Want to find AP M955 or similar if useful

[shooter429]

I would like to purchase AP ammo or bullets for 5.56.Anybody test these against lightly armored vehicles? Is the 5.56 too light to be effective in this role? If not, can I just make my own out of hard steel and a jacket on a lathe? In WA state. Thanks.

 

[sv51macross]

IIRC, the ATF definitions of illegal AP rounds are bullets that may be used in a handgun (AR pistol), and have:

-More than 50% bullet weight in the jacket
-Bimetal bullets using brass, tungsten, depleted uranium, steel, ect. as core material.
-Aaand some other stuff I'm not sure of. but the above is pretty much the catch-all for AP ammunition.

Though, I've seen .223 solid brass slugs for loading 5.7x28. I think there is a loophole that if the slug is a solid material it's okay. Of course, the harder the metal, the more wear on the barrel...

In general, .223 is not a good anti-material cartridge. The steel penetrator in M855 and 6n7 ammunition isn't considered AP by ATF, but they aren't really effective against vehicle armor. You'd need to go to some spicy .308/7.62-Nato rounds. But then again, thanks to some select idiot yahoos, there are .308 pistols, so no AP for .308 either...

 

[wannasupra]

tired of tailgaters?

 

[shooter429]

Tired of tailgaters

How did ya know I have seen some demonstrations against vehicles in .308 and .50 but never for the 5.56, and yet the military has AP for the 5.56. Since I own an AR and not a BMG, I thought I would get some and try them out in case I need to engage BG (read tailgater) in a vehicle. I guess this is the place where I say JUST KIDDING about the tailgater thing.

Thanks for the info. I assume nobody has made a .50BMG handgun. LOL Wait I have an idea for a new specialty niche So it sounds like I need to either find pulled bullets or start testing materials for monolithic solids. Thanks

Shooter

 

[wannasupra]

a .50 bmg pistol? good way to break a nose. are you just looking for something to knock out a window when bg's are running away?

 

[blackrussian]

Boom.

 

[Grunt Medic TXARNG]

The M995 is of benefit when engaging lightly armored vehicular targets. However, it is not for sale to civilians. The closest I can see to approximating its performance would be handloading solid bullets like the Barnes Banded solids - a 45 gr solid copper/zinc alloy bullet. IIRC, one of the reasons for the development of the .458 SOCOM and 6.8 SPC rounds was increasing performance in this scenario. The .277 solid bullet for the 6.8 cartridge weighs in at 120 gr., so will obviously give significantly improved performance.

Turning your own bullets out of tungsten and swaging a jacket onto them yourself is certainly possible, if you're willing to put in the work. But the case will separate from the core on impact with a hard target, so you may see no better performance than with solids. Whatever you do though, please post your results - as this will be of interest to many here. Thanks in advance!

 

[sv51macross]

^ @Grunt Medic, I thought per the federal prohibition one could not make AP ammunition?

 

[wannasupra]

why not just use a solid tungsten slug?

 

[S.W.G.]

I thought I would get some and try them out in case I need to engage BG (read tailgater) in a vehicle.

Is this a 'what if' scenario just to have some fun at the range, or are you being serious?

I'm not trying to insult you, and I don't want to be 'that guy', but do you really think a scenario like that is an immediate threat?

I'm all for concealed carry, and I absolutely support the idea of arming yourself to fend of thieves, home invaders etc., but that seems a little......unlikely.

To each his own, but I have to say that I think it's a little over the top to carry an AR-15 loaded with armor-piercing ammo with you in your car.

Also, I have a feeling that the above scenario would significantly complicate a traffic stop.

 

[Grunt Medic TXARNG]

@sv51macross - Federal Law addresses importation of AP ammo - and most states use language sharing most elements of the Federal standards. In Texas, for example, it is unlawful to make handgun ammunition designed to penetrate soft body armor. Rifle ammunition is generally exempt - since it is recognized that just about all centerfire rifle ammo will penetrate soft armor. I have been unable to find a recent case where a charge of posession of AP ammo was prosecuted on its own - info to the contrary is appreciated.