NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS COPYRIGHT 2011 BY James Bell Jr.
ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED.
There are times in life when it really pays off to be in the right place at the right time. We were planning to do some test shooting on the FNH USA Five-seveN, and a local gun store was getting ready to eliminate a display for some body armor that they no longer carry. Some discussion was taking place about what to do with it, and long story made short - we were offered the opportunity to shoot it with the Five-seveN and with the PS90. I took them up on the offer.
If you'd like to know more about the basics of body armor, take a look at our Body Armor Basics article. Essentially you have a carrier that holds the armor panels. The armor panels can be in any of a number of categories - the higher the category the better protection the armor will provide.
The body armor in question was a First Choice Armor Level IIIA manufactured in August of 2007. The armor panels were complete with the carrier, and only the front panel had been shot with a variety of rounds. The rear panel was pristine.
The Data Label For The Body Armor We Tested
In order to have done a completely scientific test, an appropriate mannequin and ballistic gelatin would have been used We didn't have those items available to us in the time we had, so we did the best we could. We placed the armor panels in their carrier onto the cardboard target backer at the shooting range. It worked quite well, the carboard target backer was essentially the same size and shape as a clothes hanger.
We didn't record the temperature, humidity, or altitude at the time the shots were fired, nor did we record any of the velocities. We didn't have time to leave and bring the needed tools back before losing the opportunity.
We decided to test SS195LF (Lot Number FNB09L910-006) and SS197SR (current production, Lot Number 0126169091) from both the Five-seveN and the PS90. We also had access to an SS192 round (2007 stamped, Lot Number FNB08-002), and we opted to fire it from the PS90 for the following reasons...
FNH USA had already indicated that it would not penetrate body armor when fired from the Five-seveN.
It was discontinued prior to the release of the PS90.
We had only one round of it to test.
We started on the upper portion of the vest leaving several inches of separation between shots. We shot two SS195LF and two SS197SR rounds from an FNH USA Five-seveN Pistol from 21 feet, and one of each from 10 feet away. We did not note any significant differences between the rounds shot at both distances.
The SS197SR rounds from both distances penetrated about 1/3 of the way into the vest and fragmented pretty much completely. There was some rear-surface deformation to the armor panel (a dent in the panel on the side that would be toward the body of the wearer) but no complete penetration we could detect. We were able to dig the jacket out of the vest from one round after testing was completed.
Separated Jacket With Armor Strands In It
The SS195 rounds also penetrated about 1/3 of the way through the vest, and the impact almost took the vest off the target backer. The round was intact and well mushroomed. There was no complete penetration, and it took some real effort to dig the rounds out after the testing.
The SS195LF Round After Hitting The Body Armor - It Took Some Effort To Dig It Out
We then went on to test the SS192 round, one SS195LF round, and two SS197SR rounds fired from the PS90 with the factory-standard 16.04" barrel. We aimed for a clean section of the vest. Here is the back of the armor panel we shot after rmoving it from the carrier...
The "exit wounds". Only the SS197SR and SS192 went clear through when fired from the PS90.
The SS192 round (left side) very authoritatively penetrated the vest panel. There was some sign of expansion on the exit side, but it made it all the way through with minimal expansion. It was pretty clear that this round can do so from the PS90 carbine - which is what we expected.
The SS195 round penetrated about 2/3 of the way into the panel and left a dent that could be felt from the rear, but did not exit the back side. It also knocked the vest off of the target carrier. We were able to dig the round out after testing was completed. The jacket had loosened from the main body of the round but was still there. Once again, armor strands were imbedded in the jacket.
SS195LF from the PS90 into IIIA body armor
The SS197 rounds were a little different.
The first SS197SR (the left hole) showed that at least some fragments made it all the way through There was a small exit hole in the vest and in the carrier so something made it through - however the jacket had separated and was imbedded in the vest a short distance lateral to the exit hole.
The second SS197SR round appeared to completely penetrate the vest. The exit hole was much larger and we couldn't find any fragements or jacket in or around the hole - however there may have been some small ones there. We just couldn't find them. We will give the SS197SR a 50/50 chance against IIIA body armor based on this test.
To conclude the testing, we fired one CorBon/Glaser .45ACP Pow'RBall round (165gr +P) at the vest panel roughly dead center.
The vest panel flew off of the target carrier. There was a very large dent in the armor, and a good rear-surface deformation, but the round was on the surface of the armor. The round (and the polymer ball) were both recovered. An individual wearing the armor would have felt a really good wallop from that one.
The Dent In The Armor
The Flattened Pow'RBall Round
Here is a shot with all of the rounds/jackets for measurement purposes. That Pow'RBall round expanded to 15/16". Not bad! I wasn't unimpressed with the SS195LF either. It expanded to about 1/2" (with the jacket exceeding that) while starting out at less than 1/4" (.224").
We hope that you find this of interest, and that this can help to dispel some myths about body armor and the factory ammunition for the Five-seveN. It doesn't tear right through body armor out of the Five-seveN pistol, and of the currently available rounds, only the SS197SR seems to offer a chance of defeating body armor from the PS90. The SS192 will blow right through from the PS90, but isn't manufactured any more. Then again, 5.56mm/.223 and most other rifle rounds will also do so, and they are readily available.
James Bell Jr - JeepGunner / ATVGunner / HondaGunner