Thanks. When i saw this year armor requires cow hides, i smiled because it really does. It requires some leather for the straps behind the metal.
Also, i love the fact there is standard metal armor and Mark 2 metal armor since the fancy flutes really do make the armor tougher. Some archers challenged the armor guys one year at a Missouri ren-faire and lost. They thought that the flutes would be weaker and their Bodkin arrows would go right through.
But the armorers smiled and said "try and see!" so a fluted piece was set up as a target and an archer fired on of these babies and his arrow struck dead-on a flute...and bounced off lol. The metal was not even dented - only had an x-shaped scratch in it. So yes, metal armor MkII really is superior stuff.
I don't know any way to make metal armor bullet-proof but i assume AP ammo goes right through it, even in 2238. Check your wounds/scars.