WATCH: Can a seatbelt stop an AK47 bullet?

Enforced by legislation, but not always worn correctly or even at all, the seatbelt has come-in as the latest target, literally, of SVI Engineering’s AK47 in its Shoot Through series.

Watch how a seatbelt fails against an AK47

The fifth episode to be aired on its YouTube channel, the now familiar process sees the assault rifle’s single round of 7.62 x 39mm being fired at the seatbelt mechanism while captured on a Photron Fastcam SA4 high-speed camera at 30 000 frames per second.

Unsurprisingly, the result rated as a forgone conclusion as the bullet shot through the belt itself in addition to damaging part of the mechanism’s steel outer casing along the way.

Reaction

Despite being admittedly off from its aimed-for-target, the fully rolled-up seatbelt itself, the findings, according to SVI’s Business Development Director, Nicol Louw, still made for alarming viewing.

ALSO READ: WATCH: AK47 comes off second best against VW Polo cylinder head

“The seatbelt is a very realistic component to shoot [at] inside the cabin. The material is quite dense, [but] while it looks intact, it isn’t. If you look at the high-speed camera, the bullet went through, took some metal out at the back and went through the seatbelt.

“[The belt] doesn’t fill me with a lot confidence. I think you can hit in the centre and it will still go through,” Louw remarked.

SVI’s CEO Jaco de Kock shared the same sentiment, saying, “It is a such a small part. I wouldn’t even consider standing behind it”.

“The slow-motion footage of the round striking the seatbelt mechanism makes for particularly dramatic viewing but is also a stark reminder of the penetrating power delivered by assault rifles,” De Kock concluded.

So far

The result brings the components unable to withstand the impact of an AK47 shot to two after the shock absorber delivered a similar outcome two episodes ago.

It, therefore, brings the overall scores to 3-2 as the rifle was unable to penetrate a brake disc, engine block and in the most recent test, a cylinder – the former from the Toyota Land Cruiser 70-series and the latter pair from a Volkswagen Polo.

The results of how the brake disc fared can be viewed on the SVI Engineering YouTube channel.