would a manhole cover stop a .50BMG round?
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Eightball
Member
Crossbreeding the Mall Ninja and Gunkid could cause a rift in the time-space continuum. I wonder if the manhole cover would fit in his golf-cart, though?
It can be used to maximize the effectiveness of the M2 machine gun (and BMG) in engagement and defeat of lightly armored targets. The M903 SLAP-T (Tungsten) has demonstrated capability to provide greatly increased penetration (2 to 3 times the armor thickness at any given range) over that of ammunition currently fielded. The M962 SLAPT assures the precision of delivery necessary to take full advantage of this capability.
Velocity: 3985 feet per second
Maximum effective range: 4921.5 feet (1500 meters) against 3/4" High Hard Armor (HHA)
DML
Velocity: 3985 feet per second
Maximum effective range: 4921.5 feet (1500 meters) against 3/4" High Hard Armor (HHA)
DML
Quiet
Member
From personal experience:
A manhole cover will not stop a .50BMG FMJ round fired from a Barret Model 82A1 at 100 yards.
Ed Ames
Member
Umm... let's be realistic for a moment: A manhole cover will stop a .50BMG no problem.
Manhole covers range from 22 inches to over 60 inches in diameter. No way a .50BMG is going to pass through even 22 inches of iron, not to mention five feet!
Of course it's a bit of a challenge to hit the covers edge on like that.
Manhole covers range from 22 inches to over 60 inches in diameter. No way a .50BMG is going to pass through even 22 inches of iron, not to mention five feet!
Of course it's a bit of a challenge to hit the covers edge on like that.
haha i could care less about manholes. but god darn it
made it worth the read.
manhole covers come in all sizes. all construction types. from iron, steel, iron with concrete fill, and even plastics. all shapes and sizes... in Nashua NH. they have triangular ones in. after spending 20 some years ordering various stuff like that, my dad thought that was the greatest thing ever
made it worth the read.
manhole covers come in all sizes. all construction types. from iron, steel, iron with concrete fill, and even plastics. all shapes and sizes... in Nashua NH. they have triangular ones in. after spending 20 some years ordering various stuff like that, my dad thought that was the greatest thing ever
KBintheSLC
Member
I think a 50bmg would likely shatter the rigid molecular composition of a cast iron manhole cover. With mild steel, the flexability of the material would hold it together, and would likely result in a simple hole. However, cast iron is very brittle. I believe the 12,000 lb/ft generated by the 50bmg would make it shatter like a dinner plate.
Never tried it though, so your guess is as good as mine.
Never tried it though, so your guess is as good as mine.
pbearperry
Member
Manhole cover
As long as the Manhole cover keeps me from falling in the sewer I am happy.
As long as the Manhole cover keeps me from falling in the sewer I am happy.
Cavalier Knight
Member
On April 28, 1999, the United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper Schools invited the Democratic minority staff to its training facility in Quantico, Virginia, to see a demonstration of the fifty caliber weapon. During the demonstration, the Marine instructors discussed the destructive power of several fifty-caliber rounds.
They showed how an armor piercing round penetrated one inch thick rolled homogeneous armor found on armored vehicles throughout the world, a three and a half inch thick steel manhole cover, a two inch thick steel track from a tractor, a piece of three quarter inch bullet-resistant glass, and four cinder blocks with three quarter inch walls laid end to end. Finally, a Marine shooter fired multiple shots in rapid succession completely through a six-hundred pound safe.
This is the video of what mrreynolds is describing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9lMViBr6d8
They showed how an armor piercing round penetrated one inch thick rolled homogeneous armor found on armored vehicles throughout the world, a three and a half inch thick steel manhole cover, a two inch thick steel track from a tractor, a piece of three quarter inch bullet-resistant glass, and four cinder blocks with three quarter inch walls laid end to end. Finally, a Marine shooter fired multiple shots in rapid succession completely through a six-hundred pound safe.
This is the video of what mrreynolds is describing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9lMViBr6d8
Jackal
Member
No
Andy C
http://www.drainspotting.com/mirror/nhtelegraph-2003-11-26/
they are almost gone now from what i hear. everytime they do road construction they put new circular ones in
http://www.drainspotting.com/mirror/nhtelegraph-2003-11-26/
they are almost gone now from what i hear. everytime they do road construction they put new circular ones in
Cosmoline
Member
So you're saying if I string two manhole covers together and wear them like a sandwich board I can take a big fifty in the back while my partner gets my wall climbing boots?
Excellent!
Excellent!
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
Guys and Gals, I own two manhole covers. .50 BMG blasts right through, no problem. .308 can blast right through. Several hits in the same spot with .223 will go through.
Manhole covers are strong, but brittle. Part of their strength comes from crenulations that act as ribbing. That means the cover is not uniformly thick.
Of course, my manhole covers are only the 20 or 24" diameter variety and so only about 1.5" thick. Bigger covers will be thicker, but .50 BMG will pass through. AP .50 BMG will go through a 3" thick manhole cover like butter.
Given their poor target quality, I now use my two manhole covers to mark shooting positions.
And no, I didn't steel my manhole covers. There actually a foundry about 40 miles from here that makes them. It is in Irving, Texas.
Manhole covers are strong, but brittle. Part of their strength comes from crenulations that act as ribbing. That means the cover is not uniformly thick.
Of course, my manhole covers are only the 20 or 24" diameter variety and so only about 1.5" thick. Bigger covers will be thicker, but .50 BMG will pass through. AP .50 BMG will go through a 3" thick manhole cover like butter.
Given their poor target quality, I now use my two manhole covers to mark shooting positions.
And no, I didn't steel my manhole covers. There actually a foundry about 40 miles from here that makes them. It is in Irving, Texas.
Quickill
Member
Frankly all this talk about shooting manhole covers makes me nervous. I work as a wastewater treatment plant operator and I have to open those things all the time. I used to just be afraid of squishing my fingers. Now I have to worry about taking rounds from a anti-tank gun!
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you can take a hand-held hammer to a manhole and leave a very visible dent or a ding in it. I'm pretty sure that a bullet that can rape its way through a car engine will punch through a sewer cap/manhole along with whatever else is in front of it without any problem.
Cannonball888
Member
50 BMG AP will go through 1.5 inches of steel. Manhole cover would lose.
Ohh kaaaay, guess that one is decided. 
It IS designed to take out machinery, so not that big of a surprise that it can punch through a lot of metal.
What you need is a few feet of water between you and the .50.
Water seems to shatter fast moving bullets very quickly.
But what about a good old sand bag??
How thick does a sand bag have to be to stop the .50?? :scrutiny
It IS designed to take out machinery, so not that big of a surprise that it can punch through a lot of metal.
What you need is a few feet of water between you and the .50.
Water seems to shatter fast moving bullets very quickly.
But what about a good old sand bag??
How thick does a sand bag have to be to stop the .50?? :scrutiny
silverlance
Member
If you want to see neat armor, get a piece of 500 brinell steel plate.
then hang it on two chains and hit it with a 50bmg FMJ ball.
damn thing won't even dent. when hit with 7.62x54R steel core then you get a 1mm crater.
i love my very expensively shipped armor pieces =)
then hang it on two chains and hit it with a 50bmg FMJ ball.
damn thing won't even dent. when hit with 7.62x54R steel core then you get a 1mm crater.
i love my very expensively shipped armor pieces =)
dmftoy1
Member
I'd be careful what you hit that with! I've got a 10 inch gong with better than 500 plate and I recently shot it with some 8mm (bulgarian I think) that I suspect must've been steel core . . . punched a hole clean through it with no problem. The target is one of the high velocity models from below and it holds up to .308, etc no problem . . .I think it's bullet design that kills the plate. FWIW
http://www.metaltargets.com/AboutOurTargets/TargetRatings.htm
I've got a 10 inch gong with better than 500 plate and I recently shot it with some 8mm (bulgarian I think) that I suspect must've been steel core . . . punched a hole clean through it with no problem. The target is one of the high velocity models from below and it holds up to .308, etc no problem . . .I think it's bullet design that kills the plate. FWIWhttp://www.metaltargets.com/AboutOurTargets/TargetRatings.htm
delta53
Member
no
I say No if the manhole cover is new I just bought a pallot full and do you know were they are made ? India from the crap we throw out in a mud floor factory
next door to the ammo plant
I say No if the manhole cover is new I just bought a pallot full and do you know were they are made ? India from the crap we throw out in a mud floor factory
next door to the ammo plantsilverlance
Member
Mine were bought from www.metalman.com (something like that). I looked at your website. If your plate truly was 500+, then the only reason I can think of why yours went thorugh and mine didn't could be one or more of the follwoing reasons:
1. i use mine on a spinner stand. the plate automatically angles slightly downward. it may be that my rounds hit but part of the force is deflected down.
2. i hit mine too close. (dont do this, it is dangerous and foolish - i didnt know at that time) I shot mine between 600-900 times with 9mm up to 7.62x54R steel core at 30 yards.
3. mine are simply better than yours
kev
Sunray
Member
"...original intent of the .50 BMG as a tank killer in WWI..." Yep, but tank armour was in its infancy then and usually about 1/4" to just under 1/2" thick on a Brit Mk I to Mk V tank. By the eve of W.W. II, the .50ish calibre anti-tank rifle was obsolete and wouldn't penetrate the armour.
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