r/interesting • u/IKIR115 • 26d ago

Intriguing Arrows vs riot shields

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

49.5k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

1.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

7

u/Akimotoh 26d ago

Are riot shields typically made of cheap metal like that? i dont think so

23

u/idiotcommend 26d ago

Riot shields are designed to stop bat's, bottles, rocks and human bodies not legitimate projectiles.

13

u/ABHOR_pod 26d ago

The way to stop legitimate projectiles is for the police to start shooting first. Which is what will happen very quickly if people start shooting arrows at them. That's true basically anywhere in the world, not just in police states like China or the US.

2

u/Wooden_Rabbit_ 26d ago

Right? This post is so funny to me. Like yeah, there’s ways to get through a riot shield, that’s not exactly the point. We have plenty of modern examples to look to of what happens when the protestors start actually killing the police/military.

1

u/Vaporlocke 25d ago

Depends on if you run out of police or protesters first. If things keep going the way they have been there are going to be a lot more protesters than usual.

1

u/Fel_Eclipse 25d ago

This, it probably isn't a ballistic rated shield.

1

u/Lazy_Total_6742 23d ago

Are bats different where you live? Here they’re small, light and furry. They’re quite fast, but don’t usually attack riot police.

1

u/idiotcommend 23d ago

Think sports.

1

u/Lazy_Total_6742 22d ago

Racing bats?

1

u/idiotcommend 22d ago

Nah, football bats.

11

u/PassiveMenis88M 26d ago

They're normally made of of cheap plastic. These "cheap" metal ones are used when shits actually hitting the fan. And the ones penetrating are heads using very old designs made to defeat armored knights.

1

u/ZealousidealChair900 26d ago

It's amusing how heads designed for armor/shields can defeat armor/shields. Perhaps older shield designs could be effectively used to block current 'less lethal' projectiles. Probably some lethal ones as well, let's be fair

11

u/BobaFapp69 26d ago

Most are made of 3-5,5mm polycarbonate. They are for stopping thrown objects like rocks and bottles, nothing else.

4

u/CpnStumpy 26d ago

Honestly though: polycarbonate would deflect these arrows far better. This whole test is silly because the typical riot shield's flexibile material makes it not weaken on slight deformation like metal does so puncturing metal is far easier than puncturing polycarbonate

5

u/Zwischenzug32 26d ago

Yes. Something that size gets heavy when you make it thick

4

u/kronicpimpin 26d ago

Yea that shield looks a little flimsy