VA-gunnut: I don’t deny that vests made with Spectra meet stated NIJ standards. However, it appears that Spectra fabrics do not give you the same “margin of error” that the aramids (Kevlar and Twaron) and Zylon do. (There is also another ballistic fabric out there called Dyneema that I know absolutely nothing about.)
There are rounds not used in the NIJ standards that Spectra seems especially vulnerable to.
Additional info can be found at: [url]www.secondchance.com/information/standards.htm[/url]. Granted, Second Chance is a vendor in an extremely competitive market – anything they claim must be viewed cautiously.
Incidentally, a couple of years ago I conducted an informal, totally unscientific, test where I fired the round specified in the link from a Sig P226 into level IIA ballistic test panels of Kevlar 126, Zylon, and Spectra. The first two panels stopped the round, the Spectra didn’t. (Again, I have no doubt the Spectra panel would have passed the NIJ level IIA test.)
On a different note, if I were to state my opinion of American Body Armor, they would sue me!