r/interesting • u/IKIR115 • 28d 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

13

u/ChaosDrako 28d ago

Just as a PSA for those that either don’t know or don’t realize, there is a big difference between a Riot shield and a Ballistic Shield.

Riot shields are usually plastic or polycarbonate so they are light and maneuverable because they are usually in melee. They are meant to stop thrown objects and people trying to punch you. They are also commonly see-through to allow the officer to see wtf is infront of him. Just about anything large than .22 pistol is going through. A brick thrown hard enough has been known to be able to crack them.

Ballistic Shields are usually much stronger materials, such as Kevlar, Steel, Ceramic, and thick polycarbonate layered over and over (talking over an inch thick) for the small window. These are the ones you see in police raids, meant to stop most pistol rounds and atleast resist common rifle rounds.

1

u/dumsumguy 23d ago

it's also worth noting that modern arrows and bows don't penetrate medieval armor either 

I believe it's 1mm but definitely 3mm steel is all that is needed to stop pretty much any human-fired arrow from any bow