M855A1 vs Ar500 Armor 

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.

Right bullet with the right barrel equals a bad day on the wrong side of a false belief.

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.

Hot take: an AR with a 20" barrel is the best looking

in today's episode of "karl makes people upsetti" karl will upsetti all the steel lords of metal superiority.

*Starts shopping internet for M855A1 and an A4 upper*

3:28 Now you can use the left over water for a mud test.

Babe wake up, new InRange armor test just dropped

Wish you described the level of armor. Was this just level 3? If so, it makes sense.

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.

Some of my favorite InRange content

I remember an old Eastwood movie where he has a rough piece of train boiler plate slung across his chest. Looked pretty heavy!

Great video. Short sweet and to the point!

LOVE the keffiyeh!!! ♥🍉

Never heard of this M855A1 so this is a cool thing to learn.

Bravo.thenks

isn't shooting steel with steel ammo at 15 yards dangerous...?

It can be said that the difference between M855 and M855A1 for overall penetration against harder material is quite impressive.

Very interesting

I gotta go back and watch that old video.

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

Since you didn’t explain what level this steel plate was, I’d call this test: invalid.

I like it when SinisterRifleman laughs in the videos, once in ten years; feels like a blessing and it's welcome

Thanks for the video. Is this their AR500 (level 3) steel plate or their AR650 (level 3+) steel plate? I would love to see a follow-up video testing both the level 3 and 3+ plates, using different barrel lengths (14.5”, 16”, 20”).

it would be great to see a video with various bbl lengths. How much barrel does it take to punch thru armor?

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.

I have seen videos of m855a1 stopping on ar500 steel with a 16 inch barrel, honestly crazy that a few extra inches is really making this much of a difference.

Karl Bad Man. Finally beat that other guy to it.

0:34 A while back when you put 6B13 plate into 6B45 and wondered why it was so damn heavy :D Note that, 6B13's front plate is rated at Class 4 ~ Lvl 3 NIJ usually.

I'm curious about this same test against AR550 and AR600 plates.

I wonder how the A1 behaves out of a 14.5 M4 barrel. Will it still penetrate the AR500?

do one with the anti spall sleeve and one where you shoot it at a 45 deg angle

M193 next!

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.

Level IV ceramic plates rated for multiple hits from M2AP (actual armor piercing ammo) is only marginally more expensive than steel. I don't know why people buy steel at all.

Whaat?? I’ve watched all the InRange armour videos and this comes as a surprise! More on this kinda stuff would be awesome, thanks!

Wish you would have brought out a 16" to test after the 20" went thru! Maybe next time.

Neat!

I’d be interested to know the change in velocity from 20” to 18” Barrel. And if that reduction is enough to prevent the M855A1 from passing through.

Mayb it needed more bed liner!

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.

so at what length barrel does the M855A1 stop going through?

Would be curious to see at what angle the ar500 eventually deflected the m855a1. I remember watching a video awhile ago (I think it was demoranch lol) where he tested shooting .308 ap at an ar500 plate set at either 25 or 30 degrees, and it deflected the bullet with no penetration.

Well fortunately there won’t be any 855a1 around for long since there suiting to the .277 unless they make a .277A1

XM193 out of a 20 inch barrel will go through AR500 plates. Also 52 grain GMX will makes nice holes as well.

Who ever said Steel is better than Ceramic? AR500 Official Company? How High Were They? I'm cheap and own Spartan AR550 steel and even I know I wouldn't rely on it without extra coating, a kevlar spall capture sleeve, trauma pad and a prayer.

level 3 plates aint gonna stop the 44pen 55a1

I'd choose ceramic every time, but I'm curious as to the thickness of the steel you used.

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?

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!

Question, what rating was the steel armor just out of curiosity

2 questions 1) How would that plate hold up against M193? 2) How would UHMWPE plate compare to the steel and ceramic?

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

The US Army uses 14 inch barrels now. 16 inches is the most common civilian length. How do those rounds perform at those lengths?

should have included m193 in the experiment

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?_

Was it their 3 or 3+ level? Because as far as I remember 3+ stops 55a1

I think a better test is two uppers 16" and 20" and a chronograph. The velocity difference might be interesting.

Military Arms Channel did a velocity, accuracy and ballistic gel test . Gel was awesome, everything else was disappointing.

Jesus that 855a1 is espensive

Should have tried 55 grain out of the 20" barrel. Sometimes that does punch through.

Level 3 or 3+? This matters with the ar500 brand

What lvl is the plate?

Ok, but what about two Ar500 plates?

Try it against the AR600 plates with the heavy spall liner.

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)

Steal armor is better than no armor. But there’s a reason expensive ceramic exists….

Subbed yesterday and today I’m getting good fashion advice… I knew I made a good choice.

Test the 855 traditional penitrator with steel then lead to the reverse stuff the marines use or did used with lead then steel

What level plate was that?

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!

As the M855A1 go though the chap-o-type AR500 plate what do an 995, know it's hard to find. But, yeah kind wanna see the test.

You can get this m855a1 at War Pig Armory!

What level was the plate? 3 or 4? Makes a big difference!

Now try using a conventional bullet out of a 270 Weatherby

M855a1 is the vibe check of all rounds

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

Karl please tell me where I can get those glasses

I like your scarf 🤠

That was fast!

The other test on ceramic was with a shorter barrel not that I doubt ceramic is better but wish it was the same test for science

Years ago, when I had only shot my grandad's H&R 999, a friend invited me to shoot his Marlin lever action carbine in .44 Mag. He took me through all the necessary safety instructions and then fired first. Our target was a gallon milk jug filled with water. He nicked the sides but did no significant damage. Three rounds. Reload and now my turn. I took aim, let out half a breath and BOOM! The milk jug flew a part. I had split the jug in two, including the body and handle. My friend was definitely irritated because he immediately announced game over. I KNOW this was beginner's luck but I still chuckle to this day about this match up. Thank you for the entertaining and informative content.CHEERS!

I think the point of the memes is that I’d rather go into a gunfight with armor that can take more than one round than a one and done plate

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.

How would this armor stand up to more common 55 grain fmj and 62 grain 855?

I wonder how much range effects these rounds. it would make sense that at 15 yards these rounds would penetrate, but how far till they dont? 500 yards? id love to get my hands on some and see!

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.

That meme really struck a nerve lol

M855A1 is rougher on barrels I have been told. A1 is more accurate and better all around.

I miss this type of content

Which video is the one from 2018 which had the ceramic testing?

Ouch, that’s some nasty ammo. The military is using right now.

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

Ive been scrounging for m855a1 ammo and havent found anything. Just want a clip of the stuff for collection

Crazy that even 855 is borderline. Ceramic is clearly the way to go especially on weight, I’d be interested in a steel backed ceramic to improve multi hit performance.

You guys should've gotten some M993

Id be interested to see what it does against a2 ar500

Interesting video. Ironic, cause I’ll never own either, because one’s too expensive and the other because it’s too cheap.

So wait my level four plates will let that pass??