M855A1 vs Ar500 Armor
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
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An AR500 steel armor company recently made the claim that steel armor is better than ceramic.
We put AR500 armor to the test versus M855A1 to find out.
ERRATA:
We made the mistake of calling M855 and M855A1 "AP rounds". Neither are specifically designated as AP, but have some AP like qualities. We spoke to this as people who frequently compete and shoot at steel targets, and while M855 and M855A1 are not officially AP rounds, they might as well be by our standards. So please note this correction - M855A1 is an "enhanced performance" round, and still considered ball ammunition by technical standards.
We made the mistake of calling M855 and M855A1 "AP rounds". Neither are specifically designated as AP, but have some AP like qualities. We spoke to this as people who frequently compete and shoot at steel targets, and while M855 and M855A1 are not *officially* AP rounds, they might as well be by our standards. So please note this correction - M855A1 is an "enhanced performance" round, and still considered ball ammunition by technical standards.
Maybe I missed it but what rating was that AR500 plate? I do definitely agree with the conclusions of this video. Thank you for helping share this information.
“Uhm ahktually M855A1 isn’t AP” cries out the neckbeard as his AR500 plate is penetrated by it
It's not armour-piercing. It just has enhanced performance against armour.
I guess if you're living in a green suit and your idea of armour is Oddball and his friends rolling up in three Shermans, it's really not AP.
It just has enhanced performance against armour that you could reasonably wear.
It is AP it’s just LAP. Meaning soft armor or pistol round safe armor. It is literally called Light Armor Piercing. You’re thinking of AP like we think in the movies and most Americans which would be black tip AP ammo or rounds with a tungsten bolt in the round
I wish someone would test varmit loads against these plates. It'd be interesting to see how light you'd have to go to get enough velocity to punch through. ~40 gr on an 18" barrel, ~30 gr on a 16"?¿ I don't need sleep... I need answers.
Right bullet with the right barrel equals a bad day on the wrong side of a false belief.
Man, that's an eloquently stated, profoundly accurate sentence.
Awesome phrasing, neat imagery
I used to have steel plates.. Cause sayings like "ceramics get hit multiple times they disintegrate!!!"
Then, after years of shooting, I realized... If you're hit in the plate 5 times, you're hit everywhere and your armor is the LEAST of your worries!
What's funny, is that old Soviet 6b5 DID stop M855A1 from a 20 inch barrel in Oxide's test. A mass-produced, mass-issued ceramic armor from 1985 performed better than this.
also massed flogged on ebay, so a lot of russians only have emotional support armour left
And my experience in russian steel is that another identical plate might be soft as butter.
The quality is just so varied you can never tell if it's hard or soft.. it's a toss of the dice.
@@Skuggan84 one more point in favor of ceramic then?
@@ForOne814 if made in russia. Yes. If compared to russian steel plates.
@@Skuggan84 if compared to the plate in the video as well, lol.
For everyone wondering, with the FragLock, the AR500 steel plate they tested is Level 3+ (up to m855), AR500 also sells level 4 plates, but they are Ceramic Multi-hit.
As for why I dont use steel plates is the weight difference compared to ceramic. But at the same time, here in Vegas, im not going to keep a set of ceramic/poly plates in the car as the summer heat would compromise them in a few years with our summers, while the steel loses no rating at all. Each type has there place.
And in case you were wondering if the Level 4 ceramic plates will stop M33 ball, nope, thats another step up to Level 4+ plates, something like an Adept Colossus IV+ (crazy how far armor has come in the past decade).
It’s not even III+, the heritage plates are just III tested.
It wasn’t rated for M855A1 or the velocities produced by a 20” barrel. Karl knows this, but wanted to play meme police instead.
Hot take: an AR with a 20" barrel is the best looking
The truth is the m16 had Drip.
Not to poo poo the beautiful 20” but
Imo, the shorter the better looking.
Performance aside obviously.
i think it looks scarier. so that's a plus in my book. jk but i'm sure it does to idiots like that rep who said it was heavy like a box or some such lol.
Bicth to carry
Prefer 16 inch
@@tomhenry897 if you think the rifle is bad try runnin and gunnin with a saw. it sure was fun though.
in today's episode of "karl makes people upsetti" karl will upsetti all the steel lords of metal superiority.
Yeah, all 3 of them.
Karl makes people upsetti spaghetti more often than not… with a side of Cheddar Bay biscuits
Only reason I use em is it's what I could afford, otherwise, ceramic all day. Lighter and better
That's three potential album covers in one sentence.😂
Well the only reason people would be upset is 'cos they didn't prove jack or shit, using an III plate compared to a ceramic designed, specifically, to defeat steel penetrators.
Wish you described the level of armor. Was this just level 3? If so, it makes sense.
It's AR500
That are the specs, AR500 is a type of steel alloy and the name of the company is AR500 Armor.
You can look them up in this thing called internet.
@vertigo4236 You do realize they have different levels right? LOL. Yikes dude.
Probably 3
I'd guess 3A. Kind of annoying they don't tell us.
If their ceramic plate was level 4 and this steel plate was 3A, then they haven't really demonstrated anything.
@vertigo4236
"AR500 is a type of high-carbon steel alloy that's known for its hardness and durability. The "AR" stands for "Abrasion Resistant" and the "500" refers to its Brinell Hardness Number (BHN), which is a measure of its hardness and ability to resist deformation under high pressure."
*Starts shopping internet for M855A1 and an A4 upper*
Be prepared to pay at least $2.50 per round.
you can get some at War Pig Armory!
@@aquablaster86 facts
@WarPigArmory already have🫡
3:28 Now you can use the left over water for a mud test.
Beside all the tongue and cheek from both sides, lots of context to consider:
- Expiration date of ceramic/steel plates
- durability of ceramic/steel plates, in regards to getting dropped/banged on while wearing
- rating of the plates, lots of ceramic and steel plates are made to an exact standard needed to be met.
- If your worried about M855-A1, buy a plate rated for it.
Wear armor. Getting shot sucks more than having to work out to carry said protective armor.
they should have tested a level 4 steel plate since the ceramic was also level 4 or maybe I'm wrong i dunno.
@@Stand_watie Do Level 4 steel plates even exist?
@@Stand_watie Level 4 steel plates would be about 20 pounds per plate. You aren't realistically wearing that, and it's going to ruin almost any carrier out there.
If you are worried about ceramic ruggedness there's titanium that's the best of both worlds. Expensive for military, might be okay for an individual.
@@Klovaneer That might work in videogames, but that's not how it works in real life. Titanium armor is more of a light flak vest rather than proper rifle rated armor, until you're dealing with something almost as ridiculous as steel.
LOVE the keffiyeh!!! ♥🍉
Babe wake up, new InRange armor test just dropped
How many different videos are you going to comment this on?
@@thatguysky123 Yes.
Your girl is busy right now. Ill send her over when I'm done.
@@deusvult7947 Thanks bro you're a real one
The fact that an M855 standard penetrator round did not penetrate the AR500 steel does NOT mean if you get hit by it you will just get up like nothing happened. Back in 2003 in Baghdad I got shot in the chest with an AK round. The SAPI plate indeed did stop it. However, the impact did knock me to the ground and broke 2 and cracked a third rib and badly bruised my left lung. I still spent 4 days in an Army hospital and was on light duty for another week.
dont they constantly post similarly stupid memes (also cool Keffiyeh)
With regards to the meme: it's wild how people who grew up during the console wars would evolve into other kinds of format/material wars now.
Karl’s the meme police now.
You used heritage plates which are the cheapest and most basic plates AR offers, NIJ tested at level 3 (~2750fps) at speeds likely exceeding ~3000fps, how does M855A1 stack up against their other steel rated at higher levels?
What lvl is the plate?
I remember an old Eastwood movie where he has a rough piece of train boiler plate slung across his chest. Looked pretty heavy!
There was an old west gunfighter and outlaw called "Deacon" Jim Miller who regularly wore such a thing under his frock coat.
What level was the armor 3 or 3 plus?
Tungsten 5.56x45mm will penetrate NIJ Level III out of a 8" barrel... If you want AP, you have to go the tungsten route, velocity is not everything.
Since you didn’t explain what level this steel plate was, I’d call this test: invalid.
Would have been nice to know how thick that plate was as well
That is what i was thinking!
Karl Bad Man.
Finally beat that other guy to it.
Wish you would have brought out a 16" to test after the 20" went thru! Maybe next time.
Should also try hitting the plate with 55gr out of that 20in barrel. I was able to punch through 3/8 ar500 resting against some wood with 55gr out of a 20in barrel at about 25 yards
Oh karl. Not destroying a meme while creating a new one at 3:07
Ouch, that’s some nasty ammo. The military is using right now.
Yup, civilians can get it too. War Pig Armory
Why didn’t you try m193 through that 20” tube. I have been told real m193 will poke a clean hole In body armor apparently the 55 grain ball going around 3000 fps defeats steel armor body armor as well.
The OD Green KP-15 Lower Receiver wears the BRN 601 upper (brownells Retro repro of Colt 601 from early Vietnam) like a match made in Heaven
Shoots it woth a 20" barrel lol, use an m4 or a mk18 see how it does then.
I wonder how the A1 behaves out of a 14.5 M4 barrel. Will it still penetrate the AR500?
I doubt it. Velocity makes a huge difference. If you look on the internet you can find testing from the 50s/60s where they were shooting armor plate off an M3 half track and it stopped 30-06 AP and 8mm AP but regular old 22-250 fmj punched straight through with its much higher velocity than the other 2.
@@calebdean2440 On the other hand, the A1 is designed to be fired out of a 14.5" barrel, and gets the vast majority of its velocity within that amount of barrel, unlike the M855 which was made for 20" barrels.
@@wurfyyit still loses some performance. The original powerpoint of the A1 already showed that some barriers could only be pierced with a 20" barrel.
But yeah, only testing can tell
@@humanbass Of course it loses some performance. And if you really try, you can tailor a barrier that requires a 20" barrel in order for the bullet to penetrate. The point, though, is that the M855A1 is designed to lose a lot less performance than the M855 when fired out of a short barrel.
Watch buffman range's latest video on it
We really have entered the point in time where the caliber argument is dead, as bullet type and selection matters far more than the cartridge you are using. The M855A1 is a fantastic example of what a 5.56 can really do, against both hard and soft targets. Expensive, but very worth it. Many people preach 308 superiority, but if I have plates, I'll take getting hit by an M80 FMJ over an M855A1.
Just imagine a .308 sabot penetrator
It can be said that the difference between M855 and M855A1 for overall penetration against harder material is quite impressive.
i would have never in a million years expected this result holy hell i had no idea those lil plinkers i was playing with downrange had that kind of penetration.
the exposed steel tip on A1 doesnt deform as easily as copper and lead so when it hits a hard but brittle steel plate it basically just breaks a small hole to pass thru
Desert Batman and Robin back at it stopping misinformation crimes
I'm curious about this same test against AR550 and AR600 plates.
Level 3 or 3+? This matters with the ar500 brand
isn't shooting steel with steel ammo at 15 yards dangerous...?
Not when it punches right through 😂
yes, don't do that.
I have a shoulder wound that agrees! Be careful!
Kinda:):)
@@InrangeTv damn so steel armor has thorns enchantment?
so at what length barrel does the M855A1 stop going through?
I used to have some of this armor in my carrier, but the spalling concern was enough for me to take it out. Ceramic all the way!
*frag
@@ZennZennster I guess a person could be concerned about either. Getting splash fragments up under your chin and into the medial sides of your upper arms would suck, but getting pieces of plate between your ribs because a 1 oz slug spanked it would suck too.
@@Sableagle Ceramic generally crumbles upon impact, and with how the backing layer of PE reacts, it'll catch almost anything that could try to follow a bullet aside from fine particulate. All of that said, slugs don't penetrate any halfway decent ceramic armor in the first place, at least not without specialized AP ammo.
Is this level 3 or 3+ because there is quite a significant difference in protection levels between the two from the company “AR500”. Their 3+ is rated to stop black tip rounds up to 2700 fps
Want to know the same thing. If you are going to test something at least describe exactly what you are testing. I am assuming because he said ar500 by ar500 its just standard lvl 3 which isnt even rated for m855.
@@adamthompson626 my guess is it’s regular level 3 because the green tip even managed to dent the backside which it should not be able to do with any 3+ armor even from a 20”
@@user-oy9zy4ds9m Where is it listed that their 3+ plates can stop M2 AP at 2700 FPS? If it stopped that, it could easily stop M855A1, but their plates don't have that listed as a special threat.
III+ is not even a real NIJ rating. It's an overbuilt NIJ Level III which tends to keep out the 5.56 threats that regular III does not do reliably.
It also pushes the weight up to 8 pounds a plate and beyond.
@@KeterMalkuth midway USA has them for sale description says rated for m61 at 2800 fps. M61 is black tip 7.62x51 . However m855a1 may still penetrate because of its higher velocity, and smaller diameter.
should have included m193 in the experiment
Was it their 3 or 3+ level? Because as far as I remember 3+ stops 55a1
That's what I'm wondering. I use 3+ lightweight plates myself.
wondering same thing.
3+ lightweight is not rated for 855a1 and has a v 50 rating for all 5.56 of 3100fps. I have a set of plates advanced swimmers cut 3+ lightweight from about 8 years ago
I also was wondering. Pretty sure this isn't the 3+
The meme says ar500 is better than ceramic. Ceramic is level 4.
M193 next!
Why? It's not going to do better than normal green tip.
193 out of 20” will defeat ar500. ruclips.net/video/ibL50XtsxBM/видео.htmlsi=VE6jx-3IJJIat4md
@@KurtAustin2448cuz why not? Why not show what m193 would do?…
@@KurtAustin2448 M193 out of a 20" upper will punch through those steel plates, its better at defeating steel armor than M855 because of the increased velocity.
Point is??
Ok, but what about two Ar500 plates?
Armored Republic A1 Level 3+ stops .308 and 5.56 M855 Green Tip. Any plate with a lower rating, those rounds will penetrate.
Should have tried 55 grain out of the 20" barrel. Sometimes that does punch through.
Well fortunately there won’t be any 855a1 around for long since there suiting to the .277 unless they make a .277A1
5.56 is going to remain in use with the military for a long time yet. As far as the new Sig round is concerned, a Level III plate will be about the same as a fishnet shirt when it comes to stopping that beast.
Interesting, in the "worst case" scenario it fails the latest 855A1 from a 20" barrel, how would it hold up to the much more common 16" AR barrel?
Either way it is affordable protection against many of the more common threats, and is better than nothing!
Straight Level III is dicey against any 5.56. It might stop it IF they have a mild enough round, a short enough barrel, a long enough distance etc. Given that 5.56 is the platform of choice in this country, it seems like a poor gamble to me. Level III is very good against 7.62 and that's still in use, but Level III would have been a much better go-to in 1960 than it is today.
it would be great to see a video with various bbl lengths. How much barrel does it take to punch thru armor?
The US Army uses 14 inch barrels now. 16 inches is the most common civilian length. How do those rounds perform at those lengths?
I have a side plate that stopped 855A1 from 10 yards out of a 16" barrel. Cratered it really bad, very clear that a 20" would have gone through.
I’ve been shopping around for more armor. Steel seems to be the way to go for people who just want to have it in case and don’t wear it everyday as the shelf life and storage is easier but looks like I need lvl 3+. 20” 5.56 is the most common use round I could see needing protection from
I wish AR500 had to recall/refund their plates they've sold within the last 20 years. At least give a company credit for new plates that actually work as labeled. Who's going to start the lawsuit?
Now try using a conventional bullet out of a 270 Weatherby
Watching Karl shoot an AR-15 is a little odd for me but watching him squirt water on his face is DEEPLY DISTURBING
Jesus that 855a1 is espensive
I've had M193 out of a 20 inch get through coated AR500 honestly. It would be a sad state of affairs if M855A1, out of a 20 inch didn't get through. Also M855A1 did not get through even My SKARR ceramic plates (which are great budget option for ceramic plates)
Maybe I don't know about the topic and "AR500" itself already gives someone more educated enough information, but I missed hearing what armor class the steel and ceramic plates were (or at least their thickness)
To me as a common idiot it was not clear if these two plate are even supposed to have the same level of protection on paper
it didn't matter - AR500 implied steel was better than ceramic *period*
@@FurnishedIgloo most people would say a corvette is better than a corolla, but how do they compare when driving the same speed on town roads?
Neither of these are AP. They are both General Purpose/improve penetraton. The M855A1 yaws earlier, has more consistent wounding effects, especially below 2500fps and is much better against barriers commonly faced now, especially auto windshields. M855 has a nasty tendency to come apart and have poor effect behind windshields.
M855A1 is rougher on barrels I have been told. A1 is more accurate and better all around.
What level plate was that?
Level 3, because a level 4 steel plate would be absurdly heavy.
@@axmajpayne Ty👊
@@madshad3351 For reference the level 3 steel plates are already about 7-10lb IIRC, depending on the size. That's as much as a cheap level 4 ceramic plate, just thinner. Also, IIRC the NIJ certifications require multiple hit with most ammo even for ceramic, although I think for the blacktip .30-06 at .300 Win Mag velocity it's just one hit.
@@eargesplitten9876 thank you. 👊
Steal armor is better than no armor. But there’s a reason expensive ceramic exists….
Good Ceramic armor can be bought for only slightly more than steel. If someone already fell for it and bought steel, it's better than nothing. But they should be trading up ASAP.
Heartily disagree. Going slick is better than steel.
Now imagine m995, tugensten core instead of steel tipped.
What a crazy concept. Things can be objectively better than others depending upon the circumstances. Best HOW? Is a more accurate question. Best for your wallet? T-shirt. Best at stopping the vast majority of common rounds and some AP once or twice? Ceramic. Best at stopping the vast majority of common rounds repeatedly? Steel. The trick being the right barrel with the right round, right? Then, objectively, the best armor is a mountain. Not ceramic or steel.
It's semantics. You're adults. It was already interesting. Playing the, "Nuh uh! Mine's better than yours!" game is childish.
Xm193 goes through lvl 3. Try ar650 but again in shtf id bet myife in lvl IV and there's even IV+ now. Of course I just need to survive long enough to get out of the area.
Question... LvL3 plate was suppose to be better than LVL4 ceramic? I am not aware of any Steel Plate rated at lvl4. Please correct me if I'm wrong. (Devils advicate? Is there a lvl3 ceramic? I really don't know. That's the only way semantically I could justify that meme. Marketting guy going to market.)
Neither m855 or 855a1 are Armor piercing rounds 🫠🤔😎
You can get this m855a1 at War Pig Armory!
I'd like to see what M855A1 does from a 14.5" barrel or less as to my knowledge it was designed to get 20" performance from a short barrel.
>level 3 plates aren't as effective as level 4 plates
>more news at five
I think ceramic is generally better for spalling and weight, but y'all are being disingenuous in this video. No shit lvl III didn't stop M855A1. Test one of their lvl III+ plates.
Former military here. I hate that M855A1. It's very high pressure which 99% of rifles aren't rated for and the steel penetrator man. That round destroys bolts and tears up barrels after 3000 or so rounds.
It *is* a hard pill to swallow. That’s why Karl spit it out, picked it up and showed us that’s not a bolus, but a little piece of bull****.
Not that it matters in literally any way, but just out of curiosity, who manufactured your green tip? And more importantly: _Where can I get a pair of Karl's awesome glasses?_
The standard M855 in this video was Lake City. The glasses came from Amazon, tbh.
My take away from this video, steel plating is better if going against the average Joe. If going up against a well armed and trained force, I'm screwed either way.
2 questions 1) How would that plate hold up against M193? 2) How would UHMWPE plate compare to the steel and ceramic?
M193 penetrates steel armor at like 30ish yards.
So stock up on black tips for when shit goes south in a few months, got it.
I’ve put m193 through ar500 armor at 15 yards still have pictures of the plate
This is what happens when you allow the Marketing guys any kind of control over messaging.
Ive been scrounging for m855a1 ammo and havent found anything. Just want a clip of the stuff for collection
Hi Scipio
@@Justin-rq6kf sah dude
@@_Scipio__Africanus_ You need a 20" barrel for your VHS, it's zased.
@@Justin-rq6kf idk I feel the 16in is perfect. Guns super compact with it
Question, what rating was the steel armor just out of curiosity
M855 aka green tip is not AP it was made to defeat barriers like a windshield or car door not body armor.
Need to also do M193 55gr. alongside the M855 and M855A1.
Also, has anyone collected chrono data of M855A1 through a 20" vs 14.5"?
buffman range just did a detailed video of it. I would go check it out
@@WarPigArmory Yeah, I've been subscribed to his channel for a few years.
Steel isn't better than ceramic at all. Especially if you don't anything to catch the spall.
It's almost as if level 4 (equivalent) armor is better than level 3! --That said, M855A1 is impressive.
And how many folks are running 20” barrels as their setup
My favorite of all my AR s is a Bushmaster w20" barrel. It has zero mods, no rails, no lights, no optics......
Mayb it needed more bed liner!
Level 3+ ar600 steel is the one that stops A1 not ar500
That steel plat is lv 3 and not rated for rifle rounds while the lv 4 ceramic is.
Which video is the one from 2018 which had the ceramic testing?
do one with the anti spall sleeve and one where you shoot it at a 45 deg angle
Other than you.... No one is a 20 inch AR. So no, Steel is better.
The anecdote I’ve seen from GWOT ceramic is supreme
Brah That company should just go out of business
My armor is ar1000 steel.
I'd like to see how that dose
Thomas Robert Miller Timothy Johnson Lisa
The lesson here is spend the money. Buy real plates if you’re going to buy any.
855 isn't traditional AP m995 is...
Thanks for the fair warning. What a sad piece of dead-weight.
Try it against the AR600 plates with the heavy spall liner.
M855a1 is the vibe check of all rounds