“The kick in your hand when firing is about what smacks into your target”
Precisely. And that 45 acp recoil is orders of magnitude less that a baseball bat full-on to the chest. The bat just doesnt penetrate.
People have been conditioned by decades of hit movies featuring the cop shot and falling unconscious. Wr all think he’s dead. Then SURPRISE, our hero wakes up and shows he was wearing a vest!!
You tube is full of guys shooting theirself in the chest with a 45 to demo a vest.
The impact without penetration is minor.
Show me, hero. Using yourself as a demo.
I've suffered blunt trauma, and the surgeon said I looked like a gut-shot deer inside.
Your math is suspect. Baseball bat, .22, or .45 to the chest (with a flak jacket, which hasn't been established) is going to leave you off your game. Without a flak jacket, is likely to leave you dead.
/johnny