Hard Body Armor vs Soft Body Armor on a Human TORSO, What's The Damage?!
This test compares NIJ Level IIIA soft body armor against NIJ Level III hard body armor using a ballistic gel torso. While soft armor stops handgun rounds effectively, it shows significant backface deformation with higher-powered handgun rounds like the .44 Magnum. Hard armor stops rifle rounds but transfers significant blunt force trauma, causing bone fractures, highlighting that no armor is completely impervious to all threats.









