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Out of date body armour

MyjackMyjack Member Posts: 86 ✭✭
edited July 2002 in Ask the Experts
I'm looking for a used bullet proof vest or two that has
passed service life. I'm building a pellet stop for indoor shooting
of airguns.
Any help out there?
Thanks folks!
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Comments

  • AdamsQuailHunterAdamsQuailHunter Member Posts: 2,022 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    At one time I was a member of a gun club that had a youth air rifle program. We built a frame of wood about the size of a refrigerator. The front is where you would staple the cardboard and the targets were taped on the cardboard.

    The top boards on the sides were scaloped and dowels went across the boards. Attached to the dowels were sheets of carpeting. One of the members was a carpet installer and provided us with bunches of old carpeting that was taken up when the new carpet was installed. There were about six dowels with carpeting on them as I remember. As one of the carpet sheets was shot out, you just moved everything forward by one place and put the "new" carpet sheet in the last position.

    I hope this may be of some interest to you.

    Best Regards
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  • MyjackMyjack Member Posts: 86 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks Adamsquailhunter, but my air rifle is pushing over 30 FPE (30 gr pellet at about 900 fps) Carpet don't cut it!
    I have tried Duct seal and penatration is well over 1.5 inches! when I stack shots thru the same hole several times, it winds up pushing the back of a steel electrical box out of shape or worse - spitting pellets back at the shooter!
    I have a friend that put kevlar in front of the putty and while the kevlar does get pushed out of shape the trap works very well.
    And the search continues.
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  • E.WilliamsE.Williams Member Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If you dont want to spend the money on the bullet proof vests you can just use old carpet it will stop pellets and bb's.


    Eric S. Williams
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  • E.WilliamsE.Williams Member Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    sorry I didnt read your first response.I gues I should have.But still it works perfect.

    Eric S. Williams
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  • E.WilliamsE.Williams Member Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Tou can also use the foam like they use i flower arrangments in front of the carpet it will stop spitbacks.I have a friend who uses a trap like it in his garage for .22 long rifle and it stops them.He uses 4 layers carpet and 4 layers foam.He has never had one go through to the wall.Of course he has to replace the carpet every couple of months but its still pretty cheap.

    Eric S. Williams
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  • punchiepunchie Member Posts: 2,792 ✭
    edited November -1
    Try several layers about 6 inches apart (front to rear) of conveyor belting. It is a lot cheaper than used or out of date body armour and quite effective. Recently saw some mil-sup armour at www.tapco.com if you still want to go that way.

    AN ARMED SOCIETY IS A POLITE SOCIETY
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  • NighthawkNighthawk Member Posts: 12,022 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You will probably have a hard time buying used vest as depts.usually either trade them in or destroy them.

    Rugster
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  • NighthawkNighthawk Member Posts: 12,022 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You will probably have a hard time buying used vest as depts.usually either trade them in or destroy them.

    Rugster
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  • mballaimballai Member Posts: 1,280 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I recommend that you use a 22LR bullet trap. Never had a problem with mine.

    Three Precious Metals: Gold, silver and lead
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  • MyjackMyjack Member Posts: 86 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Lead dust from steel traps can be a serious health concearns - especially indoors. Less that 50 shots can vaporize enough lead to get airborne contamination 10x exposure limits.
    I lived at a range in my younger day, but given what we know no and how much that has changed, I will continue working towards what I feel is a better solution.
    And the steel traps make almost as much noise and the gun, which isnt a problem using Kevlar
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  • mballaimballai Member Posts: 1,280 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Not sure about the lead problem, but you could use some carpet in the trap to muffle the noise--just replace it periodically. No matter what your solution is, over time you will need to deal with both lead and probable replacement of your backstop and/or trap. Use good air filtering if you shoot indoors. You might want to contact Beeman regarding suggested solutions to your problem.

    Three Precious Metals: Gold, silver and lead
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  • leeblackmanleeblackman Member Posts: 5,303 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    From what I understand, though NIJ certified bullets proof vests expire after 5 years, they are still perfectly good for years of service. From what the guy told us in the acadamy, when they did tests on old service vests, they still held up to what their original NIJ threat level specs were. Even after the years of daily wear.

    If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

    The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !
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  • AlpineAlpine Member Posts: 15,092 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    When we were issued new vests they would collect the old ones. The manufacturer does not want old out of date vests floating around as they are extremely senseitive to their stuff being involved in a failure to stop a round. That being said I have kept old vests (issued in the late 70's) and fired 9mm, 38s, and 357s at them with telephone book back stop. Even the old stuff worked well.

    "If you ain't got pictures, I wasn't there."
    ?The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.?
    Margaret Thatcher

    "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
    Mark Twain
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  • leeblackmanleeblackman Member Posts: 5,303 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hehehehe, those old vests make you look like the state puff marshmellow man, don't they LOL hehehe.

    I've seen some of the older bullet proof vests, and can honestly say, I don't understand how someone could wear one. They are so bulky, inflexable, and I bet they are hot as heck in the summer. I'm so glad they came out with zylon...

    If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

    The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !
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