.30 caliber M14API Silvertip?

kjm · February 22, 2001, 12:50 AM

In looking for milsurp bullets, I happened accross something called an M14 API silver tip. I am supposing that API stands for Armor piercing, incindiary. What does this bullet do? Is there any specific way to load these?

kerth · February 22, 2001, 12:48 PM

API bullets have a penetrator (steel, tungsten carbide or other hard stuff) in the front followed by a pyro compound in the rear. The penetrator and pyro compound are inside a conventional jacket. If I recall the army requirements read something like "shall penetrate x inches RHA (rolled homogeneous armor) and ignite fuel (mogas, diesel, jp1-8)x% of time".

API & AP bullets are longer than conventional FMJ bullets for same weight, thus may require a faster twist. Don't know if pyro compound is corrisive or not.

Charmedlyfe · February 22, 2001, 04:35 PM

Where can I get some of those silvertips????

Poodleshooter · February 22, 2001, 04:38 PM

http://www.hi-techammo.com They're not cheap, but they are friggin cool. My brother in law just bought some. We'll try them out soon.

Southla1 · February 22, 2001, 08:44 PM

Kerth just about pegged it. IIRC it says something like "shall produce a visible flash at X number of yards". The pyro stuff may be corrosive but it does not matter because it is not exposed to the bore. It is only exposed on impact. The "goodies" are in the nose not the base. If someone is gonna shoot em better be careful in dry conditions, they can start a fire just as quick as tracer. Speaking of tracer, sometimes the repeated firing of tracer may accelerate bore wear because they leave a powdery substance in the bore and the next bullet rubs it in the bore. IMHO API is not really needed to light off a gas tank. Ball, AP, or even tracer will do it if there is no armor. If there is light armor AP will do it. If you doubt it fire some against steel or a similar object at night and watch the sparks. I was testing some Cal. 30 AP against steel plate, and rails, and some boiler plate, a few years back and the sparks from the bullet hitting (or a hot piece of jacket or the steel core) ignited some dry grass in the area. Think about what that will do to gasoline, diesel, Jet A, etc. I guess that all that API does if give you a better chance of ignition.

kerth · February 23, 2001, 09:24 AM

I stand corrected, the incendiary composition is in the nose of the 30 cal M14 API, thanks for setting me straight Southla1. Had to check my Ammunition General, TM 9-1900, June 1956 to refresh my memory. BTW, according to the old TM the M14 API had a white tip and the M1 incendiary had a blue tip. The blue tip has much more incendiary compound but no penetrator, intended for machinegun use with alternating M2 AP.

Southla1 · February 23, 2001, 01:42 PM

In the mid-60's there was a gun show in Oroville, Ca., which was only about a 1 hour drive from our base. All of us (the entire range section, HP Team and Pistol Team) attended both days. RCBS was the sponsor. This show was not like many shows today......set up for buy and sell. This was almost like a trade show with lots of companys in the firearms business having their products on display, along with some individuals that also had items on display. The first day I was admiring a 50BMG bolt action rifle a nearby gunsmith had made up. I admired it and then said "the recoil must be a killer." He told me it was not bad, first the rifle was heavy, and secondly he had a haydraulic piston in the stock. I mentioned that I would like to fire it. He said I was more than welcome to, except he had very little ammo, and 50BMG was a bit difficult to obtain in those days. I asked if I supplied the ammo could I fire it, he said certainly. The next day I showed up with 4, 105 round cans of Cal 50BMG. We broke em out of the links, and were firing at large rocks embeded in the hillside way beyond the 600 yard targets. 1000 yards or so. Then we spent the next 2 hours putting out the grass fires

. You see the only use we had on base for 50BMG was the quad 50 tail guns in the B-52G's. These guns used 4API and then 1 APIT. The guns were normaly fired by radar and the only reason the fifth round was an Armor Piercing Incendiary Tracer was that in case of a radar faliure the tailgunner (who sat up front with the rest of the crew) could use the TV camera mounted in the tail for firing. We had a few other humorous(which could have been disasterous also)incidents with the 50 Brownings in the tails of those BUFF's. E-mail me if ya want to hear them.

February 22, 2001, 12:50 AM	#1
kjm Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 1999 Location: College Station, Texas Posts: 1,871	In looking for milsurp bullets, I happened accross something called an M14 API silver tip. I am supposing that API stands for Armor piercing, incindiary. What does this bullet do? Is there any specific way to load these?

February 22, 2001, 12:48 PM	#2
kerth Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2000 Location: Huntsville, Alabama Posts: 130	API bullets have a penetrator (steel, tungsten carbide or other hard stuff) in the front followed by a pyro compound in the rear. The penetrator and pyro compound are inside a conventional jacket. If I recall the army requirements read something like "shall penetrate x inches RHA (rolled homogeneous armor) and ignite fuel (mogas, diesel, jp1-8)x% of time". API & AP bullets are longer than conventional FMJ bullets for same weight, thus may require a faster twist. Don't know if pyro compound is corrisive or not.

February 22, 2001, 04:35 PM	#3
Charmedlyfe Junior member Join Date: October 11, 2000 Location: SC Posts: 799	Where can I get some of those silvertips????

February 22, 2001, 04:38 PM	#4
Poodleshooter Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2000 Location: Floating down the James River in VA Posts: 2,599	http://www.hi-techammo.com They're not cheap, but they are friggin cool. My brother in law just bought some. We'll try them out soon.

February 22, 2001, 08:44 PM	#5
Southla1 Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 19, 2000 Location: Jeanerette, La. Near the Posts: 1,999	Kerth just about pegged it. IIRC it says something like "shall produce a visible flash at X number of yards". The pyro stuff may be corrosive but it does not matter because it is not exposed to the bore. It is only exposed on impact. The "goodies" are in the nose not the base. If someone is gonna shoot em better be careful in dry conditions, they can start a fire just as quick as tracer. Speaking of tracer, sometimes the repeated firing of tracer may accelerate bore wear because they leave a powdery substance in the bore and the next bullet rubs it in the bore. IMHO API is not really needed to light off a gas tank. Ball, AP, or even tracer will do it if there is no armor. If there is light armor AP will do it. If you doubt it fire some against steel or a similar object at night and watch the sparks. I was testing some Cal. 30 AP against steel plate, and rails, and some boiler plate, a few years back and the sparks from the bullet hitting (or a hot piece of jacket or the steel core) ignited some dry grass in the area. Think about what that will do to gasoline, diesel, Jet A, etc. I guess that all that API does if give you a better chance of ignition.

February 23, 2001, 09:24 AM	#6
kerth Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2000 Location: Huntsville, Alabama Posts: 130	I stand corrected, the incendiary composition is in the nose of the 30 cal M14 API, thanks for setting me straight Southla1. Had to check my Ammunition General, TM 9-1900, June 1956 to refresh my memory. BTW, according to the old TM the M14 API had a white tip and the M1 incendiary had a blue tip. The blue tip has much more incendiary compound but no penetrator, intended for machinegun use with alternating M2 AP.

February 23, 2001, 01:42 PM	#7
Southla1 Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 19, 2000 Location: Jeanerette, La. Near the Posts: 1,999	In the mid-60's there was a gun show in Oroville, Ca., which was only about a 1 hour drive from our base. All of us (the entire range section, HP Team and Pistol Team) attended both days. RCBS was the sponsor. This show was not like many shows today......set up for buy and sell. This was almost like a trade show with lots of companys in the firearms business having their products on display, along with some individuals that also had items on display. The first day I was admiring a 50BMG bolt action rifle a nearby gunsmith had made up. I admired it and then said "the recoil must be a killer." He told me it was not bad, first the rifle was heavy, and secondly he had a haydraulic piston in the stock. I mentioned that I would like to fire it. He said I was more than welcome to, except he had very little ammo, and 50BMG was a bit difficult to obtain in those days. I asked if I supplied the ammo could I fire it, he said certainly. The next day I showed up with 4, 105 round cans of Cal 50BMG. We broke em out of the links, and were firing at large rocks embeded in the hillside way beyond the 600 yard targets. 1000 yards or so. Then we spent the next 2 hours putting out the grass fires . You see the only use we had on base for 50BMG was the quad 50 tail guns in the B-52G's. These guns used 4API and then 1 APIT. The guns were normaly fired by radar and the only reason the fifth round was an Armor Piercing Incendiary Tracer was that in case of a radar faliure the tailgunner (who sat up front with the rest of the crew) could use the TV camera mounted in the tail for firing. We had a few other humorous(which could have been disasterous also)incidents with the 50 Brownings in the tails of those BUFF's. E-mail me if ya want to hear them.