Does an M14 really "turn cover into concealment"? Part 3: concrete pavers

Which cartridge "wins"? (penetrates more deeply)

  • 7.62

    Votes: 14 73.7%

  • 5.56

    Votes: 1 5.3%

  • Draw

    Votes: 1 5.3%

  • Just show me the poll results

    Votes: 3 15.8%
  • Total voters
    19
  • Poll closed .
A

Andrew Wiggin

New member
So last time around there were some complaints that I didn't use the right kind of concrete and the test results would have been different with "real" concrete. What do you say M1A firing M80 FMJ versus 16" AR firing M855 FMJ against roughly two inch thick concrete pavers. How many do you think each cartridge will penetrate? Will one cartridge penetrate better than the other? Don't cheat. Vote before you watch the test.


Link to video of the test.
 
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Nice video.

For the record, those were paving blocks, little more than extruded mortar.

No one is going to hide under your garden path.

For concealment, I think a wall of stacking landscape blocks would be something a person might try and hide behind. While landscape blocks are essentially the same material as pavers, they are several inches deeper, heavier, with backfilled hollows, and generally firmly set, so ballistic coefficient is going to be much greater.

A concrete planter, filled with damp earth, would be a good test.

As far as 'real' concrete goes, yes, that means sand, gravel, rebar, and correct amounts of each, including measured water content, and curing to a tensile strength standard. That's a lot more than landscape pavers and cinder blocks.
 
All good points and I intend to continue testing, so long as I can keep the cost under free ninety nine. Those pavers came from my neighbor's yard. I've got some other concrete objects laying around to try as well.
 
No one is going to hide under your garden path.
Click to expand...
I have a vision of Steve Martin under a hail of gunfire running away from a stack of paving blocks screaming: "Not behind those, those are little more than extruded mortar!" (For those of you who don't get the reference, watch a movie called "The Jerk".)

I'm guessing that most people would consider a stack of paving blocks or a cinder block wall to be pretty good cover and would hide behind one if under fire.
A concrete planter, filled with damp earth, would be a good test.
Click to expand...
A good test of what? Is that really the kind of cover one might reasonably expect to find in a violent encounter? I'd consider myself pretty lucky if I were able to find something more substantial than drywall to hide behind in a gunfight. :D
 
Not yet, but I probably will. It's kind of a pain to do this sort of thing at longer range because it means hauling all that stuff out and back and I can't really run the cameras out there, especially the high speed.
 
Are you insane? That's almost three dollars! Way over my budget.

Actually, I have a couple concrete blocks I made from that stuff for another project that I was planning on shooting in an upcoming test. Since we're on the subject, future tests will include those concrete blocks, a log, and a plastic drum full of water.
 
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