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Knights and firearms clashed on the battlefield for over 200 years. Did some of these warriors have armor strong enough to stop bullets?

Did knights have armor strong enough to stop bullets?

Musket v Medieval Armor

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<div class="rich-text">Knights and firearms clashed on the battlefield for over 200 years. Did some of these warriors have armor strong enough to stop bullets?
</div>

Knights met firearms on the battlefield for over 200 years. Was their armor strong enough to stop bullets?

<div class="rich-text">Knights met firearms on the battlefield for over 200 years. Was their armor strong enough to stop bullets?</div>

Musket vs. Medieval Armor 

Ancient Worlds

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 Musket vs. Medieval Armor
</h3>

 Published October 17, 2017



 On Screen
 
 : Medieval armor


 Beautiful and strong


 But could it stop bullets?


 Knights and firearms clashed on the battlefield for over 200 years.


 Did the knights stand a chance?


 First, historians and ballistics experts fire a musket at the breastplate of a common foot soldier.


 The bullet goes right through.


 Next, they test the painstakingly reconstructed armor of the elite.



 Jonathan Tavares
 
 : It’s just it’s a little scary you know… all this months of work on this piece and then… you know.. you just gotta be a little bit nervous that’s all…



 Wesley Mason
 
 : My gut tells me it’s not going to penetrate.



 John Cronin
 
 :It’s significantly thicker armor, right? You have an air gap between the two plates… and you may have the opportunity for deflection... so you really have a lot working to your advantage on the next shot.  That doesn’t mean that it will absolutely stop it…



 Tavares
 
 : The musket is not… You know, this is the super-weapon of the time… It’s this, the next step is getting hit by a cannon…



 Cronin
 
 :Pan’s open.Just wait a few seconds… gotta let the range clear…

p&gt;

 Tavares

:Oh man… right through? 

No?! Wow! It held up! Held up pretty good actually! Oh wow! There’s just a dent, just a little bigger than my thumb!


 Cronin
 
 : Look at that! The whole system, everything that we’ve looked at has been impressive, everything from the firearm all the way through to the breastplate. I think they have all performed incredibly well.

p&gt;

 Tavares

:Whoa… the bullet is gone. Armor: 1, Bullet: Nothing
p&gt;

 Mason

:See how the curvature deflected it away from the…
p&gt;

 Tavares

:Yeah, yeah… Goes to show you the peascod belly is not just fashion, it’s function…
p&gt;

 Mason

:I mean there’s no question about it. This is something where the soldier wearing this armor gets to go home.
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