With the ever-increasing threat of ballistic impact, it is essential to provide a solution that is not only effective but also economical. a majority of studies contribute toward alternatives to monolithic structures by incorporating sandwiched cores, which are often prone to core crushing and delamination. this often limits the multi-hit capabilities of the structure. in recent years, sand-based composites have emerged as a potentially cost-effective solution. in this ongoing effort, the current investigation aims to offer more robust protection against varied ballistic impacts and potential ballistic threats. this research investigates the enhancement of ballistic impact resistance in polymer matrix sand composites (pmscs) through the inclusion of sand in a graded fashion, resulting in a tunable solution. the tailoring of various mechanical properties, such as modulus, impact strength, and hardness, enables different layers within a single structure, offering potential advantages as the projectile pierces through the thickness. the gradation creates a stepwise structure, with a prime base impact zone densely graded with inclusions that are brittle and hard enough to erode the projectile. further gradation involves a less dense region providing tensile strength, which can reflect the tensile wave and reduce impact energy. in the study, composites were fabricated and subjected to a battery of tests, including tensile testing, izod impact testing, and hardness testing, to comprehensively evaluate their mechanical and physical properties also homogenized properties were extracted so as to critically observe the pmscs behavior upon variations in constituent elements. the properties extracted from variations in constituent elements are utilized for developing different layers in a structure. simulation studies of varied gradation configurations are conducted, and the potential advantages of layering sequences are studied. preliminary projectile impact studies provide initial insights into gradation performance. the experimental and simulation results reveal that varying the size and volume fraction of sand content markedly influences the mechanical properties and ballistic resistance of the composites, underscoring the potential of pmscs as cost-effective and environmentally sustainable composites for advanced ballistic protection applications.