07-14-2012, 05:55 PM
Some years ago in the SCA Some years ago in the SCA some people researched the protective properties of chainmail. Why? Because in tourneys you were supposed to deliver a killing blow that would penetrate light chainmail. So they took a pig carcass and put a chainmail hauberk on it and hit it with various weapons. Surprisingly, only thrusts with a short sword penetrated the mail. However, even if the blows from the various weapons did not penetrate the mail, they broke a lot of bones inside. Chainmail really doesn't do a whole lot to reduce the shock wave from a hard blow from a weapon. The overlapping plates of a segmentata, should give greater protection fromthat especially if there is some sort of quilting underneath. I don't see that the mail would do much to prevent fractures and ruptured organs from a solid blow. If anone has some armor they don't mind banging on, why not test it out. See what effects weapons have on mail scale, and plates. Thats really the best way to see what happens. But for me, as cool as chainmail is, I would want plates in battle. Maybe a combination of mail covered by plates so armpits are covered and so on.
Caesar audieritis hoc
