Today, many people in extreme situations prefer body armor, abbreviated as BZ. This device is an element that provides individual protection to its owner. If necessary, you can make a bulletproof vest with your own hands. It is put on like an ordinary vest and protects the human torso from attacks with cold and firearms, as well as the damaging elements of some shells. The composition includes materials that trap and dissipate the energy of bullets and shrapnel: ballistic fabric, metal or ceramic plates.
Protection classes
Modern armored clothing is divided into several classes according to the degree of protection. These standards came into force on the territory of the Russian Federation in 2014:
- 1st class - protection against 9x18 mm steel-core weapons;
- 2nd class - 9x21 mm lead-tipped weapon;
- 3rd grade - 9x19 mm with heat-strengthened steel tip;
- 4th grade - 5.45x39 mm and 7.62x39 mm;
- 5th grade - 7.62x54 mm;
- 6th grade - 12.7x108 mm.
A big role here is played not only by the caliber of the charges, but also by their mass, the speed in flight, the distance with whicha shot is fired.
Both a bullet and a blade
Anyone who decides not to spend money on purchased protective equipment, but does not know how to sew a body armor with their own hands, should first of all familiarize themselves with the classification of protective clothing. This is necessary in order to understand what kind of armored vest you need to stock up on in a given situation.
All bulletproof vests are divided into two large groups: civilian or police, which are worn by ordinary people and law enforcement officers, and military, intended for members of the armed forces. Before deciding which bulletproof vest to make with your own hands, the potential owner should study the types of these devices, each of which differs in the degree of protection and the type of weapon from which it is designed to prevent injury. The most common for the average person are light body armor concealed wear and light / medium armor outdoor wear. Such armored jackets are designed to protect against firearms. If you want to make a bulletproof vest from a knife with your own hands, you should remember that the classes described above will not help protect against edged weapons. This type of protective clothing is allocated to a special, so-called zero class, which provides reliable protection against metal blades.
Light body armor concealed wearing
This type of body armor is designed to be worn by civilians and police officers. He is able to stoppistol bullet, as well as withstand shots from small-caliber automatic weapons. The disadvantage of this model is that the vest is, in fact, disposable, and after a bullet hits it, it becomes unusable. Having decided to make such a body armor with your own hands, you should take into account the fact that if it is damaged, you will have to start sewing again. Such a product weighs from 700 grams to 8 kilograms. This vest is used mainly by the civilian population. It is worn under clothes.
Light/medium outdoor body armor
This armored vest is able to withstand bullets up to and including 7.62 mm, which corresponds to the calibers of striking elements of almost all types of firearms. It is capable of withstanding more than one shot, making it possible to wear it multiple times.
This item is used by military forces around the world. It is possible to combine wearing this armor with carrying a backpack. The minimum weight is 2 kilograms, the maximum is approximately 30.
What is body armor made of?
Before you make a bulletproof vest with your own hands, you need to know what materials you should stock up on in order to make a product at home that will help save a human life in an emergency.
The material, when it comes to lightweight and modern models, as a rule, becomes Kevlar - a high-modulus armid thread, the production of which was first established in the United States. The disadvantage is the high cost of the material and the abilitywithstand only the first three classes of protection: pistols and revolvers.
Heavier models are made from steel, titanium and other metals. However, the use of metal has its drawbacks. First of all, this is due to an increase in the mass of uniforms, and consequently a decrease in human mobility.
Ceramic armor elements can become an alternative to metal. They are lighter than metal but heavier than fabric. Due to its strength, ceramics are very common in protective clothing. When deciding to make a bulletproof vest with your own hands, you should pay attention to this material, but remember that special tools are required for its processing. Among other things, such a bulletproof vest can only be used once, since a repeated hit by a bullet will immediately lead to its complete destruction.
What can you make body armor from at home?
Unfortunately, Kevlar, ceramic or metal is not always at hand in order to make high-quality armor. It is in this case that many are wondering how to make a body armor with their own hands, when the materials described above are not available?
Protect yourself from the bullets of the Makarov pistol will help packing A4 paper. The bullet, freely entering it, does not pierce through the paper. It is enough to sheathe an ordinary vest with layers of matter (peculiar inserts) and fix well-pressed sheets of the above paper in them. You will get a good homemade body armor that can withstand shots of 9x18 caliber (PM).
To protect yourself from more powerful attacks, you can use a wooden base that covers the chest and stomach, and coins in denominations of 10 rubles. This combination will help protect against pistol bullets. Here you need to make 2 layers: the top of the wooden base (suspends the movement of the bullet) and the bottom of the tight-fitting coins (finally stops the bullet that gets stuck between the tree and the coins). For better protection with coins, it is better to sheathe also in 2 or 3 layers. The vest will be reliable, but the person will experience very sharp pain when hit by a bullet, but get off only with shock and bruises.
The combination of three layers of coins, steel plates and reinforced threads will help to avoid injury even from the Saiga carbine. This option would be the perfect body armor.
However, professionals still do not recommend making body armor without special training. If a person's life is really in danger, it is better to resort to factory-made armored clothing. Homemade armor, if it is not made in compliance with all the rules and recommendations (which happens quite often due to the incompetence of the master), will not be able to protect against injury in the event of a real threat.
