Will a .308 Winchester Penetrate Kevlar NIJ III?

Yes — defeats a 5 mm kevlar nij iii barrier
Penetration depth
15 mm (0.6″)
Impact velocity
840 m/s (2756 fps)
Muzzle energy
3352 J (2472 ft-lb)
Bullet behaviour
Intact

Fired at the muzzle, a representative .308 Winchester load (9.5 g, FMJ, 840 m/s) reaches roughly 15 mm (0.6 inches) into kevlar nij iii. That is enough to defeat a typical barrier of this material — treat anything behind it as exposed.

About Kevlar NIJ III

A soft body-armor panel is roughly 5 mm of layered Kevlar.

.308 Winchester against other materials

MaterialDepth (mm)Depth (in)
Red Brick239 mm9.4″
Concrete199 mm7.8″
Tempered Glass36 mm1.4″
Steel A3617 mm0.7″
Steel AR5008 mm0.3″
Run your own numbers in the calculator →

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