Quote Originally Posted by Mike M. View Post
Mark, your test is VERY interesting. We commonly think of armor as useless against firearms. Your information indicates this may not have been so.

Well, here's my take-you don't have to STOP a bullet, necessarily-just SLOW IT DOWN. Given ballistics of the era, the lead was flying fairly slow. I was evaluating the sense of our forerunners using leather on the Backs of their targes, and can see it as both padding as well as something to lessen splinter wounds. My test was a pair of point blank shots-12" off the wood. I know a musket will penetrate, but want to back up the targe with ballistic gel, to get an accurate read on what a soft tissue trauma would result.

Also, targes were fairly flat-From my understanding, armor itself was stable due to curvature-so bullets wouldn't be 100% impact, but would glance away.

Mark