

Thanks,
BW

IT'S WHAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THEMSELVES THAT MAKES THEM AFRAID.
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Comments

9 comments

Date Votes
  • gap1916
    A Flak Jacket will not stop a Bullet. It was designed to to protect you from flying material such as rock, shrapnal, etc. [8D]

    Greg
    Former Marine
    2nd A N G L I C O
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  • nmyers
    Unless your buddy plans to visit Iraq soon, it's probably a waste of money. A flak jacket has limited value in civilian life. It's too bulky to wear under other clothing.

    And, there's no such thing as a "bullet proof vest"; there is "body armor" which can be bought to resist different levels of threat, but none of it is "bullet proof".

    Neal
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  • gunnut505
    A flak jacket is comprised of up to 21 layers of a Kevlar- or Kevlar-type aramid fiber, and will defeat small, fast moving pieces of metal from a fragmentary device like a grenade or mortar round at certain distances.
    A bullet resistant vest has a woven aramid or polyamide fiber that can defeat certain calibers at certain velocities depending on the NIJ certification level.
    Flak jackets are heavy, bulky, and ineffective against even a .22lr; whereas a vest is designed to be worn under clothing, is somewhat concealable depending again on the threat level it is rated for.
    $60 for a flak jacket is way too much for what you get.


    "Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit" --OVID
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  • rldowns3
    Flak jackets are pretty worthless. Even their protection against shrapnel is less than desireable, much less a bullet. You'd be better off with a class 2 or higher body armor with a chainmail underlayer to resist knives and other stabbing/cutting instruments.[:D]

    ______________________________________________________________
    nostradamus2.gif
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  • MN Hunter
    put ballistic plates in a flak....id take that any day of the week over body armor...

    "Not many like us, in fact very few, and most of them are dead" LtCol Pratt - USMC
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  • hksrule
    On the history channel, R Lee Ermey shot the crap out of Vietnam type flak jacket in order to prove its ineffectiveness againts Charlies weapons. The AK round went through it like butter. Most the guys never wore them cause of the bulk and lack of effectiveness.

    Anybody comes through that door, you put two in the chest and one in the head!
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  • BOBBYWINS
    Thanks guys!

    This will talk him out of it.[;)]

    BW

    IT'S WHAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THEMSELVES THAT MAKES THEM AFRAID.
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  • 1911a1-fan
    There was another guy just killed wearing a flak jacket, he had his buddy shoot him intentionally


    Here is the nij web page, scroll down about half way to see what level of armor is required for each caliber

    Table1 test summary
    http://www.nlectc.org/txtfiles/BodyArmorStd/NIJSTD010103.html


    And take note how threat level 2 is higher than 2a, and level 3 is higher than 3 a
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  • A J Christ
    Agree with the statement that a flak jacket is for protection against shrapnel, not bullets. Also be aware it was produced by the lowest bidder, same as most military equipment. We used to shoot them with whatever we had to see if they were bullet proof, they ain't. A 22 mag will always go through, a 9mm hard ball, most of the time, a 45 hardball , most of the time, a 357, always, a 5.56, always and usually both sides even the bucket it was on.
    My opinion is that they are OK for weight training and very little else.
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