What is the difference between armor-piercing and regular bullets?

What is the difference between armor-piercing and regular bullets?

Armor-piercing bullets for rifle and handgun cartridges are designed to penetrate ballistic armor and protective shields intended to stop or deflect conventional bullets. Rifle cartridges typically discharge bullets at higher muzzle velocity than handgun cartridges due to larger propellant charge.

Are armor piercing rounds real?

Under US Federal law, armor-piercing ammunition is defined as any projectile or projectile core that may be used in a handgun and that is constructed entirely from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium.

Is armor piercing ammo illegal?

Penal Code 30315 PC – “Are body-piercing bullets illegal in California?” Penal Code 30315 PC is the California statute that makes it a crime for a person or company to possess armor-piercing bullets and ammunition. A violation is a felony punishable by up to three years in county jail.

Is it illegal to own armor piercing ammunition?

A: Yes. Under federal law it is perfectly legal to make, sell and purchase “armor-piercing” ammunition as long as you have the proper licensing.

Why does armor piercing matter more than bullets?

That’s because, when it comes to steel armor, velocity matters quite a bit more than bullet construction. Then there is the military definition of “armor piercing” which is pretty much any ammunition designed to meet a standard in perforating a particular type of armor at a specified distance.

Can rifle ammo penetrate soft armor?

Of course, it will easily perforate soft armor. But that is only intended to stop handgun rounds. Any rifle ammunition will do that. So rifle ammunition that can’t actually penetrate rifle armor, is defined by the federal government as armor piercing pistol ammunition.

What are armor piercing shells used for?

An armor-piercing shell, AP for short, is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armor. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armor-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armor carried on many warships. From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions.

Is lightweight polyethylene armor as tough as rifle armor?

The lightweight polyethylene armor that we used in this test is nowhere near as tough as most other rifle armor. In fact, this steel core ammunition won’t penetrate any armor that is designed to stop rifle rounds. Why not? The feds say that a steel core makes ammunition armor piercing.