You can still get one-shot by a scav in Tarkov at 100m even with tier 6 chest and helmet if the shot lands on an unprotected hitbox, the ammo has enough damage or pen, or there’s a hitbox/armor interaction bug. Community reports and explainers also point out that armor in Tarkov does not protect every part of the torso equally, and some rounds or edge cases can still drop you very fast.

Why it happens

  • Head/face/nape exposure. A helmet only protects the covered area, so a scav bullet that lands on face, jaw, ears, or nape can still kill you quickly.
  • Armor coverage gaps. Tier 6 chest armor does not always cover every torso section the way people assume, so a hit can slip into a less-protected zone.
  • Ammo and damage mechanics. Tarkov ballistics include penetration chance, armor damage, blunt damage, and range effects, so a shot that looks “weak” can still be lethal under the right conditions.
  • Possible bugged behavior. Players have reported being one-tapped through level 6 armor by scav fire, suggesting unusual damage interactions or bugs can happen.

What to check

  • Whether the hit was actually head, neck, nape, or face.
  • The ammo type used by the scav.
  • Whether your armor had partial coverage, damage, or repaired durability loss.
  • Whether it may have been a double-hit or desync situation rather than a clean single bullet.

Practical takeaway

If you want to avoid this, don’t trust armor alone: use hard cover, minimize exposed head/neck angles, and assume scavs can still punish small peeks at long range.

In short: “tier 6” is strong, not invincible. A scav can still one-shot you if the round hits the wrong place or the game’s damage math lines up badly.

If you want, I can also turn this into a short forum-style reply or a more casual Reddit comment.