Are AP bullets legal to have?
Are they legal to target shoot?
I bought some AP full metal jackets about 30 years ago. They are jackets only with no lead inside. I fill them with lead myself. I have several sizes from 160 to 185 grain. I shot some AP bullets at several metal targets just to see what they would do. I used 160 grain bullets for all the targets.
The AP bullets will go right through 1/2" thick Hot Roll Steel and Cold Roll Steel real easy at 100 yards.
AP bullets go through 3/4" Hot Roll Steel. It almost will not go through 3/4" Cold Roll Steel the bulge on the back side of the metal is 3/16" high.
AP bullets will not go through 1" Hot Roll Steel or 1" Cold Roll Steel.
The photo shows what happens to Cold Roll Steel = CRS at 100 yards with a 160 grain bullet. The hole is 3/4" diameter 7/16" deep. The bulge on the back side of the 1" thick steel is only about 1/32" high.
At 400 yards the AP bullets go right through 1/4" and 3/8" Hot Roll Steel like nothing. The bullet is so fast it doesn't even shake the 1/4" thick steel plate 8" diameter I had it tied to a fence with a piece of wire. The hole in the 1/4" plate looks like someone drilled a 5/16" hole with an electric drill. I put 3 holes in the 1/4" plate and I though I missed it all 3 times the plate never moved.
I cut this piece out with a band saw then I used the milling machine to square up the sides. It makes a nice paper weight on my desk. This was done about 1983.