M855A1 vs M855 vs SS109 vs XM193: Crazy Results on Steel

In today's video, we will see what kind of difference there is in the performance of M855A1, M855, SS109, and XM193 on mild steel. All steel testing was setup at 50 yards using A529 gr55 mild steel and a 3/8" thick AR500 Plate. Thanks for watching!
*These tests are meant for entertainment and educational purposes only. Shooting steel can be dangerous, so do not try any of these tests at home!
At this time, I do not have any coupon codes for MidwayUSA.
#midwayusa

[@cimplicit1]

M855A1 is now at Peacekeeper LVL 4

[@FlyingAKM]

damn

[@unskilledwarthunderplayer4011]

3 years later:”5.56 FMJ are now Peacekeeper lvl 4”

[@dr.krieger8662]

You can't get it at any trader lvl now its craft only

[@Satoabi]

56A1 is at pc4

[@timothy5480]

Bro I was thinking about tarkov the whole video

[@haloreachmadman555]

m855a1 out of a 26" barrel is the textbook definition of vibe check

[@bmrz38]

That’s a super long musket!

[@LovesM855A1]

I run em out a 24” and ummmm yeah they are def get your mind right…..

[@robertcole7874]

26"!? Who holds the front of the rifle for you? Lol

[@jackhall290]

The Oof felt around the world.

[@calebnezat8418]

@@robertcole7874 duck hunting shotguns are usually 28..

[@BuceGar]

M855A1 is really nice ammo. They should mass produce it for the public.

[@jeremyfigueroa1683]

I would love to see this test with the same four cartridge in a 14.5in , 16in, 18in nd 20in barrels. Because these 4 will be more common than a 26in barrel.

[@Kagaimaru]

Same, against ar500

[@kdcustoms1272]

Pretty sure a 26inch barrel would actually slow the bullet down.😂

[@uurkisme]

Anything past 20" even onn308 has diminishing returns.

[@nova68cutie]

​@@uurkismewhat do you mean. You were referring to barrel length yes? For a moment I thought you meant thickness of the barrel.

[@nunivet7006]

Brother you planning something? 😂

[@majkiboy86]

The difference between mild and hardened is crazy. Nice test as always.

[@hansgruber9685]

It’s like comparing room temperature butter to cold butter.

[@TTime685]

@@hansgruber9685 Hah, yep

[@jefferyboring4410]

No u can make steel soft as hard lead

[@cancermonkey7334]

Apparently, Ray Romano: 1. Lost his sense of humor 2. Took up a worthwhile hobby in firearms 3. Has a weird obsession with bananas 4. Got that Benjamin Button disease

[@redfaux74]

I think he's hilarious. And his banana is HUmongous! 😂

[@aevangel1]

@@redfaux74 Dude, why are you checking out another mans banana???

[@redfaux74]

@@aevangel1 - You don't have to check it out when it roars. It's just obvious.

[@presidentmerkinmuffley6769]

Wait Ray Romano had a sense of humor???

[@caseybrown5183]

Great test. I’d prefer a 20” barrel - I think the velocities for these rounds diverge from how they behave out of standard AR-15 barrel lengths. They are probably all still faster, but by varying amounts. I suspect the 855a1 is comparatively even better than the others out of shorter barrels.

[@BaconSlayer69]

It was designed to be shot out of a 14.5 inch barrel from an m4a1 carbine at a whopping speed of 3000fps at the muzzle

[@uwuowo4856]

Hmm source?

[@coryhoggatt7691]

@@BaconSlayer69it was designed to be environmentally friendly. That’s it.

[@BaconSlayer69]

@@coryhoggatt7691 that too but specifically it was designed to penetrate barriers better

[@brandonsmoot4056]

​@coryhoggatt7691 somebody didn't look at the congressional report or the army procurement presentation

[@kodywoodward]

That M855A1 definitely surprised me. That's a nasty Lil round.

[@mikejohnson9118]

It also is very devastating on flesh/bone.

[@hansgruber9685]

@@mikejohnson9118 At 3200fps a .177 bb would probably be devastating to flesh.

[@chanoleyva8584]

​@hansgruber9685 eh probably not. Not enough mass

[@j.p.4541]

Great review man, a 16”” barrel comparison would be tits.

[@derrnnova576]

Right can we talk about the fact that the crono didn't pick up a single M855A1 round.... they are ffllyyiiinnngg😂😂

[@brucecook502]

I've seen other channels get a hold of those A1 rounds and they never fail to amaze me how Wicked they are.

[@cameronking5074]

Saw some kid shoot himself in the leg with one on the range. The results were indeed wicked. Bro deleted his calf.

[@kabloosh699]

@@cameronking5074 impressive in a dumb way he managed to shoot himself in the leg with a rifle no less.

[@moparjr89]

​@@cameronking5074 he was probably using m193 not m855 let alone m855a1

[@cameronking5074]

@@moparjr89 it was definitely m855a1. It’s hard to mistake the steel penetrator.

[@orion8981]

​@@moparjr89 The army exclusively uses 855A1.

[@Spartan536]

One of the biggest factors here is the barrel length, 5.56 was designed for use in 20 inch barrels and up, that 26 inch barrel is getting MAXIMUM performance out of 5.56x45mm NATO. M855A1 EPR was designed to give optimal terminal performance out of carbine length barrels out to 350m.

[@someguywithnoplan6395]

None of this is true

[@Spartan536]

@@someguywithnoplan6395 Do you have source info that discredits my info, because I have TRADOC info that says otherwise.

[@someguywithnoplan6395]

@@Spartan536 Yeah. My source is I made it the fuck up

[@nathancummins8728]

@@someguywithnoplan6395google the barrel length of a m16 then get back to us champ😂

[@someguywithnoplan6395]

@@nathancummins8728 No, I don't think that I will

[@prjndigo]

We can say there is a clear difference between the 855 and 855A1 at this point. That frontal spauling on the AR500 .375 should be terrifying.

[@nickknight8065]

For sure. The splash itself could be lethal.

[@lewis9888]

I would love to see a comparison of different 308 (7.62x51) bullets against different thicknesses of steel. Be safe my friends.

[@fatihmehmetcevik7299]

M80a1 would be insane

[@mattmarzula]

Pretty sure he's done all of these tests before. Just a different setup.

[@charlesmullins3238]

@@fatihmehmetcevik7299 did you see ak ballistics fire 1 from a .300wm? 130@3790…I run the dd5v3 and been loadin and testin with it over 2yrs and big .30cal fan

[@karlblanchfield3676]

Used to train shooting the FN fal against half inch falling plates, the mild steel ones it would go straight through but the armour steel would show hardly any penetration ( 200 metres)

[@lokisullivan469]

Would like to see 1/4” AR500, 550 and/or 600!

[@CRRActual]

Absolutely fascinating. Looking forward to more tests.

[@321PYRO]

Awesome thanks for that video I was the one that commented on your fist video with the m855 video about the testing of m855a1. I’m glad I have 200rds of that A1 now 😎

[@mtnbound2764]

wow that 1/2 plate penetration was impressive!

[@adamhaaland5636]

finally the one i have been waiting for. thanks Banana

[@redfaux74]

You should pay him some respect and call him "Big Banana".

[@Undersea.Glider]

I've never seen this channel until today. That banana flying downrange was absolutely hysterical 😂

[@JamesCZFEA]

@3:07 I had the same results with M855 in my video. At higher velocities M855 has a strong tendency to go sideways after impact and reduce its pentation.

[@rangerd.r.4740]

Thank you! This video answered a few questions I had. 👍

[@theoriginalOSOK]

I just put an order into Midway for a barrel for my new to me G21. Thanks for the review! I have almost all PPU SS019 for my 556 stores.

[@finaltouchautodetailingllc]

Pretty awesome test, thanks for making the video.

[@irafowlerjr.7492]

Wonderful testing, good info, really enjoyed, thanks

[@johnatkinson808]

Great info, keep it coming !!

[@nerdyengineer7943]

The SS109 is actually the bullet itself that is used in the M855. That's why both of those rounds had a green tip: they were both M855 rounds.

[@ZyklonBeast12]

Forgive the ignorance but os the only difference the powder load then?

[@nerdyengineer7943]

@@ZyklonBeast12 Definitely. M855 is loaded to a "minimum" govt mandated velocity, based on the Nato spec. .223 Rem CAN be loaded to that velocity (with the right powder), but doesn't "have to be", and thus often isn't. Most of the Nato spec defines other characteristics of the ammunition. M855 IS .223 Rem, but with a bunch requirements added to it.

[@ZyklonBeast12]

@nerdyengineer7943 Wow, I never knew any of that! Thank you for that info brotha 🙏

[@mikecumbo7531]

SS109 loads don’t have to have green tips. Green tips are only used if the ammo is made by a country that used M-193, as a way to visually distinguish between the two. I have 400 rounds of British Radway Green that doesn’t have green tips.

[@nerdyengineer7943]

​@@mikecumbo7531 SS109 is the name of the 62 gn, steel core, boat tail bullet that us used in the M855 NATO spec ammo. M855 ammo, per the NATO spec, must have a green tip on regardless of who makes it.

[@bruceinoz8002]

One interesting thing is that M193 and SS109 / M855 were OPTIMIZED for a 20 inch barrel; i.e. the "standard" barrel length for the M-16 / A1 / A2 and others like the FNC, etc. 5.56 x 45 velocity PEAKS at about 22 inches of barrel, (It it a fairly dinky case, after all). The M-193 cartridge AND the M-16 rifle were essentially developed in parallel. Hence, after going "all in" on the 14.5 inch M4 concept, a "new" optimized round seems to be in the offing. How this might behave in a LONGER barrel like the M249 is anybody's guess. (chopping the M-249 barrel back to 14.5 inches might just cause a whole lot of new "issues".

[@vincentstouter449]

It would be useful to have a written table of your results. Thanks 🙏 for the performance demo. 👍

[@14goldmedals]

He’s going to ask you if you have a pencil ✏️ lol

[@axiondarion4899]

Awesome tests. Maybe its nice to test one day the difference between the hardness in different kind of steel.. From the most soft steel to the hardest. Follow many gun channels but nobody tested that..

[@wrestlepsu99]

Really enjoyed this video. Thanks

[@weaponizedconfusion]

Went to a DM course about a month ago to get familiar with 855A1 over distance and the tips were embedding themselves in ar500 at 300m. It was wild

[@cheryltysver4819]

To

[@Radvous]

Why was it not doing that to AR500 in the video?

[@montanaplease]

So the round gets faster out at 300 yards 😂

[@Radvous]

@@montanaplease 😅😅

[@14goldmedals]

Was that government bought AR500?

[@TwinleaftheDragon]

glad I found this channel, hope to see ya grow!

[@carlosspeicywiener7018]

Great video, fun and educational. I just subscribed.

[@markalexander832]

SS109 is the NATO standard projectile used in the M855 (NATO) round. The SS109 is the 62 gr steel penetrator projectile that is used in the M855 round which is marked by the green tip. In other words, he tested the same round twice (though perhaps from different manufacturers).

[@bearrage80]

Thats what i was thinking too. Green tips are SS109 or m855 same thing

[@oodsigma4482]

​@@bearrage80M855 is the loaded cartridge. SS109 is the projectile itself.

[@danonthefly]

He addressed this at the end of the video

[@lorenzogarcia7304]

Your channel is so enjoyable. Thank you keep up the good work

[@parksgray2267]

You did ALRIGHT! Not knocking ya, great comparison. Good job!

[@catharsis21]

Quite useful information here, thanks!

[@dakotamanchier993]

Thank you so much!

[@TylerToast]

subbed purely because I was watching the "content" portion of the video at the 47 second mark. Good stuff man

[@ThisPageIntentionallyLeftBlank]

Dudes voice is amazing. Reminds me of a younger Ayoob

[@jacspring5459]

Good job. Thanks.

[@dam00k]

Great test, very objective. With Lake City shut down to civilian sales penetrators might be hard to come by for awhile.

[@debi5292]

I have a .223 rated AR500 target that is free to swing at 100yds. The .223 hardly leaves a mark on it. Same for a .308. But a .220 Swift 52gr matchking at over 4K fps sliced a hole clean through it. I think velocity has more to do with it than just bullet construction.

[@jjs0207]

bro to bro. your voice is deep as heck. stay dangerous bb. love the content. sending good vibes.

[@angelo_giachetti]

Put wood behind the plate, see whats left after it pasees thru the plate.

[@deepskywishingwell2602]

Great test , always wondered how they would stack up against each other

[@mikhailsiderman2191]

Good show man!

[@cheryltysver4819]

Excellent video! The 26" barrel was a perfect choice and very nice looking rifle...

[@absoluteresolution3822]

I have plenty of M855 and 700 rounds of M855A1, because it’s the best combat 5.56 round out there IMO. It will create a massive temporary wound cavity and is barrier blind. It will also penetrate most body armor outside of level VI and very expensive level 3+ plates. Another great round is the 77 grain MK 262 that you should have a good stock of as well. It’s a very accurate cartridge that is good for distance and has great performance on soft targets. M193 is a target round for me and nothing else. I mean it will still do the job, but it’s one of the least effective 5.56 rounds available in my opinion, because it really relies on velocity from a long barrel. I wouldn’t recommend it with anything less than an 18 inch barrel. Great video!! I have recently become a subscriber and appreciate your testing.

[@Grooove_e]

Goodness that's a lot of A1. Mind if i as the $/rd you paid?. Cheapest A1 I can find is $2.50 per round. I'm also trying to slowly build up a quantity of M80A1 but that's going to take a while considering the cheapest I can get it at is $8 per round and it rarely comes onto the market.

[@Hellion6325]

Where does one even get M855A1? I thought that was only available to military

[@zoriiginalx7544]

​@@Hellion6325they banned it from the flea market so it must be FIR. Could probably find it on Reserve and Streets though.

[@KeterMalkuth]

If you've got a 20" barrel, M193 is wildly effective. Especially for the cost. IMO, that alone is reason enough to have a 20" setup in 5.56 in addition to shorter rifles, solely so you can stock up on large amounts of cheap 55 grain and know it'll be effective for anything you'd need.

[@AGuyFromHazard]

​@@Hellion6325I've seen m855a1 and m80a1 on gunbroker

[@yourgrandmasalzheimerpills1143]

Perfect video thank you

[@jsgll...godgunsliberty1197]

That was a nice comparison video

[@jamesd4013]

great video!

[@thequintanahomestead3820]

I did basically this same test on 1/4” mild steel at 400 yards and the results were pretty impressive. 5.56 didn’t go through but green tip almost went through everything else was stopped easily. Of the calibers I own only military surplus 7.62 X 54r and 30-06 made it through 1/4” steel at 400 yards

[@MAZEMIND]

I would love to see a side by side comparison of mild steel vs hardened steel vs tempered steel. Maybe another youtuber could do this for him. You could redo all your testing with the other types of steel.

[@dwwolf4636]

Most hardened steel is tempered. .....

[@dwwolf4636]

Expect about 60% of RHA performance for mild steel.

[@MAZEMIND]

@@dwwolf4636 If you buy it then yes. If you are getting people to make it for you, then you can get it at different stages. This is what I would really like to see.

[@brians1793]

@@MAZEMIND Can't remember the steel but it's used for jackhammer bits, there's a katana that uses it and claims 10x the hardness of steel normally used, and Shadiversity did a torture test on it and actually believes the claim. I wonder how that would do against bullets. Amazing edge retention too and not as hard as you'd think to resharpen but does of course take longer to sharpen. It's s5 shock steel and it's 10x stronger than one of it's closest competitors: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4a2YqJ-jrSVnaM

[@pappamike6231]

What a neat barrel mounted chrono.

[@dhooter]

Subscribed!! Diggin this channel. Your much like the Ammo Channel that I really liked. Unfortunately he gave up 9 years ago. Keep up the great content 👍👍

[@rlm2010az]

Great information

[@user-nx6qr1mt6f]

Nice test! I grabbed 60rds M855A1 because of this vid

[@wacojones8062]

When in doubt use a 300 Weatherby one in chest and if the target is still standing one into the base of the nose. Good set of tests.

[@johnleca]

excellent thanks

[@90762709]

Your the Big Banana in the ballistics world!😅

[@user-jx6mu2qk6l]

Great video, I would like to see a test between 204 ruger vs .223 Remington.

[@E_Legal_Alien]

Let's get this man more subscribers!

[@redfaux74]

Keep up these excellent videos! ❤

[@bananaballistics]

I appreciate it! Thanks for all the comments, it really helps!

[@ssnerd583]

i have an affection for the mk318 MOD0 and the IMI 77gr razor core......the 318 is unobtainum, now but the 77gr IMI does real well out of all of my AR's but it really shines out of my Match 20" 1:8 upper

[@SAMSUN21]

Great job

[@surfstarcc1]

Just the fact that we had to go to 3/4-in plate. Impressive

[@JustAverageJeff]

You have one of the most perfect radio voices!

[@user-qr5vb3vm6e]

Glad I have a bunch of both SS-109 and 855 A1s🙂👍

[@loyd5074]

Nice test

[@poorfatman5317]

Cool video 👍

[@nathanminich8549]

Concerning the magnetospeed: I have found that 22 cal pro Joel’s over 28-2900 fps are difficult to pick up. Anything else slower or larger it’s just fine

[@icanwatchthevideos]

Had no idea that the m855a1 rounds had stealth capability in addition to wicked penetration

[@meanman6992]

Good man! Friend of mine and I, can smoke a 3/8” mild steel plate at 200 yards with M855A1 from 16” AR carbines. Sometimes the copper base gets stuck in the plate but the penetrator still does it’s thing and pokes a hole on the other side. Sure wouldn’t want to be behind it. Glad to see you testing these from a 26” up close to see just what max potential is.

[@bananaballistics]

That is freaking nuts out of a 16”! I wonder what the velocity difference would be between the 2 lengths

[@meanman6992]

@@bananaballistics I’m not sure but I have chronographed them out of my A2 at 3034fps using 26gr of CFE 223. So I’m not even hot rodding them. Just a nice good easy 3,000fps load. I can fire some out of my 16” later this week if you’d like to know the velocity of my hand loaded samples from my 16”. (allegedly CFE223 is a re-branded but identical formulation to the powder General Dynamics produces for the DOD to load the M855A1, in an article I was reading the average poser charge was 26.4gr and the spec of 3131fps for the M855A1 from my research.) What amazed us is M80 7.62x51 NATO wouldn’t penetrate that same plate at that distance when fired from a 18” AR10.

[@carbontetlabs8606]

@@bananaballistics If I can find any M855A1 I'm excited to see what it'll do out of the 28" barrel I have coming soon! Maybe my magnetospeed will have better luck than yours

[@kevinfitzpatrick5949]

​@@meanman6992Where do you get m855A1? I haven seen any before

[@zackzittel7683]

@@meanman6992 load m855/855A1 In a discarding sabot like Remington accelerator. Zips em along at about 4,000 FPS.

[@JN-iz5nu]

Good info

[@dmc9791]

good tests

[@rachdarastrix5251]

I tried a quoter inch mono layered plate once. It got shot through. It is from that experience the results do not surprise me.

[@zacharyailes1678]

Excellent test. You sound like Othias at C&Rsenal

[@chrismitchell4622]

Would be great to see .25x45 Sharps 87grain FMJ as a comparison.

[@nagaviper1169]

That AR500 plate is no joke.

[@RoronoaZorosHaki]

you deserve more subs

[@MedievalMan]

Your voice is subwoofer deep man! 🗣🔊

[@MiSt3300]

I often find M855A1 in the village on woods and plenty on shoreline. Good ammo for busting any type of armour really.

[@allahvscovid19]

yeah ive found that at the attachment cabin really solid round

[@drew1878]

It would be cool to see someone do this that can shoot

[@aftermath2333]

Awesome video I want to see 5.56 vs 6.8 fury

[@markchapman2585]

Man i love your channel. Did you do a video of 243 or 270. I watched all your videos i can't remember. Keep up the awesome content cheers from Canada 🍻

[@bananaballistics]

I have not yet, but that would be a good one

[@highdesertdrew1844]

Commercial "SS109" is often loaded to .223 spec, at least it was for a very long time. M855 has always been loaded to the 5.56 spec. The difference in PMAX (7000 PSI) doesn't seem like a lot, but you can load 5.56 much more aggressively and get a ton more velocity. Thanks for the vid, enjoyed seeing how M855A1 did.

[@seanfoltz7645]

I've got a twenty round mag of the SS109 a buddy gave me back in the 90s - its Sellier & Bellot and has ZV 00 along with the NATO cross on the headstamp - thought it was actually black tip as the green had gotten so dark over the years that it looks black. Couldn't find much on it but someone was actually selling the stuff at $3 a round as "collectable" ammo.

[@rshone99]

So, legend has it the steel penetrators cause the m855 and similarly constructed bullets to flow and expand on impact when the penetrator itself is stopped i.e. vs hardened steel whereas the homogenous xm193 does not do this to the same degree. Sounds like more testing? I wish I could find the article I read discussing this. It was pretty formal, but it was also on the internet.

[@joshtokelarson8059]

Very impressive 1/2 inch penitrated I'd like to see these same tests with the .308 caliber same barrel length that would be a different result for thickest and hardened plates thanks for a great video Aloha

[@charlesmullins3238]

I shot 1/2” mild from 200 with 130gr tmk 6.5prc@3250fps and 140@3050 and almost went through…wicked little round

[@CyclicMac]

What’s different about the ar500 steel?

[@Tam58851520]

Great test, loved the side by side results. Have you ever fired any MK318 (is it similar to M855A1), or the heavier 77g MK262? I'd love to see the latter on steel.

[@TheBawbSaget]

Mk262 performs terribly against steel. You're not missing anything

[@trkjivdlopmd]

Allegedly, the A1 pens are overpressured and the steel tip mars up the feed ramp going into the chamber. Shortening rifle life. Don’t know if it matters for bolt guns, but it’s been an issue for M-16’s-M4’s

[@seven_n_six]

This is what the new “EPM” mags (tan mag with blue follower) are for. They have an adjusted feed angle to alleviate the feed ramp wear issue. Gen3 PMAGs also fix the problem

[@AstraZero7]

Gen3 pmags fixed the issue.

[@BuffRANGE]

Would you be interested in testing M993, M80A1?

[@cheryltysver4819]

Don't know if the channel provider saw your offer! I would think that he would acknowledge a comment/offer from you! P.S.: Have you ever worked with the NWM tungsten rounds which were produced from the 80's to 90's, I believe? They were outstanding! One of the rounds was fired out of a high pressure propellent gun at well over 6,000 fps...did a 180 degree turn in a 3" thick block of cold rolled steel after traveling approx. 2.5" in the block! They also were sleeved up to.308" and tested in the equivalent of a necked down Chey tac! Those penetrated to a depth of ~ 2 and 3/8ths inches in cold rolled steel producing a 1/8" bump on the back of the 2 and a half" target block! The propellent gun target went to a military museum that had requested some of my targets for display. This was back in the early 1990's. I still have the other sectioned targets!

[@BuffRANGE]

@@cheryltysver4819 I have not messed with those but they sound cool as heck! 6000 fps, wow!

[@allaansnackbar4269]

If you ever get your hands on some m955 would love to see some videos with them

[@joshuarose8451]

First time ive ran across this channel, ibwas driving and listening, not watching. Pulled up to a stop light after listening to a guy that i had picked in my head kinda like Hickok45, looked down and saw a kid that im pretty sure has never needed a razor in his life. That voice dont fit. 😂 All jokes asode, great video. Hitting that subscribe button for sure.

[@mrshort2379]

awesome I love it when 5.56/223 is kicking azz and taken names but how about putting those cartridges up again some of the top match grade ammo like 77otm or the famed MK262 and a few others. basically I would like to see a run down of what all types of available 5.56.223 ammo can do to mild steel a 100yrds..

[@p8gaming669]

but does it defeat level 4 armor in tarkov?

[@lemon8513]

Awesome. Maybe you could make an accuracy test of these projectiles at 100-300 M (or yd)

[@johnnormoyle5821]

Any chance you shoot at an outdoor gun range near Manchester, TN? You remind me a lot of a shooter I used to see there. Great video.