Would a hit on the armor from a heavy enough round or a lighter one one with high enough velocity be the equivalent of a hard body punch, or being hit with a baseball bat? In either case, could an untrained individual continue to function, or would he need a few seconds or even minutes of recovery time? Would that time perhaps save some lives?
I wish I had the answers...
The key is ‘foot-pounds of energy’ delivered by the round. A .45ACP 230 gr at 950 ft per sec delivers more FtPds of energy than a .22 40 grain at 1200 ft per sec. With the .22 shot placement is vital and follow up shots on target. As someone who used to practice every week with a semi auto .22 at ten yards, the gas mask would have been a big target, and even one hit in the mask, which doesn’t penetrate the skull, will slow the perps down for a follow up through an eye socket.