Ballistic Shields and Guns
Ballistic shields are critical safety piece of safety equipment that is responsible for saving the lives of thousands of people. However, if you are just intending to get a new ballistic shield, it might be difficult to assess which choice is right for you. This is because there are a few primary factors to consider which solution will best suit their needs; from threat level to handling, size, and cost.
Ballistic threat level or protection level is typically the biggest factor when choosing a ballistic shield, and the most difficult aspect to understand. This is why you must be aware of the level of protection that your shield offers you and the kind of guns that you can be protected from.
The U.S. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has established and updated minimum performance stands for body armor and ballistic shield to ensure that users will know what their body armor will protect them from. To achieve this, the NIJ classifies the ballistic shield into 5 different threat levels. They are Level IIA, Level II, Level IIIA, Level III and Level IV; accordingly.
The NIJ Level IIA and Level II are soft armor protection materials that are not often used in the making of a ballistic shield. However, Level II is a step higher than Level IIA. Level II is designed to protect from .9mm FMJ travelling at a speed of ~1245 ft/s and a .357 Magnum JSP at ~1,430 ft/s.
Level IIIA ballistic shield is designed to stop most common handgun rounds including the .357 Sig FMJ FN bullets travelling at a velocity of ~1470 ft/s and .44 Magnum SJHP rounds at a velocity of 1430 ft/s. Level III armory are hard amour plates designed to stop 6 spaced hits of 7.62x51mm NATO FM at a velocity of ~2780 ft/s, which is similar to the .308 Winchester round often used in hunting.
Level IV ballistic plates are the highest rated ballistic shield protection under NIJ 101.06 standards. They are designed to take 1 hit from an armor-piercing rifle. These rifle plates are tested to defeat 7.62MM armor piercing (AP) bullets (also known was .30-06 or 30 ot 6) travelling at a velocity of 2880 ft/s.
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