3/4" 1018 steel VS. F.N. AP ammo.

[tark]

Just fooling around the other day and I decided to shoot some old F.N. 30-06 AP ammo into a piece of 3/4" thick annealed 1018 steel. The range was 100 yards. I didn't expect the penetrator to make it through, and it didn't, but I did notice this: The tip of the penetrator was sticking out of the back of the steel and it was still needle sharp! I don't know if the penetrator is tungsten-carbide or hardened steel but the bullets don't stick to a magnet so I'm guessing the former.

Tough stuff!

 

[MechAg94]

Wow. Thinking a machine gun with mixed ammo could tear up an armor plate like that.

 

[lightman]

It made a pretty good ding in it.

 

[tark]

!018 is soft commercial steel. If that would have been armor plate the bullet would not have gone through. It was a fun experiment, however and it made a good paperweight / conversation starter. When the Museum was open I had it sitting on the counter top by the front entrance. It never failed to draw attention. When the Museum re-opens after renovation it will go back on whatever countertop is available.

 

[alsaqr]

The penetrator penetrates 1/2-3/4 of it's length into the turret of an M4 tank target.

30-06 “30 CAL M2 AP” Armor Piercing | The Ammo Channel

 

[Riomouse911]

That’s some serious stuff!

Glad that wasn’t my dueling tree

Stay safe.

 

[dahermit]

" I decided to shoot some old F.N. 30-06 AP ammo into a piece of 3/4" thick annealed 1018 steel. " Not annealed. 1018 steel does not have enough Carbon in it to become hardened in the first place. It starts out soft, stays soft. If you shoot it with soft-nose hunting ammo you will get some spectacular results also... as I found with my .22 Hornet with a 45 grain hollow point.

 

[Jim Watson]

We have an unmonitored club range, pay your dues and get the current key.
Unfortunately we got some irresponsible members.

Once upon a time, an internet correspondent got in the target gong business, selling certified armor plate discs. So I ordered up a set, giving business to a www friend. I don't recall the thickness of the one we put on the pistol range, maybe 5/16". It would ring nicely with no marks from handguns.
The rifle range got 1/2" and they held up well at 100 yards.
Until...
Some jerk(s) shot the pistol target with ARs at 15 yards and the rifle targets from about 10 yards with .300 magnum and .30 AP. So we scrapped a couple hundred bucks worth of alloy Swiss cheese.

 

[doubleh]

1018 steel is what is known as "mild" steel. It cannot be heat treated. The cold rolled version is slightly harder than hot rolled because of work hardening but that is it with 1018. It can be surface hardened with something like casenit or simply an A/O torch set to a carburising flame but that is only a few thousands of an inch deep and the core is still soft.

 

[tark]

I have been educated about steel! It said "annealed" on the order form so that's what I used.

 

[doubleh]

I have been educated about steel! It said "annealed" on the order form so that's what I used.

A secretary probably typed that up.

 

[Catshooter]

Don't know if tungsten carbide was ever put into '06 AP rounds, but most of it is magnetic. Doesn't most of it start life as a steel powder?

The '06 AP I have is steel core, needle sharp tip. I have a 3/8ths AR400 coyote that hangs at 100 yards. I put one right behind his ear. A buddy was watching but didn't know what I was shooting. He said that he saw a flash of light (I did too). Nice little hole all the way through.


Cat