Secret Agent Magazine

How-To

Wear Bulletproof Clothing

bulletproof vest

Find the latest fashions in anti-ballistic apparel

When a secret agent finds himself in a dangerous situation, it might be useful to have clothing that can shield the agent from gunfire or a bladed weapon attack.

BulletBlocker Threat Level 3a bullet-proof barn coat

But in the middle of a mission, it might be impractical to change from street clothes into body armor, and wearing a suit of body armor all the time would attract unwanted attention.

Bulletproof coat

Fortunately, advances in nanotechnology and synthetic fabrics have allowed clothing to be produced that has anti-ballistic properties while at the same time allowing the secret agent to remain inconspicuous.

Certain bulletproof-clothing designers, such as Miguel Caballero, BulletBlocker, and Fortier & Co., offer custom-tailored shirts, coats, jackets, and vests that offer ballistic protection in the form of normal-looking attire. (See videos of bulletproof clothing in action on SecretAgent.TV.)

Bulletproof notebook

Other bulletproof accessories include anti-ballistic briefcases, notebooks, backpacks, and blankets, all of which offer protection without drawing attention to themselves.

Bulletproof coat

Bulletproof materials offer varying levels of protection against gunfire and bladed weapons. Typically, the higher the level of protection, the bulkier the material, and the higher the price. (Bulletproof clothes that offer high-level ballistic protection can cost hundreds or thousands of U.S. dollars.)

Ballistic protection standards for bulletproof clothing, from the U.S. National Institute of Justice, include the following levels:


NIJ ballistic threat levels

Type I (.22 LR; .380 ACP)
Protects against 2.6 g .22 Long Rifle Lead Round Nose bullets at a velocity of 329 m/s and 6.2 g .380 ACP Full Metal Jacketed Round Nose bullets at a velocity of 322 m/s.
Type IIA (9 mm; .40 S&W)
Protects against 8 g 9x19mm Parabellum Full Metal Jacketed Round Nose bullets at a velocity of 373 m/s ± 9.1 m/s and 11.7 g .40 S&W Full Metal Jacketed bullets at a velocity of 352 m/s ± 9.1 m/s. Conditioned armor protects against 8 g 9 mm FMJ RN bullets at a velocity of 355 m/s ± 9.1 m/s and 11.7 g .40 S&W FMJ bullets at a velocity of 325 m/s ± 9.1 m/s.
Type II (9 mm; .357 Magnum)
Protects against 8 g 9 mm FMJ RN bullets at a velocity of 398 m/s ± 9.1 m/s and 10.2 g .357 Magnum Jacketed Soft Point bullets at a velocity of 436 m/s ± 9.1 m/s. Conditioned armor protects against 8 g 9 mm FMJ RN bullets at a velocity of 379 m/s ± 9.1 m/s and 10.2 g .357 Magnum Jacketed Soft Point bullets at a velocity of 408 m/s ± 9.1 m/s.
Type IIIA (.357 Sig; .44 Magnum)
Protects against 8.1 g .357 SIG FMJ Flat Nose bullets at a velocity of 448 m/s ± 9.1 m/s and 15.6 g .44 Magnum Semi Jacketed Hollow Point bullets at a velocity of 436 m/s. Conditioned armor protects against 8.1 g .357 SIG FMJ Flat Nose (FN) bullets at a velocity of 430 m/s ± 9.1 m/s and 15.6 g .44 Magnum Semi Jacketed Hollow Point bullets at a velocity of 408 m/s ± 9.1 m/s. It also provides protection against most handgun threats, as well as the threats mentioned in Types I, IIA, and II.
Type III (Rifles)
Conditioned armor protects against 9.6 g 7.62x51mm NATO M80 ball bullets at a velocity of 847 m/s ± 9.1 m/s. It also provides protection against the threats mentioned in Types I, IIA, II, and IIIA.
Type IV (Armor Piercing Rifle)
Conditioned armor protects against 10.8 g .30-06 Springfield M2 armor piercing bullets at a velocity of 878 m/s ± 9.1 m/s. It also provides at least single hit protection against the threats mentioned in Types I, IIA, II, IIIA, and III.

Miguel Caballero links


More bulletproof clothing links

Bulletproof Flight Jacket



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