Reinforcing considerations for airsoft?

[Eric Sheppard]

I did use the search function before I tried posting, mind you. Still, I didn't find what I was looking for.

Fibreglass is meant to be light and strong, but how strong is it, really? Airsoft BBs are usually between 0.25g to 0.40g in weight and travel between 280 and 400 feet per second, and have a 6mm or 7mm diameter. The latter figures are typical of the bbs and speeds with airsoft sniper weapons.

I fell in love with the MkV multithreat helmet (The one Noble Six wears as a default helmet in Halo: Reach) and I thought I might try my hand at making some armor. Now I don't absolutely have to be able to use it for airsoft games, but it'd be nice if I could make it bb-proof. I understand that with any plastic, the biggest danger is that it will crack, since high-speed impacts over a small surface area generate a considerable amount of force. Are there other materials I can use in construction that will make the material more flexible, less brittle? The other problem I've thought of is the rarity of ballistics-graded gold-mirrored visors of the kind I'd need to make the helmet's glass faceplate. I'm sure some of you folks have given this far more thought than I have, and I'd really appreciate any help you could give. Thanks, guys and gals.

 

[DogWizard]

The reason that you won't find much (if anything) on this topic is that the 405th doesn't endorse, recommend, or otherwise support discussions of this application. Airsoft and paintball can both be inherently dangerous and since the armor we make and use here is not designed for protective use, any discussion in that direction can open the 405th up to a potential liability issue in the event that someone is injured because they used some information they found here in a manner in which it was not intended.


These threads are generally locked immediately - sorry...

 

[Stormspirit]

leather in the under areas on the armor wont stop the bb's from leaveing wholes but can always fixs those later it'll also be hot its leather after all like wearing full suit leather armor at ren fest

 

[J326]

if you were thinking of making it extremely tough you can try when you reinforce areas prone to take shots put in metal plates with rondo, the rondo will harden and stick the plate to the back of that armor, or you can try to do it on the outside. I haven't tried but its worth a look into on a small test piece maybe?

 

[Ruze789]

The reason that you won't find much (if anything) on this topic is that the 405th doesn't endorse, recommend, or otherwise support discussions of this application. Airsoft and paintball can both be inherently dangerous and since the armor we make and use here is not designed for protective use, any discussion in that direction can open the 405th up to a potential liability issue in the event that someone is injured because they used some information they found here in a manner in which it was not intended.


These threads are generally locked immediately - sorry...

This post pretty much sums it up.

We do not recommend any techniques for airsofting because this is a costuming site, not an armor for protection site. Even if it's only for having fun while airsofting there are dangers to using materials that are not rated for that use, such as shattering. As such we don't condone discussing using your creations for airsoft or paintball.

If you do thorough searching I know a few members have posted videos they created of them shooting their armor with various weapons, so you can see the damage that's done.