Army surplus helmet: how much protection?

[Astor]

I was wondering what kind of protection an army surplus helmet offers against debris. I'm sure it's fine for rocks and bottles, but what I'm really concerned about is falling bullets (New Years, 4th of July). I have a friend who is ex-Army and he says that they don't provide any protection against falling bullets. I just wanted to get a second opinion.

This is a "just in case" helmet, it doesn't meet my depts uniform specifications, but I want it in my war bag in case the !@# hits the fan.

Here is a picture of the one I want to get, it's a United Nations steel pot. And best of all, it matches my uniform shirt! :)

Astor

[krellum]

The steel pot was only designed to protect against shrapnel, not bullets. A kevlar helmet is better, but still designed mainly for shrapnel ("better" in that it protects more of your head, since the sides and back extend further below the ears/back of the head).

k

[Astor]

Thanks for the info!


I ordered the helmet on-line, it was only $5.00. Then I did a Froogle search of riot helmets, and the cheapest one I saw was a British Police surplus helmet, complete with face shield, for $39.95. It's "high impact polymer" plastic, not kevlar, but still it looks pretty good. I think I'll get it.



Astor

[fmr-army]

If you shoot a bullet straight up, it will land with the same force coming back down. The steel pot won't help, but it will give you a sore neck if you wear it long enough...

Make sure to get a helmet liner too - the steel pot is a two piece. The outer shell is the steel part, while the liner is the fiberglass portion with the webbing and sweat band. Neither is much good without the other, ,though you CAN cook in the steel pot by itself (which is the only aspect of the steel pot that is better than the kevlar).

Enjoy the brain bucket!

[FedRich]

If you want a little more piece of mind, you can find surplus kevlar helmets around $150. These will supposedly stop 9mm rounds. I don't know what the bandits in your city are shooting, but a kevlar helmet will probably be better for that purpose vs. the ol' steel pot.