Bullets vs breastplate

[Sheilawisz]

Yes, I know that those scenes of people flying after getting shot are just movie stuff.

I have watched almost every episode of Mythbusters too, it's one of my favorite shows. In one episode they were trying to determine whether it was possible to disarm a person by shooting at the gun in his/her hand, and then Jaime calculated that a bullet's kinetic energy is similar to that of a good blow from a baseball bat.

The bullet's impact against armor or a bulletproof vest would still hurt, I disagree that it would be like getting clapped. I agree that the impact would hurt much less if the bullet was deflected, but still I would not volunteer to try it out.

Maybe a medieval-like steel armor would need to be very thick and heavy in order to stop bullets, I am not sure. After all, medieval armor could be pierced by bodkin-style arrows shot from a short distance.

 

[Tom]

You guys are talking about MythBusters!

I love how they use guns, and teach their viewers that, handled with respect and caution, guns are fun and exciting tools. Too many people out there have the idea that guns are bad, all the time, no exceptions. Guns are usually only dangerous in the hands of people who are dangerous, inexperienced, or disturbed.

On to the main point...bodkins are made for optimum penetration, and they do that by punching through the steel plate with a sharp tip.

Hollow-point bullets that are often used in .22s are designed to kill mostly by impact, and so they spread out as they hit the target, the nose deforming into a flat, flower-like shape. I'd expect a typical copper hollow-point .22 round to simply deflect off a steel breastplate. Plate armor was designed to spread out blunt impact across a large area, absorbing the force. The steel might dent, but in the case of an impact blow like that of a fully expanded bullet, it probably will retain its integrity.

 

[Sheilawisz]

I would really like to believe that Medieval armor would be able to resist gunfire because I love everything about the Medieval world and achievements, and your argument against hollow-point .22 bullets is great, Tom... but anyway, I don't think that the plate armor would resist a good and direct hit.

My personal experience is related to airguns only, I am far from being an expert in firearms.

However, I have seen what air rifle pellets can do even at moderate muzzle speeds and I know that even the smallest bullets are far more dangerous. I also have noticed the difference between hollow point pellets and the pointed ones:

Hollow points deliver a severe impact force, and eventually they tear the steel cans to shreds. The pointed pellets cause clean and sharp piercings, but in the end the target is destroyed one way or another after a few hits. My theory is that if we upgrade this scenario to represent bullets and plate armor instead, the results would be pretty much the same.

I wish somebody would carry out this experiment, just to see what really happens...

 

[Tom]

Time to email the MythBusters team.

 

[Penpilot]

Time to email the MythBusters team.

On a side note, did you guys know they're doing a revamp of the show, and Tori, Kari, and Grant, got the boot? They're going back to basics with only Jamie and Adam as the hosts. Booo-erns... For me the show got infinitely better when the three Build Team members became regulars. Also, the science and stuff is great, but Kari just made things just that much better.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Thanks, that's really sad to hear. And I agree with Tom. Maybe it's time to email them and find out just what sort of steel / titanium / armour / etc would resist a bullet. My thought is that some sort of alloy should do it at not too much weight.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Tom]

On a side note, did you guys know they're doing a revamp of the show, and Tori, Kari, and Grant, got the boot? They're going back to basics with only Jamie and Adam as the hosts. Booo-erns... For me the show got infinitely better when the three Build Team members became regulars. Also, the science and stuff is great, but Kari just made things just that much better.

I know. It sucks. I loved the Build Team, especially Tory. His jokes and antics made the show so fun. Kari was great, and I enjoyed seeing her working alongside two men and being just as knowledgeable and obsessed with science as they were. It's not every day you get a woman in media like her.

So, as much as I like Adam and Jamie, I'd have to say that the choice to drop the Build Team really made me lose a lot of my interest in the show.

 

[Penpilot]

I know. It sucks. I loved the Build Team, especially Tory. His jokes and antics made the show so fun. Kari was great, and I enjoyed seeing her working alongside two men and being just as knowledgeable and obsessed with science as they were. It's not every day you get a woman in media like her.

Yeah, I'll also miss things like this from Tori. I still laugh my arse off every time I see it.