Where to buy Bulletproof material...

[Olivero]

I am looking for some guidance on bulletproof material and am hoping someone on pistonheads might have some experience.

What would be the right soft material to place inside a leather bag/briefcase that could stop a single round from a small calibre firearm?
9mm, at a medium range, regular bullet, fired in the street.

So far I have been looking at Kevlar woven fabrics as a single 30x40cm insert, but am not sure what to look for.

https://bodyarmor.en.alibaba.com/product/603213603...

[Olivero]

sc0tt said:

Explanation required

I live in Brooklyn at the moment in a nice brownstone. Someone got shot and killed right outside in the street last year with what was most likely a 9mm. Happened at night and didn't hear a thing!
Been shot at when I lived in Bueons Airies by drug dealers, but not in a serious way. More of a warning shot than anything else.

Not planning to go to any war zones and my job is not connected with security in any way.

I am designing a leather briefcase that has some tech built in. World-wide geolocation tracking, RFID blocking, smartphone mobile charging, rapid backup and a few more things. With this in mind adding really basic bullet-resistant material might be a good plan.

[Olivero]

HD Adam said:

Can't help on material but good luck getting that bag up in front of you quicker than a 9mm leaves the barrel.

You are quite right, this would be very much just be extra protection. Better than nothing.

coanda said:

1/2" steel plate is readily available and will stop 9mm.

Would work but too heavy.

DDg said:

How about a hat with hidden helicopter blades that could unfold, fire up, and carry you away?

Unfortunatly I don't wear a hat...

[Olivero]

All the plates are too heavy and would set off metal detectors every time.

[Olivero]

citizensm1th said:

what kind of tactical luggage would Sir/Madam require?

http://www.bulletblocker.com/bullet-proof-briefcas...

I looked at that site and think I can do a much better job. They are all pretty ugly and also heavy to carry around. I am aiming for something stylish and light weight.

[Olivero]

PAUL500 said:

Surely even if the material would not be penetrated by a bullet the cross section of coverage to the body of a bag is tiny and the impact would rip the bag out of your arms anyway?

I have seen a smartphone that stopped a bullet. Yes that was just pure luck...

[Olivero]

red_slr said:

Don't take this the wrong way but you don't sound like you have much ballistics XP.

No offence taken. You are quite right.

red_slr said:

People who are going to spend a reasonable sum on an item which should in theory save their life expect a bit of operational experience.

The idea is to make something that is cheap, lightweight and could help in the right circumstances.
The very fact that it would only be the size of a briefcase is the first thing that would make it of limited use.
I am thinking much more of a situation where there is a random nutter in the street shooting and this would be better than nothing.
It would also make for a good talking point in the boardroom...

[Olivero]

I am designing this bag mostly for my own use and how I travel. The bulletproof feature will not be needed by most people, but if it is not too bulky or heavy then why not.


Briefcase

I used the term briefcase to mean something more modern and less conspicuous than a Samsonite Hard Case or similar.

The idea is to blend in, not stick out...

This is the type of bag I use for work. I carry MacBook, papers, chargers and assorted cables, wireless headphones and some security stuff. The finished bag would look similar, just customized.




Real Use

Someone in the thread described this as mostly being a taking point in the boardroom. I couldn't agree more.
You would hope that there would be a million to one chance it would actually be needed, but in that scenario you would be grateful for something rather than nothing.



Legal Use

The law is a little bit grey when it comes to the type of incidental use I am thinking of. Wearing body armor is not allowed in many counties outside of military or security use. Exporting bulletproof material is also controlled.



Bag One - Apple

• Optional Bullet Resistant

- Single bullet resistant insert.
- Stab proof.
- Protection Level I or II
- Removable as needed.

SSD External Hard Drive
- Backup iPhone, iPad, MacBook on the go.
- Full encryption.
- Fast restore for iPhone.
- USB 3.1
- 250GB / 500GB / 1TB

Battery Power
- Charge (new) MacBook, iPad, iPhone
- 12,000mAh / 20,000mAh capacity

RFID Blocking Compartment
- For phone, security pass and connected cards.

Global GPS Tracker
- Real time tracking
- App connected

Other Security / Tech Features
- Some other things planned.


Bag Two - Android/PC

The same as Bag One, just made with Android and PC devices in mind.



Protection Levels

These are the US protection level ratings for bulletproof materials. Keeping in mind that 9mm amunition is very common here in the US, Level II seems to make the most sense.

Rating Ammunition Weight
(grains) Weight
(grams) Min/Max
(meters/sec) Min/Max
(feet/sec) Number
of shots
Level I .22 long rifle high velocity lead 40 2.6 320 +/- 12 1050 +/- 40 5
Level I .38 special round nose lead 158 10.2 259 +/- 15 850 +/- 50 5
Level II .357 mag. jacketed soft point 158 10.2 425 +/- 15 1395 +/- 50 5
Level II 9mm full metal jacket 124 8.0 358 +/- 12 1175 +/- 40 5
Level IIA .357 mag. jacketed soft point 158 10.2 381 +/- 15 1250 +/- 50 5
Level IIA 9mm full metal jacket 124 8.0 332 +/- 12 1090 +/- 40 5
Level III 7.62mm (.308 Winchester) full metal jacket 150 9.7 838 +/- 15 2750 +/- 50 5
Level IIIA .44 mag. lead semi-wadcutter gas checked 240 15.55 426 +/- 15 1400 +/- 50 5
Level IIIA 9 mm full metal jacket 124 8.0 426 +/- 15 1400 +/- 50 5


Plate Options

Trying to decide between a hard or soft plate. The hard plates is heavier but less bulky.
There is no need for the plated to be hard and would be replaced if struck.
Size would be 11x14 or similar to a standard chest plate.


Option 1 - Soft Kevlar Insert
- Soft and flexible.




Option 2 - Hard Kevlar Plate
- Compact.



Option 3 - Dyneema Hard Plate
- Lighter.




Advice welcome!

[Olivero]

Evanivitch said:

OP - How do you plan for this GP tracker to work? How is it transmitting the location?

Don't feel like you have to go down the Kevlar route, other aramid fibres exist.

The GPS will be an off the shelf product with a tracking service. Just a matter of finding one that is light and small enough.

What fiber do you recommend?