NIJ Testing Level IIIA, III+, & Level IV Body Armor - Trying to Defeat Immediate Action Armor

Video Description

Level IIIA, III, III+ & Level IV Body Armor TESTED | 44 Mag, 12 Gauge, M855A1, .308 & 30-06 AP How much can modern body armor really take? In this video, we team up with Immediate Action Armor and put Level IIIA soft armor, Level III, Level III+, and Level IV ceramic plates through brutal real-world testing — including tight shot stacking at close distance to see what it actually takes to make a plate fail. We’re not just shooting one round and calling it good. We’re stacking rounds inside 2–3 inches at 15 meters and pushing these plates well beyond typical NIJ spacing standards. 🔥 Soft Armor (Level IIIA) Test: .44 Magnum 10mm (Underwood hard cast & hollow point) .45 ACP (Underwood penetrator + Critical Defense) 9mm 1430 FPS handloads 12 Gauge 1 oz Slug Result? It stopped everything — but the backface deformation and trauma transfer were eye-opening. 🛡 Level III Hard Plate: .308 M80 Ball 7.62x39 Ball 5.56 Ball Ultra lightweight (~3 lbs per 10x12) and stopped all ball ammo clean. 🛡 Level III+ Plate: .308 M80 M855 Green Tip M855A1 5.45x39 Russian penetrator We stacked multiple penetrator rounds inside an inch. It took tightly grouped hits to force failure — well beyond typical multi-hit spacing standards. 🛡 Level IV Plate (The Big Test): .30-06 Black Tip Armor Piercing (28” barrel @ 2800+ FPS) 6mm 70gr Sierra BlitzKing at 3550–3600 FPS We pushed this plate hard — stacking rounds directly into previous impacts. It took multiple shots in the same hole to finally penetrate. Watching a Level IV plate stop armor-piercing .30-06 at 15 meters is something else. What We Learned: Steel plates are a no-go (spall & energy transfer). Soft armor stops handgun threats — but trauma is real. Level III is ideal for ball ammo & lightweight setups. Level III+ handles common penetrators like green tip. Level IV gives maximum protection for minimal weight increase (~1 lb difference). Shot placement on armor matters just as much as caliber. Whether you’re rural and concerned about bolt guns, or urban and focused on intermediate cartridges, choosing the right armor level matters — and understanding what those ratings actually mean is critical. If you’re researching: body armor test, Level 4 plate test, M855A1 vs armor, 30-06 black tip vs Level IV, 12 gauge vs soft armor, 10mm vs body armor, or NIJ multi-hit standards — this video breaks it down with real data and real impacts. Like, subscribe, and stay tuned — we’re pushing hard into weekly uploads in 2026. 00:00 Overview: NIJ Level IIIA, III, III+ & IV Test Plan 03:50 Level IIIA Soft Armor — 44 Mag, 10mm, 9mm & 12 Gauge 07:50 Soft Armor Results & Backface Deformation 10:25 Level III Plate — .308, 7.62x39 & 5.56 Ball 12:30 Level III+ — M855, M855A1 & 5.45x39 Penetrator 19:15 Level IV — .30-06 Black Tip Armor Piercing 20:45 High-Velocity 6mm @ 3550–3600 FPS 26:10 Multi-Hit Shot Stacking & Final Conclusions