Post Range Initial Thoughts on Infidel Body Armor

This past weekend we took the Infidel Body Armor Level III plate out to the range to see just how well it would actually hold up to the same abuse we put the EnGarde Armor plates through.

Before anyone jumps to conclusions on the results of the video below, I feel I need to post on here what NIJ Level III standards are. The distance for NIJ Testing is 50 feet, and the distance we shot the rifle rounds at was 25 yards, so well over the standard testing distance.

NIJ LEVEL III:

(High-powered rifle). This armor, normally of hard or semirigid construction, protects against 7.62mm full-metal jacketed bullets (US military designation M80) with nominal masses of 9.7 g (150 gr.) impacting at a velocity of 838 m/s (2,750 ft/s) or less. It also provides protection against threats such as 223 Remington (5.56mm FMJ), 30 Carbine FMJ, and 12-gauge rifled slug, as well as Level I through IIIA threats. Level III body armor is clearly intended only for tactical situations when the threat warrants such protection, such as barricade confrontations involving sporting rifles.

The rounds used in our testing are noted in the video before each shot is taken. No AP ammo was used in the shooting.

XM855 is NOT Armor Piercing, nor is it a factory second round. It is an enhanced barrier penetration round, not Armor Piercing. While XM855 is not used in NIJ testing there have been plenty of videos out on the Internet showing AR500 steel and AR500 Armor Plates will stop XM855. This video by Military Arms Channel is one of those examples.

Overall I was happy with the results we saw against the handgun rounds, shotgun round, XM193, 7.62x39 (FMJ and HP), 7.62x54R (FMJ).

However I was surprised that the XM193 results ended up being what they were.