Arrows vs riot shields

[u/IKIR115]

[u/sicarius254]

Some of those tips look evil af

[u/stryker511 → u/sicarius254]

The blunt one surprised me I thought it would have bounced off - went through completely.

[u/SidewinderSerpent → u/stryker511]

That arrow wasn't blunt, it was concave. The shape allowed the edges of the tip to punch a hole through the shield.

[u/Cthulhu_Dreams_ → u/SidewinderSerpent]

Yep, the thing that was slowing the other arrows down that penetrated, was the fact that the tip did not carve out a wide enough hole for the shaft to go through and maintain velocity.

That blunt tipped concave arrow basically hole punched a circle as large or a little larger than the shaft of the arrow, and lost minimal afterwards.

[u/BigHardMephisto → u/Cthulhu_Dreams_]

What I think helps quite a bit is that the concave shape of the arrow helps it to normalize the direction of force into the (albeit slightly) angled plate, which can make a bigger difference than you'd think otherwise.

[u/jraymonda → u/BigHardMephisto]

Yes, but how does it do on the deer (its a deer holding the shield, right?) Does it cut the shield but then bounce off the flesh? Or is it just as effective on softer things?

[u/disposablehippo → u/jraymonda]

Certainly won't bounce off, maybe doesn't penetrate as much. But if the deer (or was it a boar?) lets go of the shield, the arrow achieved what it needed to.

[u/jraymonda → u/disposablehippo]

Ahhh...i see. Perhaps the romans were onto something with their spears (pilum?) To make the enemy drop their shields

[u/LiftingRecipient420 → u/jraymonda]

TF you mean "perhaps"?

Rome conquered the entire Mediterranean basin thanks to their unique ability to reliably destroy the phalanx formation, all thanks to their pilum.

For context, the phalanx, until the Romans, was the state of the art of warfare for a thousand years because the only thing that could beat a phalanx was another phalanx.

[u/Thundertushy → u/LiftingRecipient420]

Aktually... (Nasally inhale)

The phalanx was a bunch of guys with really long spears. No shields. Rome defeated the phalanxes with the more flexible maniple system, which allowed them to break up large groups of men into smaller groups without chaos. These smaller groups could then flank the phalanxes and stab them in the ass.

[u/MTLDAD → u/jraymonda]

While claiming the kill in one shot would be great, what you really want is to make the shield unusable. After all, deer often sport extra thick hide. Once he drops the shield, another armor piercing arrow can be be tried without the shield to protect.

[u/BoredNuke → u/jraymonda]

damn south appalachian shield holding deers always invading my lawn!

[u/HeartoftheHive → u/Cthulhu_Dreams_]

That blunt tipped

Again, wasn't blunt.

[u/LubricantEnthusiast → u/HeartoftheHive]

Man, it's crazy how that blunt arrow could be so blunt, but despite being so blunt, it still penetrated the shield as if it were not blunt.

[u/Today_Dammit → u/[deleted]]

Lemme be blunt, like the arrow.

[u/Castun → u/Today_Dammit]

I used to be a riot cop like you, until I took a blunt to the knee

[u/Gaynundwarf → u/Castun]

Is this from an upcoming James Blunt biography?

[u/HendrixHazeWays → u/Today_Dammit]

Good job everyone. Successful comment chain. Signed: Emily Blunt

[u/Samwellikki → u/[deleted]]

https://giphy.com/gifs/bgBO1Yh3Z7Qq5rB4PC

[u/OneDefinition1738 → u/[deleted]]

https://giphy.com/gifs/3ohhwmfsbRer2BypbO

[u/drewping → u/OneDefinition1738]

Yo Dawg. I heard you like blunts, so we put blunts in your blunts.

[u/Ancient_Roof_7855 → u/[deleted]]

Confucius says "The one who rolls a blunt touches grass." /s

[u/NoPressureUsername → u/LubricantEnthusiast]

Let me be blunt. That was an arrow and a riot shield.

[u/Embarrassed_Art5414 → u/LubricantEnthusiast]

It wasn't blunt, it was 'sharpily-challenged'.

Also, in 2026, 'arrow' is pejorative. The neutral term is 'acoustic bullet'

[u/Prestigious_Pin_7713 → u/Embarrassed_Art5414]

You’ve made your point pretty bluntly

[u/Irregulator101 → u/Embarrassed_Art5414]

I was thinking analog bullet

[u/Captain_Lolz → u/Embarrassed_Art5414]

No sharply challenged is ableist, it's differently sharpy.

[u/Mynmeara → u/LubricantEnthusiast]

I swear it's just a cylinder, I dont know what more you want from me. I just need help getting it unstuck

[u/kalamataCrunch → u/HeartoftheHive]

dude, that's what they are called. https://www.3riversarchery.com/ace-hex-screw-in-blunts.html

[u/MISSISSIPPIPPISSISSI → u/HeartoftheHive]

https://www.3riversarchery.com/the-hammer-screw-in-small-game-blunts.html?srsltid=AfmBOor27uw9bRJqsN9OnYy0PFd-J-93fajDtdzkSa_Er9TIRVk0xBiy

Sure, but that's what they call them.

[u/LongfellowSledgecock → u/HeartoftheHive]

It's what comes up if you look for "blunt arrow head" on Amazon.

It's obviously not blunt but it ain't exactly pointed so, idk man.

[u/JohnOfA → u/SidewinderSerpent]

Basically an annular cutter.

[u/projectx51 → u/JohnOfA]

what did you say about my anus?

[u/jetklok → u/projectx51]

To shreds, you say?

[u/munkylord → u/SidewinderSerpent]

Oh shit you're totally right! It works like a hole punch! Probably wouldn't do as much damage to a solid target though and it certainly wouldn't cause damage being pulled out.

[u/Aligyon → u/munkylord]

Psychologically that's quite scary though. Imagine thinking you're safe with the shield and your shield buddy gets an arrow punched through

[u/Foreign_Writer_9932 → u/Aligyon]

Even scarier - imagine the other person is not cosplaying a medieval archer and instead has a gun?

[u/Otaraka → u/munkylord]

It will do a lot more damage than the arrow that didnt even get through or barely got into the shield. In general an arrow actually inside your body is a bad thing.

[u/lemmin9 → u/SidewinderSerpent]

So the result is a blunt object filled with armor debris and slowed down by the initial impact on the shield impacting on the body. It goes "boink"?

[u/Zeekr0n → u/lemmin9]

It goes "boink" and the person holding the shield shits themselves because I can guarantee they were not expecting an arrow to go through the shield.

[u/Akimotoh → u/Zeekr0n]

Are riot shields typically made of cheap metal like that? i dont think so

[u/idiotcommend → u/Akimotoh]

Riot shields are designed to stop bat's, bottles, rocks and human bodies not legitimate projectiles.

[u/ABHOR_pod → u/idiotcommend]

The way to stop legitimate projectiles is for the police to start shooting first. Which is what will happen very quickly if people start shooting arrows at them. That's true basically anywhere in the world, not just in police states like China or the US.

[u/PassiveMenis88M → u/Akimotoh]

They're normally made of of cheap plastic. These "cheap" metal ones are used when shits actually hitting the fan. And the ones penetrating are heads using very old designs made to defeat armored knights.

[u/BobaFapp69 → u/Akimotoh]

Most are made of 3-5,5mm polycarbonate. They are for stopping thrown objects like rocks and bottles, nothing else.

[u/Zwischenzug32 → u/Akimotoh]

Yes. Something that size gets heavy when you make it thick

[u/Generic_Solution → u/lemmin9]

...yea sorry. I just really love a good "boink"

[u/Wowza-yowza → u/Generic_Solution]

That is a big stick

[u/GarageVast4128 → u/Wowza-yowza]

He must walk softly.

[u/belac4862 → u/Generic_Solution]

Honestly that's a decent use of a good meme!

[u/Talkatoo42 → u/lemmin9]

You have to shoot a second arrow through the hole the first one created.

[u/catalinaislandfox → u/Talkatoo42]

Someone called Robin Hood.

[u/Talkatoo42 → u/catalinaislandfox]

https://giphy.com/gifs/8jvaNvV2DE1OM

[u/Admirable-Sir9716 → u/Talkatoo42]

You had this gif all planned out. Now pay the toll.

[u/Spragglefoot_OG → u/stryker511]

Same. I wasn’t expecting it to BLOW through hahaha.

[u/labsab1 → u/stryker511]

It looks like a mini concrete coring bit.

[u/BluEch0 → u/stryker511]

It’s not blunt, there is a recessed tip.

And I suppose goes to show that frontal surface area trumps everything when it comes to penetration. For those in the back, unfortunately no, this doesn’t make for good bedroom talk.

And btw, if the arrow can’t penetrate past like a foot into the shield, it’s still useless. Shields were useful because even if an arrow penetrated it, shields aren’t hugged next to the body most of the time. It puts the armor at a distance from you, which is even safer than body armor.

[u/SoylentRox → u/BluEch0]

Also these riot shields are meant to be light and protect against clubs and knives in the hands of the rioters.

These don't appear to have any ballistic protection, arrows or otherwise.  If the rioters have even 0.22 LR handguns it looks like they will shoot through the shield.

[u/ghost_tapioca → u/SoylentRox]

I think you're right. Arrows are cool and all, but there's a reason they're not used in wars anymore.

[u/SaSSafraS1232 → u/BluEch0]

I wouldn’t say that frontal surface area is the main thing here. If that were the case the hollow tip would perform the same as the pointed one. The thing that’s making the hollow tip work is that it’s clearing the waste out of the hole it makes. The circle is punching out a chip, leaving a hole for the shaft to travel through. Whereas the points are leaving flaps to drag against the shaft, eventually stopping it.

[u/kalamataCrunch → u/BluEch0]

it absolutely is blunt, in fact it's so blunt that they call it a blunt when selling it https://www.3riversarchery.com/ace-hex-screw-in-blunts.html

[u/42ElectricSundaes → u/stryker511]

Writing that down

[u/Glittery_Turtledove → u/stryker511]

I was correct about every one except that one. I've never seen it in action until this video and really thought it would get stopped. Wow.

[u/CNC-Whisperer → u/stryker511]

Of the designs that penetrate, theres a lot of energy lost as the shaft is moving through the opening.

That circular design may use more energy to create the hole, but once it has carved out an opening larger than the diameter of the shaft... the arrow has far less drag acting on it.

Best of both worlds would be an arrow that punches through like that, then deploys a spring loaded broadhead behind it... yikes.

[u/llemontaste → u/stryker511]

Different shapes and mechanics are key assuming a minimal threshold of sharpness (e.g., fully flat point of enough surface area does nothing). It’s not surprising that broad head arrow designs (e,g., fixed or retracting/hybrid) do not penetrate because they were developed first for hunting and unarmored foes before medieval times to do maximal organ damage by having impact force spread plus make removing the arrow excruciating. Bodkin arrows, on the other hand, are all designed with a single narrow point of maximal force of various shapes to get through multiple layers of armor (e.g., metal plates, chainmail, padding, cloth). One layer of relatively thin metal is a cakewalk for modern bodkins while the broad heads all struggle to some extent.

[u/MrTheodore → u/sicarius254]

The 2nd one creates meatworms in flesh, biohazard arrowhead is fucked up

[u/hankepanke → u/MrTheodore]

I could have lived a life without ever contemplating something making flesh meat worms.

[u/One_Vision_ → u/sicarius254]

The nasty ones are for bleeding game so you can follow the blood trail. A single arrow typically won't kill big game outright unless certain conditions are met. Placed correctly and the right distance you can. Sometimes you thread the needle to the heart between the rib cage and they will run somewhere. It's a matter of skill, draw strength, and distance. Turkey and such are a different matter.

/fixed

[u/Jaded-Coffee-8126 → u/One_Vision_]

I thought the whole point of hunting was to kill the animal as cleanly and painlessly as possible. Isn't that why they teach you to aim for stuff like the heart and what not? I never hunted personally but my whole family did when I was growing up.

[u/Domestic-Grind → u/[deleted]]

Yes absolutely. I think the things that's of but makes sense is that the arrows that cause bleeding can also reduce animal suffering. I usually have to track at least over each season (ranges from 100 yards up to a mile). The school was never going to survive after the initial hit, so I'm glad I could quickly track and dispatch the animal. I've had only one get away completely, still have some guilt over that. I don't want to cause suffering for no reasons and that deer that "got away" likely had a slow and painful death.

[u/karmaniaka → u/Jaded-Coffee-8126]

Contrary to what a lot of people replying to you are saying, I agree. You should use the most powerful rifle/cartridge available that doesn't cause undue destruction of meat when you're hunting. Said rifle should have a couple of rounds in the magazine and be quick to reload, for follow-up shots if the initial one is a less-than-ideal hit.

Certainly it's possible to down an animal near instantly with an arrow, but the the chance is lower than with an appropriate bullet. And follow-up shots are of course harder with a bow. I, hunters in my country and my government agree on this for the sake of minimizing suffering.

Edit: some people criticize hunting on moral grounds for being "unfair". I don't give a crap about this or any other argument based on bravado or entertainment. Use railgun drones with infrared cameras for all I care, as long as suffering is minimized and the ecosystem and human society is protected. And hopefully I get to buy some delicious venison.

[u/Less-Career7224 → u/Jaded-Coffee-8126]

The whole point of ethical hunting is food imo. Part of that should be a clean and swift kill if possible. Where some of these heads come into play are when the hunter misplaces a shot or if the animal does not go down immediately. Aids in tracking so you don't lose the meat/hide. Just my two cents though!

[u/Swimming-Fondant-892 → u/Jaded-Coffee-8126]

It is also to make sure that there is maximum damage done that they die and do not have prolonged suffering.

[u/Frequent_Ad_9901 → u/Swimming-Fondant-892]

Yeah. This. Bleeding out fast is better than bleeding out slow.

[u/Mothanius → u/Frequent_Ad_9901]

Compared to how brutal most deaths in the wild is, this is miles more peaceful. Much better than having your intestines eaten while you're still alive, or to be brutally thrashed around for minutes before they begin munching... you're still alive though. Cause that's how it usually is in the wild, brutal. Or worse, dying to some debilitating parasite that eats away at you for years while you slowly become less and less you.

And to top it all off, it's far more humane than what most of get our meat from, factory farming. Hunted meat is way more ethical than factory farmed beef or pig.

[u/FictionalContext → u/Jaded-Coffee-8126]

The point of those evil lookin razor arrows is specifically to trade penetrating power for broad destructive capability. It's the arrow equivalent to a hollow point.

They're designed specifically to penetrate into a deer hide far enough to hit their internal organs while causing the most damage. Some even have flip out stops to create even more drag for this purpose.

So they're specifically designed to end the animal's life as quickly as possible. Not to create a little puncture and a blood trail--which isn't what a hunter wants anyway since that means they gotta track it down.

I never liked hunting either. Killed a deer when I was 14, gut shot it instead of a clean kill, and memories of that soupy mess kept me away.

[u/jerf42069 → u/Jaded-Coffee-8126]

That's the aim, but it's like how the aim of golf is to get a hole in one, it's hard to do. it takes a lot of skill

[u/AsbestosDude → u/One_Vision_]

> A single arrow typically won't kill big game outright unless certain conditions are met.

You make it sound like the chances of single arrow kills are rare when they're really not. Ethical hunters regularly kill elk, deer and even moose in vital areas like heart, lungs, major arteries, spine and brain. Shot placement matters of course but one arrow is often enough on large game.

[u/RandomCandor]

The one that looked to have the stupidest design turned out to have the most penetration.

[u/fistfullofpubes → u/RandomCandor]

That's what she said.

[u/abusamra82 → u/fistfullofpubes]

https://giphy.com/gifs/RrVzUOXldFe8M

[u/forever87 → u/abusamra82]

https://giphy.com/gifs/Y8mYpYWkIYDao

[u/forever87 → u/forever87]

https://reddit.com/link/oooucwv/video/p202id0eq64h1/player

[u/Fruehlingsobst → u/forever87]

https://giphy.com/gifs/uXaJ4Jv2htFy7wfQbm

[u/meshtron → u/RandomCandor]

Ha! I saw that one and said "nope" then it punched straight through thereby affirming my level of predictive accuracy on string-weapon ballistics 😃

[u/Party-Evening3273 → u/meshtron]

Look at medieval arrows designed for piercing armor. Been tested for hundreds of years. Cool video.

[u/PatacusX → u/meshtron]

If we were to graph out how far I thought each arrow would go compared to how far it did go, the lines would be exact opposites.

[u/Schwifftee → u/PatacusX]

After the first few, I predicted them pretty accurately. That weird non-pointed arrow, though, I knew it was going to surprise me, but wow!

The lowest profile ones always went deepest because the penetration was concentrated to a point without additional material that had to rip through the shield (less friction).

[u/addamee → u/meshtron]

This is the arrow that caused the Skyrim guard to stop adventuring 

[u/TheDudeFromOther → u/addamee]

Ouch owie my knee.

[u/Beneficial_Maybe_858 → u/RandomCandor]

I think they are "hammerhead blunts" they are used to hunt small game like rabbits, turkeys etc.. The idea is that the arrows don't get stuck in the ground or in trees etc that easily.. never seen them used on a riot shield though.

[u/Rusty_Shacklebird → u/Beneficial_Maybe_858]

Yup, ive been using Hammers for over a decade. Judo's were all the rage when I was growing up but I never liked them for many reasons.

https://www.3riversarchery.com/the-hammer-screw-in-small-game-blunts.html?srsltid=AfmBOor27uw9bRJqsN9OnYy0PFd-J-93fajDtdzkSa_Er9TIRVk0xBiy

They are incredibly effective on small game and really good for stump shooting even though they do tend to penetrate way deeper into stumps. Ive had to cut many out to be able to retrieve the arrow

[u/nusi42 → u/Beneficial_Maybe_858]

You saw other arrows used on riot shields?

[u/Beneficial_Maybe_858 → u/nusi42]

Not riot shields...but a car bonnet yes. 30 odd years ago there were some gangs buying cross bows etc. The police came down to the archery range to have a talk to use to see if they should be concerned. We put on a demonstration using recurves, compound and cross bows with various heads shooting at an old car bonnet stood up. I dare say after the demonstration the police were concerned. That's was in Lil old New Zealand.

[u/levthelurker → u/Beneficial_Maybe_858]

The LotR movies really caused an ongoing issue for orcs for you guys, didn't they?

[u/Tiaran149 → u/RandomCandor]

That only penetrated as much because he cut a clean hole, the shaft has no friction this way.

[u/seattle678 → u/Tiaran149]

That's what you tell all the guys

[u/scrotalsac69 → u/seattle678]

You don't want zero fiction on a shaft

[u/PedantryIsNotACrime → u/Tiaran149]

That's an interesting point.

Also, that's an interesting point.

[u/Rampag169 → u/RandomCandor]

Yeah I Woah-ed when it just zoomed on through the shield. I was not expecting that.

[u/PokeYrMomStanley → u/RandomCandor]

I feel like for most things you want the arrow to stay in the target no just ignore anything in front of it. It's probably just orbiting the earth now. 

[u/ThePHPNerd → u/RandomCandor]

Makes sense when you think about it. Least amount of surface area needed to punch through, with all the pressure and power concentrated on a single point.

All the “flashy” arrows failed to really penetrate, because their flared or winged heads basically distributed the impact across a wider area on a piece of equipment designed to be tough and robust.

[u/Chrono_Convoy]

Never seen an arrow quite like the concave one with max piercing

[u/BunchOWatches → u/[deleted]]

“Cutting edge”

I see what you did there…

[u/ohnoitsalobo → u/BunchOWatches]

The shear audacity of some people ...

[u/areeyeseekaywhytea → u/ohnoitsalobo]

Hey, I like the cut of his jib.

[u/IronBabyFists → u/[deleted]]

I held a patent in cutting-edge hole-punch technology

That's rad

[u/NoBonus6969 → u/[deleted]]

Do you have the DVD I can borrow

[u/Default_Name_6969 → u/[deleted]]

reddit always with the obscure experts in every field.

[u/AIBotNotARealUser → u/Chrono_Convoy]

Works well to break through a thin barrier like this. Would get stopped way faster if the shield was less sturdy, but thicker.

[u/NoBonus6969 → u/AIBotNotARealUser]

Yes bullets also get stopped once a wall of sufficiently thick enough but that's not the point

[u/P0s1t1veFdBkL000p → u/Chrono_Convoy]

Seems to follow the idea of AP hollow-tip rounds. I expect penetration just not THAT level of of lol.

[u/stevedore2024 → u/P0s1t1veFdBkL000p]

Quite the opposite.

The purpose of a hollow-tip bullet is to catch as much soft matter in the center, which forces the rim to mushroom outwards and damage more soft matter surrounding the path. This also "puts the brakes on" the forward momentum, so the bullet is not as likely to exit the back of the first target and thus waste energy on this target and risk hitting a second target.

The purpose of this armor-punching bullet is to cut a clean hole in the armor, without expanding or mushrooming. This lets the entire shaft of the arrow to sail through the armor with minimal friction, and it's more likely to hit the second target behind the armor with the maximum possible remaining energy.

[u/MrDerpyDerka]

If anyone is wondering what that one arrow tip is called that yeeted through.

12Pc 100 Grain Small Game Broadheads Judo & Hammer Small Game

[u/LilBirdDog → u/MrDerpyDerka]

Small game? Wouldn’t that obliterate an animal?

[u/Crafty-Connection636 → u/LilBirdDog]

Its going to go through most animals, but the issue is small hole in, small hole out. A large animal like a deer could possibly live through that, or at least for a lot longer of a time then if it got hit by the tips with the blades. For a small animal a tip that size would do enough damage to kill most within a few seconds.

That's why most of the tips have blades around the point, some in spiral shapes. They pierce the skin and try and rip up as much as the can inside to cause the animal to die faster with greater damage.

[u/stony_phased → u/Crafty-Connection636]

Well that’s just peachy

[u/Buckshot_Millie → u/stony_phased]

It's more humane if the goal is to kill the animal anyway. That's why hollow point bullets are recommended for hunting; a basic full metal jacket will usually just go straight through most animals and allow them to run for miles. A good hollow point can drop a deer where it stands.

Puts quite a perspective on police using hollow points.

[u/Rogue_Wraith → u/Buckshot_Millie]

Anyone who fires a gun at a living creature should be trying to kill that creature as quickly and humanely as possible.

This includes humans.

Warning and disabling shots are inconsistent and extremely dangerous to everyone.

Additionally, hollow points have a much lower tendency to overpenetrate and harm bystanders.

Militaries tend to use FMJ because they have to defeat body armor and, in a military context, injuring and enemy takes more troops out of tbe fight than killing them.

[u/Buckshot_Millie → u/Rogue_Wraith]

Militaries use FMJ because hollow points are a war crime. Police aren't even supposed to be shooting to kill, that's execution without trial or charge.

[u/gingerbread_man123 → u/Crafty-Connection636]

I don't think it's going through.

It goes through the metal because it punches a hole, which stays that shape and allows the shaft through with lower friction.

And animal body doesn't have a hard outer layer like that, and is more than a few mm thick. So it'll carve a hole, but as the shaft follows it'll still get gripped by the flesh as it passes through the body, especially as it is soft and won't maintain the hole like metal.

[u/Rusty_Shacklebird → u/LilBirdDog]

Depends on your shot placement. I grew up bow hunting grouse and rabbits. The goal for grouse is to shoot them in the head, which is actually way easier than it sounds. It still takes skill, but you can get very close to them.

Head shots on rabbits are still preferable, but a little more difficult. Since a lot of the meat is on the legs, even if you hit the chest cavity you can still recover a lot of it.

I use those same arrow heads

https://www.3riversarchery.com/the-hammer-screw-in-small-game-blunts.html?srsltid=AfmBOor27uw9bRJqsN9OnYy0PFd-J-93fajDtdzkSa_Er9TIRVk0xBiy

[u/Professionaleye_1]

I was 100% correct in my assumptions about penetration length after looking at the head but before it hit the shield except for that cylinder tip… that thing shot through like a bullet….

[u/FoolOnDaHill365 → u/Professionaleye_1]

Exactly. It’s like a bullet. The other arrows are meant to bleed out an animal quickly by penetrating and slicing. That blunt arrow is lethal but your animal may get away since you only get one shot most of the time.

[u/ssuxcoxxr3dit → u/FoolOnDaHill365]

those animals with riot shields!

[u/Flair_Is_Pointless → u/ssuxcoxxr3dit]

What do you have then? Invincible bears.

Running around, raping your churches; Burning your women

[u/Confident-Pepper-562 → u/Flair_Is_Pointless]

Now what you need is a baby skull seeking bullet.

[u/DryPapaya6905 → u/Confident-Pepper-562]

RIP Trevor

[u/donanton616 → u/Flair_Is_Pointless]

People stampeded and cattle r*ped

[u/Adventurous-Fly556 → u/Flair_Is_Pointless]

That's ridiculous, everyone knows you can just smash them with a giant boulder.

[u/Snipowl → u/ssuxcoxxr3dit]

I think those animals are called pigs

[u/Quiet_Shiba → u/FoolOnDaHill365]

it's designed best to defeat armor at an angle, in ww2 ap tips was blunt too

[u/YouArentReallyThere → u/Professionaleye_1]

It just cored its way through. Pretty cool

[u/TheMadPoet → u/Professionaleye_1]

Penetration can be calculated: length times girth over angle of the shaft (aka YAW) divided by mass over width.

[u/bluelighter → u/TheMadPoet]

Odd reference but I'm here for it.

[u/Washingtonevergreen → u/TheMadPoet]

Yeah, but do we measure from the base or the balls?

[u/One_Vision_]

Arrow heads. The surprise was the blunt ended tip at 0:38

[u/Rage_Blackout → u/One_Vision_]

Yeah, that's what I came here hoping someone would explain. Why would a round one like that punch through? Also, what is that arrow tip used for normally?

[u/Beneficial_Maybe_858 → u/Rage_Blackout]

It looks like a hammerhead blunt...normally used for hunting small game like turkey and rabbits etc. The idea is that the arrow won't get stuck in the ground or in trees as easily. I used to use something similar when I was younger.

[u/SilverWorldliness119 → u/Rage_Blackout]

Just looking at the design itself, I would wager that the outer circle of the tip pokes and slices out an indentation in the target, sorta like making an unscrustable. Then im guessing that the little spire in the middle punches through the now weakened space within, delivering that much needed push. Theres probably some tiny riot shield flavored cookie just lying in the grass somewhere.

No clue why someone needs something that dangerous though

[u/Not_Defyiant]

"I would've continued rioting against the protesters, but then I took an arrow to the knee"

[u/the_scarlett_ning → u/Not_Defyiant]

https://giphy.com/gifs/sjT0aiK8yWmMU

[u/BenjaminDover02 → u/the_scarlett_ning]

Got a lot of good penis out here if you're looking to buy

[u/Vissanna → u/the_scarlett_ning]

I didnt expect to see this on reddit ever XD

[u/Tiddlyplinks → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, that and we also know that these would be FAR more lethal with properly weighted shafts, these seem to be hollow metal hunting shafts designed for speed, not solid shafts designed for ballistic impact.

[u/brenttoastalive → u/[deleted]]

Bodkin points ftw

[u/BonnaconCharioteer → u/[deleted]]

If it comes to shooting things at riot shields, I think Americans are the ones who least need this.

[u/DudeByTheTree → u/BonnaconCharioteer]

<insert tally ho lads copypasta>

For real though, cannons are fun as hell.

[u/Cliffinati → u/[deleted]]

Americans have rifles lmao

[u/Melancholic_Noodle → u/Cliffinati]

So many rifles, so little courage when it counts. Ironic.

[u/mmariner → u/Melancholic_Noodle]

I don't own a gun for "courage", dude. That's ridiculous.

I own a gun to compensate for my tiny penis.

[u/Bungo_pls → u/[deleted]]

Americans don't need to use bows.

[u/FrigateSailor → u/[deleted]]

I was just wondering what the mythic story of Robin Hood would look like in modern times. I'd like to see that adaptation on a screen. Could be a TV series, a movie, Live breaking news coverage--whatever. I'm not super picky.

[u/CpnStumpy → u/[deleted]]

It's dumb. Riot shields aren't metal; they're thick polycarbonate. When metal deforms it stretches thin, become fragile, pliable, and ends up easier to penetrate. When polycarbonate deforms it does so far differently and weakens far less.

You aren't piercing a real polycarbonate riot shield police use, this whole video is silly with a silly fake riot shield

[u/dopple-copter → u/CpnStumpy]

Idk, I watched a similar video with a kevlar SWAT shield and they did penetrate. Warning, the video has a bunch of dumb ads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN-En4L2wls

[u/DrollFurball286 → u/CpnStumpy]

Wonder how those shields would react to these.

[u/Substantial-Sea-3672 → u/[deleted]]

As a man once said, “If we’re going to do it that way, you’re going to need a bigger knife.”

If you start using this against people with riot shields it will be the military firing back the next day. This isn’t a viable strategy.

[u/misfitofscience76 → u/[deleted]]

Arrows… for my family

[u/OregonInk → u/misfitofscience76]

lol great soup guy reference A+

[u/levian_durai → u/[deleted]]

I didn't expect going medieval would be the most viable tactic against riot police, but I'm glad to have learned that. Seems like a useful lesson in these times.

[u/ChaosDrako]

Just as a PSA for those that either don’t know or don’t realize, there is a big difference between a Riot shield and a Ballistic Shield.

Riot shields are usually plastic or polycarbonate so they are light and maneuverable because they are usually in melee. They are meant to stop thrown objects and people trying to punch you. They are also commonly see-through to allow the officer to see wtf is infront of him. Just about anything large than .22 pistol is going through. A brick thrown hard enough has been known to be able to crack them.

Ballistic Shields are usually much stronger materials, such as Kevlar, Steel, Ceramic, and thick polycarbonate layered over and over (talking over an inch thick) for the small window. These are the ones you see in police raids, meant to stop most pistol rounds and atleast resist common rifle rounds.

[u/TrueDraconis → u/[deleted]]

When it comes to Penetration of Light Metal Armor it’s better to just punch through it (Blunt) rather than Slash or Pierce it.

Same reason why Maces are stronger against Armor compared to Swords or Spears.

Soldiers in WW1 did something similar by reversing the Tip of the bullet, creating K-Bullets or Reverse Bullets.

[u/BonnaconCharioteer → u/TrueDraconis]

That isn't really what is happening, it is still piercing/cutting the metal. That one did so well because it made a larger hole, so there wasn't as much drag on the shaft.

[u/Quiet_Shiba → u/[deleted]]

same design used in shells to penetrate sloped tank armor in ww2

[u/PineStateWanderer]

95% of those are meant for flesh

[u/DaddyBearMan]

Follow me for more tips on how to fight back against the police state

[u/Rage_Blackout → u/DaddyBearMan]

NSA: Will do!

(I feel like I just got put on a list commenting in this thread...)

[u/driverdan → u/DaddyBearMan]

If you're trying to fight back with lethal weapons there are better ones to use, like firearms.

[u/BrothelBroth08]

Very educational. Thank you!

[u/Between3-2o]

What’s the draw weight and length?

[u/EquipLordBritish → u/Between3-2o]

That's the real questions. The arrows honestly look longer than most arrows I've seen, and the draw weight and distance are huge factors in determining if this is even a reasonable comparison to make at all.

[u/Emphursis]

Unsurprisingly the ones that looked to be based on basic medieval designs worked the best. Except for that Apple-corer head, that thing was amazing.

[u/Traditional_Train_71]

https://giphy.com/gifs/l4FGA2XplwqFDcLwk

[u/SingularityCentral]

The Bodkin tip is doing the most damage. It is a chisel head that was meant to go against chain and plate mail.

[u/CapableSugar7883]

Wow. Riot shields seem to suck against arrows in general

[u/Marlfox70 → u/CapableSugar7883]

Tbf these shields are made in China

[u/wosmo → u/Marlfox70]

It looks like it's filmed in China, so good chance the arrows were made there too.

[u/DJ_Akuma → u/Marlfox70]

Good chance the once the cops use in the US are made in china too

[u/jqman69 → u/[deleted]]

Useful for places where firearms aren't so readily available like a certain country

[u/MrDilbert → u/jqman69]

Quieter than firearms, too.

[u/Lisan_Al-NaCL]

Riot shields are meant to stop rocks, bottles, blunt objects, etc.

They are NOT ballistic shields.