Armour Piercing bullets

  • when were armour piercing bullets made? what was the name of the first company that introduced armour piercing bullets? why was this company banned by the government to stop making these bullets?


  • Does "the government" in your question refer to the United States?


  • Hello, and thank you for asking a very interesting question. I have addressed, below, the three parts to your question: --when were armor piercing bullets first made --what company made them --why did the government ban the manufacture of this type of ammunition I hope the answer completely meets your needs. However, if you find anything here is unclear -- or if your would like additional information -- don't hesitate to post a Request for Clarification, and I'll be happy to assist you further. pafalafa-ga ========== As is the case with many technological developments, there is no clear-cut "first" armor-piercing bullet. Ammunition manufacturers have always been altering the design of bullets to adjust the speed, penetrating ability and type of damage the bullet can cause. However, armor-piercing bullets began being referred to as ?cop killers? in the late 1970's, due to their ability to pierce most types of soft body armor, and by the early 1980's numerous attempts to legislate such ammunition were already being drafted. According to an article on ?cop killer? bullets that ran in the May 11, 1982 Christian Science Monitor newspaper, and titled ?Legislation sought to curtail use of armor-piercing bullets?, the Winchester International Corporation had been manufacturing armor-piercing bullets at least as far back as the Prohibition days of Al Capone and Eliot Ness: ?Winchester International in late February stopped manufacturing armor-piercing bullets which it had produced since the days of gangland warfare in the 1930s.? However, the bullet ? and manufacturer ? that garnered the most attention and infamy during the political controversy that ensued was the KTW bullet made by North American Ordinance, and also described in the Christian Science Monitor article: ?The most powerful of...armor-piercing bullets is the KTW, which is coated with Teflon. North American Ordnance of Pontiac, Mich., bought exclusive rights to KTW in 1980 from its three Lorain, Ohio, inventors. In recent tests the apple-green bullet went through 72 layers of Kevlar, the material in most bulletproof vests. The most popular weight in police vests is 18 layers of Kevlar.? ---------- An online discussion group focused on guns has a bit of history of KTW: http://www.recguns.com/Sources/VG2.html ?KTW stands for the initials of the last names of the three men who came up with the round, Dr. Paul J. Kopsch, Dan Turcus, and Don Ward. All three were from Lorain, OH, and in the late 1960's saw a need for pistol ammunition that would enable police to engage suspects inside motor vehicles; much conventional handgun ammunition, especially at that time, would not penetrate the car's steel body. In 1968, they created KTW, Inc., and began marketing the ammo, and by 1979 had sold over 232,000 rounds. In 1980 they entered into a marketing agreement with North American Ordnance Corp. (NAOC) to make and sell their ammunition. At all times KTW (and NAOC) had a policy of only selling the ammo to police officers, or departments, or overseas.? ---------- The text of one of the Congressional Hearings held in 1983 to address the issues of armor-piercing ammunition is posted on a website that focuses on gun-related issues: http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/wbardwel/public/nfalist/apammo_hearings.txt Congressman Biaggi, the Chair of the hearing, and himself a former polic officer, had this to say by way of introduction: ?...These bullets, which are specially made to retain their shape on impact, come in various calibers, including the .38 special, 9mm and .357 magnum. Let me emphasize that these armor-piercing bullets are significantly different from most handgun ammunition. Generally, the armor-piercing ammunition is made of hard metals, usually brass or an iron compound, and they travel at exceptionally high speeds. The more conventional handgun bullets are slower and they flatten out on impact due to their hollow point and/or soft metal composition, most notably lead.? ?Let me add that the Teflon coating is unique to the KTW bullet, which is manufactured and sold by North American Ordnance Corporation, a Pontiac, Michigan-based company. According to various test data, the Teflon coating, which is apple green in color, increases the bullet's penetration equability by approximately 20 percent.? The Congressman also elaborated on why he felt ammunition of this type needed to be regulated: ?Ironically, the KTW and other metal-piercing handgun ammunition was originally designed to help police. However, police departments have determined these bullets are too powerful for any type of "safe" law enforcement use. According to James P. Damos, President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, "We can find no legitimate use for such (armor-piercing) ammunition, either in or out of law enforcement." ?...Another added danger posed by these armor-piercing bullets is their increased ricochet effect. Although designed for maximum penetration, when striking an object at certain angles, these bullets have been found to pose greater ricochet hazards than the more conventional ammunition that flattens out on impact. Further, these metal-piercing bullets have a relatively low "stopping power," which simply refers to a bullet's ability to disable or literally knock down the person they strike. As a former police officer, I can state from first-hand experience that no officer in a life-threatening situation wants to be armed with metal-piercing ammunition. It simply does not have the ability to "stop" a criminal.? ?...How readily available are these "cop killer bullets?" Shockingly, there is no law of any type restricting the manufacture, importation, or the sale of KTW bullets, or other armor-piercing ammunition. To make matters worse, this ammunition is distributed through local gun dealers, which makes it virtually impossible to monitor who is buying these bullets...? ?...Some have wondered why there is such an urgent need for a prohibition on armor-piercing handgun ammunition now, rather than when it was first invented many years ago. The answer is really quite simple. The soft body armor that is worn today by more than 50 percent of all law enforcement personnel was not even invented until the mid-1970's, and was not used in any significant numbers until the last few years. As a result, the idea of criminals having access to armor-piercing handgun ammunition did not concern police any more than criminals having access to other more conventional types of ammunition. No longer is that the case. Now the law enforcement community is leading the effort to outlaw handgun ammunition being specially made to pierce body armor...? They recognize that soft body armor was designed specifically to stop the handgun bullets that killed 792 police officers between 1971 and 1980.? ---------- Paul Kopsch, one of the developers of the KTW ammunition, also spoke at the hearing and offered some background on the development of the KTW ammunition: ?I am Dr. Paul J. Kopsch of Lorain, Ohio, and am the "K" in KTW....You have been told that our armor-piercing ammunition is recent origin and represents a mortal hazard to honest people. The truth is somewhat different, and I would like to summarize the first 10 years of KTW. We began marketing our ammunition in 1968... From the inception, we have limited sales to police and military users. The first report on the startling efficiency of our ammunition appeared in the ARA Bulletin for July 1968. Up until 1979, 24 articles about our ammunition appeared in such journals of police interest as Law & Order, Police Chief, Police Product News, and the American Journal of Clinical Pathology. Our policy has been inflexible from the beginning, that there are to be no sales to civilians....? ---------- The President of North American Ordinance also testified, and added to the history of KTW: ?In early 1980, North American Ordnance Corp. executed an agreement with KTW, Inc., for the exclusive, worldwide rights to manufacture and distribute KTW ammunition. Part of that agreement limits the sale of KTW ammunition to police, military, and U.S. State Department approved governments, hence the "Police Use Only" designation. Since taking over KTW, North American Ordnance Corp. has consistently made every effort to maintain the distribution of KTW ammunition within this framework. ..? He also sheds some light on the origin of the media controversy surrounding this ammunition: ?...In November of 1981, I received a telephone call from the Los Angeles Times. A gentleman identified himself as a reporter by the name of Bilitter, who was writing a story regarding KTW ammunition. He indicated he was investigating the complaints of a Mr. Arthur Kassel, director of the California Narcotics Authority. Mr. Billiter informed me that Mr. Kassel was an ex-FBI agent, and that he was working closely with the DEA in California...? ---------- So, to summarize: ?When were armor-piercing bullets first made? They have been in use at least as far back as the 1930's. The modern version of the bullet that became surrounded in controversy was first marketed in 1968. ?What company made them? Winchester International made the bullets in the 1930's. KTW Inc, developed the high-impact, Teflon-coated bullets in 1968, and later sold their business to North American Ordinance in 1980. ?Why were they banned? They were deemed to be particularly useful to criminals for shooting through recently-made-available police body armor, without providing any compensating benefits for more legitimate uses. Both law enforcement agencies and hunters found the bullets to be of very limited use, as their penetration power prevented effective control of where the bullet went after it passed through its target. Again, I hope this is the information you need, but let me know if I can be of further assistance. pafalafa-ga search strategy: searched Google and newspaper databases for ?armor piercing bullets? OR ?armour piercing bullets? OR ?cop killers?


  • Dear Pafalafa, Armor piercing bullets are bullets which have a steel core instead of a lead core and therefore pierce through an object. These bullets will penetrate soft body armor. In order to protect yourself against AP ammunition you require Level IV hard armor inserts. Please check USA body armor's product section (http://www.usabodyarmor.com/body_armor_products.htm). At the moment AP ammunition is being used a lot in Iraq. Every third bullet shot by the Iraqies is an armour piercing bullet. This means that Level III inserts are not sufficient. Please note that the damage an armour piercing bullet causes is sometimes much less then a normal lead bullet. It just makes a tiny hole and if it does not hit any vital body parts is causes just minor injuries. I hope that I have provided you with some interesting information. Friendly greetings, Scott Burton USA body armor http://www.usabodyarmor.com


  • Thanks for the nice rating...glad to know that you found the information useful. pafalafa-ga


  • yes, when i mentioned government i meant the united states of american government







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