AR Sponsor
Posted: 5/5/2005 12:42:04 PM EDT
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I had the pleasure of heading out to some local BLM land this weekend and had a ton of stuff set up to blast at. For our rifle sighting in purposes, we cut up some soft/mild 1/4" steel plate into 8x8 squares and set it up hanging about 150yrds away on the hill from camp. My friend was sighting in a scoped 20" government upper. Rounds were wallyworld winchester value pack 55 gr. We were both amazed at how it sliced thru the steel at that range. The holes were a little smaller than the diameter of a dime with almost molten looking copper and steel around the entrance. The rear of the steel plate had a crisp clean exit hole. We were able to recover some of the steel that was punched out... looked like little tea cups/half a sphere. (and yes.. I know this thread is worthless without pics.. trying to locate someone that has some) My question is.. will the .223 normally defeat steel targets in general? I would have to hope that Level III/IV plates are made from AR500 armor plate (hardened steel). |
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Defeating steel is all about impact velocity. The faster the projectile, and the denser and harder it is, the more steel it will penetrate. Our best anti-tank tank rounds use a steel dart that has a pencil-thin core of depleted uranium (which is VERY dense/heavy), and it is that core that penetrates the tank armor. Of course, with weaker armor, the entire projectile may penetrate. With leadcore bullets, though, it's ALL about velocity. The closer you are, or the longer your barrel, or the hotter the load, the better chance you have of defeating the steel. And despite "conventional wisdom", M855 doesn't penetrate steel better than M193 if you are comparing close-range results, because M193 will have a higher impact velocity out to 100 yards or so. At extended ranges, the additional weight and strength of the steel penetrator does improve penetration performance substantially compared to M193 at the same distance. -Troy |
.223 will defeat mild steel (i.e. non armor quality), as will most other rifle calibers. AP 5.56 will defeat 1\4" armor at 200 yards. I know because I've done it. I'm talking about the black tip AP round, not the green tip M855.
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