BulletSafe NIJ Levels
What type of body armor do you need? Here at BulletSafe.com, all of our bulletproof products go through the National Institute of Justice's rigorous Ballistic Resistance Test to determine what types of bullets they will stop. You can read more about how the NIJ conducts these tests here. To determine which of BulletSafe's products will best meet your needs, check out our handy guide to BulletSafe's NIJ levels below.
This is the original BulletSafe Bulletproof Vest, available for just $299. The BulletSafe Vest provides Level IIIA protection, which means it will stop:
- 8.1 g (125 gr) .357 SIG FMJ Flat Nose (FN) bullets at a velocity of 448 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (1470 ft/s ± 30 ft/s)
- 15.6 g (240 gr) .44 Magnum Semi Jacketed Hollow Point (SJHP) bullets at a velocity of 436 m/s (1430 ft/s ± 30 ft/s).
Level IIIA is the fourth level of protection, so it will also stop all rounds covered by lower levels of body armor (Level I, Level IIA, and Level II). This includes:
- 8 g (124 gr) 9 mm FMJ RN bullets at a velocity of 398 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (1305 ft/s ± 30 ft/s)
- 10.2 g (158 gr) .357 Magnum Jacketed Soft Point bullets at a velocity of 436 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (1430 ft/s ± 30 ft/s).
- 8 g (124 gr) 9×19mm Parabellum Full Metal Jacketed Round Nose (FMJ RN) bullets at a velocity of 373 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (1225 ft/s ± 30 ft/s)
- 11.7 g (180 gr) .40 S&W Full Metal Jacketed (FMJ) bullets at a velocity of 352 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (1155 ft/s ± 30 ft/s)
- 14.9 g (230 gr) .45 ACP Full Metal Jacketed (FMJ) bullets at a velocity of 275 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (900 ft/s ± 30 ft/s).
- 2.6 g (40 gr) .22 Long Rifle Lead Round Nose (LR LRN) bullets at a velocity of 329 m/s (1080 ft/s ± 30 ft/s)
- 6.2 g (95 gr) .380 ACP Full Metal Jacketed Round Nose (FMJ RN) bullets at a velocity of 322 m/s (1055 ft/s ± 30 ft/s).
Many of our other products offer the same level of protection as our original bulletproof vest. All of the following products also the same NIJ Level IIIA standard of protection, and will stop all of the types of bullets described above:
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If you need protection from a wider range of threats, we also sell a few products that are rated even higher on the NIJ's ballistic tests.
The BulletSafe Ultralight Alpha Plate is an ultra-lightweight ballistic plate that fits into the pockets of the BulletSafe Bulletproof Vest as well as most standard plate carriers. The BulletSafe Alpha Plate provides NIJ Level III protection, which is a step up from IIIA. In addition to stopping everything listed above, it will also stop:
- 8.0 g (123 gr) 7.62×39mm (the ubiquitous AK-47 round) FMJ at a velocity of 738 m/s (2,421 ft/s.
- 9.6 g (148 gr) 7.62×51mm NATO M80 ball bullets at a velocity of 847 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (2780 ft/s ± 30 ft/s).
- 19.7 g (305 gr) .45-70 solid copper bullets at velocity of 610 m/s (2000 ft/s).
To achieve the highest levels of protection, you'll need to combine a bulletproof vest with an additional armor panel.
This is the BulletSafe Lightweight Ceramic Ballistic Plate. When used alone, it provides Level III protection, similar to the Alpha Plate. When combined with the BulletSafe Bulletproof Vest, however, it provides Level IV Protection - the highest level rated by the NIJ for soft body armor. This means it will stop almost all handguns and rifles you're likely to encounter on a day-to-day basis. It will stop everything detailed above, plus:
- 10.8 g (166 gr) .30-06 Springfield M2 armor-piercing (AP) bullets at a velocity of 878 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (2880 ft/s ± 30 ft/s).
The Lightweight Ceramic Ballistic Plate is also available as a part of the BulletSafe Active Shooter Kit, which comes with two of these plates and a plate carrier.
Last but not least, we also sell the one-of-a-kind BulletSafe Bulletproof Baseball Cap. This baseball cap has an armor panel embedded in the front of the hat. The Bulletproof Baseball Cap only provides Level IIA protection, which is not as strong as our Bulletproof Vest, but it will protect you from the following:
- 8 g (124 gr) 9×19mm Parabellum Full Metal Jacketed Round Nose (FMJ RN) bullets at a velocity of 373 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (1225 ft/s ± 30 ft/s)
- 11.7 g (180 gr) .40 S&W Full Metal Jacketed (FMJ) bullets at a velocity of 352 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (1155 ft/s ± 30 ft/s)
- 14.9 g (230 gr) .45 ACP Full Metal Jacketed (FMJ) bullets at a velocity of 275 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (900 ft/s ± 30 ft/s).
- 2.6 g (40 gr) .22 Long Rifle Lead Round Nose (LR LRN) bullets at a velocity of 329 m/s (1080 ft/s ± 30 ft/s)
- 6.2 g (95 gr) .380 ACP Full Metal Jacketed Round Nose (FMJ RN) bullets at a velocity of 322 m/s (1055 ft/s ± 30 ft/s).
NIJ tests are conducted using handguns fired from 5 meters away and rifles fired from 15 meters away from the vest, and each vest is shot 6 times per test. You can read more about the testing process here.