Armor peircing bullets?

[its only light]

Hey guys just had a couple questions about this. I hear alot of people talking about the API 50 cal bullets and even see them for sale alot. I'm wondering are these legal for anybody to own or do you need a certain lisence?

If they are legal for me to own is there by chance anything like that available for my 338 lapua mag? I certainly don't want to do anything illegal but thought they would be kind of neat to mess with. Any info is appreciated!

 

[dmickey]

About the only use for these are as a center punch!!

 

[its only light]

While I agree that I have no use what so ever for them I still think it would be cool to see what they can do? It's not like I think they will provide match winning accuracy. More just kind of curious.

 

[CJ6]

I have'nt seen much in .338 but 5.56 , 7.62 is usually available . Not the BEST in accuracey but whatever floats yer boat. I will say the 7.62 stuff is hard on AR 500 plates.

 

[butchlambert]

I use the tungsten cores for tips on my rests legs.

 

[M-61]

The cores from 50's and 20mm make life time center punches.

 

[matthias]

There are penetrator rounds for the 338 but they are 15- 22 dollars each. They also are not as effective as the fifty. Went through this two years ago nothing available to me at that time was cost effective or very effective.

Not all that much better than the solid bronze available today. Lehigh bullets and Lehigh defense have some that will perform.

 

[its only light]

I've been wondering what those solid match bullets were like. What kind of performance are you talking? I assume those can be very accurate as well as destructive and not just destructive? Maybe I will try those, the main reason I haven't is because I'm afraid I will like them too much. The thing costs enough to feed using the lead core bullets.


I would like to hear a little more about them matthias.

 

[Dans40X]

In .510" diameter run a few Raufoss rounds & you'll give the AP/API away to your buddies.

 

[fdshuster]

At one of my local clubs, 4 years ago, 4 of us worked our a**es off building a really heavy duty steel swinger at the 200 yard range. Worked great & a lot of clubmembers enjoyed shooting at it: fire the shot and a split second later hear the "smack".

It has now been completely destroyed by armor piercing ammo.

 

[CJ6]

Yup , that was the reason for my posting also. Took 2 DAYS after being installed to be JUNK. Had a sign posted "For Cast Bullets/Muzzleloader ONLY".

 

[Travelor]

Be very, very careful when siding with the gun grabbers on banning "armor piercing" ammo. Depending on how this term is defined most all centerfire rifle ammo could be considered "armor piercing" - i.e. can it penetrate a standard police bullet proof vest?

Remember the definition of a "sniper rifle" was any gun with a scope when our dear Dianne Feinstein was wanting to eliminate "sniper weapons" in a gun grabbing bill.

We also have problems with stupid members using "armor piercing" ammo and destroying Club property. But the answer to this problem is not the tool, it is the workmen using the tool.

 

[MGYSGT]

The API's are fun to shoot and you get to keep the brass. Be careful where you shoot them, because the I in API stands for incendiary and you can start brush fires with them.

 

[butchlambert]

Just had a large indoor range in Dallas that burnt up about a couple weeks ago. Tracer rounds.

 

[orion2000]

Be very, very careful when siding with the gun grabbers on banning "armor piercing" ammo. Depending on how this term is defined most all centerfire rifle ammo could be considered "armor piercing" - i.e. can it penetrate a standard police bullet proof vest?

Agreed. Even 55gr 6mm Ballistic tips will blow nice round holes clear through 1/4" to 5/16" mild steel at 3500fps. I chewed up several 3/8" to 1/2" mild steel targets using lead core hunting bullets (6mm, 7mm and .375) just doing practice drills from 50 to 200 yards here on the farm. I understand that the mild steel cutouts that I am using are not metallurgically the same as say AR500. However, it would be a relatively simple matter for the gun grabbers to do a "visual demonstration" that would make it appear that ALL center fire rifle ammunition is capable of being armor piercing...