M.A.I.L. :: View topic

Dinestein · Posted on Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:15 am

I am new here and am interested in a larger weave ( I think) maille in stainless steel. Would this deflect bullets?

djgm · Posted on Mon Jan 11, 2016 7:35 am

no matter how thick or stiff a weave small peices of the bullet and rings will penetrate your flesh. chaimaille is completely ineffective at protecting us from ballistics as well as blunt force that causes internal bleeding and broken bones, it is for these shortfalls as well as the high expense of creating chainmaille armor that has caused chainmaille to no longer be used in real armed conflict in this modern day. i hope this answers your question adequately Smile

ClymAngus · Posted on Mon Jan 11, 2016 11:30 am

Worst case scenario, the bullet would shatter the links and carry them into the wound turning a normal bullet into a dumb-dumb (disintegrating shrapnel) round.

Scale mail, well possibly; although it used to be difficult to get information on "dragon scale anti ballistic armour" Some more information has been dug up:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Skin

I would not trust wikipedia however ferret some more info out for yourself. Chainmail to stop a bullet would need to be molecular nano tube chain and that hasn't been created yet. Very Happy

Still if you know your in a knife fight a good gauge chainmaille (butted (bit iffy) Welded is better) could easily turn a lung tickler into a bruised rib. I know which one I'd rather have.

Anyway you live in Texas. Run the experiment for yourself. Put a chunk of maille down range (far down range) and pop a round or two at it (making sure of course to take the necessary precautions against ricochet and shrapnel). You'll see the kind of mockery even low calibres will make of standard 4 in 1.

One other side note. If I was on a gurney with a couple of extra holes in me, the last thing I'm going to be up for is standing up, bending from the waist and wriggling off a suit of maille before the meat smiths can start working on me.

Ceramics and composites are the current way forward. For now. Smile

losthelm · Joined: July 25, 2008 Posts: 843 Submissions: 0

On the other hand it can be fun for something like paintball....

If your looking for anything with a ballistic rating or Personal protective Equipment spend the money and buy something designed for the job.
Pinnacle, guardian, or apex are known for quality body armour.
Even these wear out over time.

mailtec.com sells chainmail machine guards, and protective equipment for lumberjacks, butchers, and shard suits.
Each link woven, welded and meeting OSHA or safety standards.

Dinestein · Posted on Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:21 pm

I want to thank everyone for their responses and help. I now have new avenues to look into. What a wonderful society you people are!

Dinah

ClymAngus · Posted on Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:57 pm

Oh found that link on molecular chainmaille:

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/article/?id=12854

Smile

Konstantin the Red · Joined: March 27, 2002 Posts: 3448 Submissions: 1

Dinestein, welcome.

Metal vs. bullets really only works on a vehicle, hence the Armored Fighting Vehicle, the AFV, to carry the weight of plate. Every sort from wheeled to tracks, to maybe legs like an AT-AT (horribly vulnerable, those).

On your own body, well, to paraphrase Charles Ffoulkes' The Armourer And His Craft, Armor was not discarded so much because it couldn't protect against bullets, but because for a while it could.

'The Minstrel Boy to the War is gone...'