What does all that mean?
A few things to take note of is that the classification as “armor piercing” is for bullets only, not the complete cartridge. Despite the mention of handgun caliber above, you can take that to mean that it’s a round that has been made as a handgun caliber at some point.
The bullet (projectile) must also have a core made entirely out of the metals listed above, or be a full jacketed bullet with a jacket weighing more than 25% of its overall weight. This means that the SS109/M855 bullets wouldn’t be covered, as their cores are partly steel, and partly lead. Lead isn’t listed in the metals above. Furthermore, as you’ll see in the list below, the ATF has specifically stated that the SS109/M855 bullets are exempted from AP status.
ATF AP Classified Rounds
All KTW, ARCANE, and THV ammo
Czech made 9mm Para. with steel core
German made 9mm Para. with steel core
MSC .25 ACP with brass bullet
BLACK STEEL armor and metal piercing ammunition
7.62mm NATO AP and SLAP
PMC ULTRAMAG with brass bullet (not copper)
OMNISHOCK .38 Special with steel core
7.62×39 ammo with steel core bullets
ATF Exempted Rounds
5.56 SS109 and M855 NATO rounds, with steel penetrator tip.
.30-06 M2 AP ammo
Hopefully that clears up some confusion for you like it did for me. You can rest easy that when a range calls for no AP rounds that you’ll be safe using M855 if desired. If you’re in the market for ammo, be sure to check out our sponsor Lucky Gunner for great online ammo prices!