Where can I buy 30x cold rolled stainless steel for testing?

[tomasrey]

I want to buy a panel of 30x cold rolled stainless steel for testing. I want to shoot it with a 9mm, 357 magnum and 45 auto. I want to see just exactly HOW bullet proof it is. I also want to buy a panel of ALON glass and test it as well. I want to do the test and put the video on YouTube. Please let me know how I can go about buying it. Thanks.

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[Eye of Elon]

We need this! I've been searching YouTube for ballistics tests against cold rolled stainless steel. Remember, that tailgate/ramp is many layers of steel.

 

[Nightf0rge]

The name itself indicates they arn't saying which version of stainless it is. the X in 30X is replaced by a number. 310S has been a guess. I want Tesla and Elon to issue a Cybertruck key-card made from Starship MK1 scrap with a Cybertruck and Space X logo, would be so cool.

 

[shocker]

1/8" of work hardened 3XX series stainless should stop a standard velocity 9 mm just like the demo showed. Whether a "Nato" 9 mm would penetrate is debatable. I'd expect a 357 FMJ would zip through.
In the final product I would expect the wording to be "up to 1/8" thick".
TBH, bulletproof isn't on my list of criteria for truck selection.

Edit - if you really want to try this I would suggest 301 1/2 hard. And leave a respectful distance between you and the target - impact craters can reflect bullets and bullet fragments directly back at the shooter. At my sportsman's club the targets are made of hardened AR500 steel plate 1/2" thick.

 

[ajdelange]

I want the software/firmware to be bulletproof!

 

[CarsBarsMars]

Somewhere Musk said it’s a proprietary alloy.

 

[Keeney]

Somewhere Musk said it’s a proprietary alloy.

There was an alloy composition listed somewhere supposedly from Elon himself that essentially matches up with 301. Its probably Full-hard or "extra-hard" from the description of how hard it is to bend. Its not so much that there is not a press strong enough to bend it as much as thicker, hard metals crack when you bend them to too tight of a radius.

You can buy some small sheets of 301 full-hard here, but the thickest they stock is only 0063" https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/stainless/0-063-stainless-sheet-301-full-hard/pid/9658

Or get a quote for pretty much any size you would want them to process it at from here: https://www.upmet.com/products/stainless-steel/301

 

[MARSROVER]

SpaceX

 

[Wanderer351]

My impression was that it was cold rolled 30 times to both work harden and get the desired thickness.

Cold working stainless steel makes it magnetic

I also heard Elon say that they have to score the backside of the material at a fold for the machines to even be able to bend it.

 

[Wanderer351]

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[Nightf0rge]

My impression was that it was cold rolled 30 times to both work harden and get the desired thickness.

Cold working stainless steel makes it magnetic

I also heard Elon say that they have to score the backside of the material at a fold for the machines to even be able to bend it.

Yes, think laser scored, bent and reinforcing weld at bends.

 

[alan auerbach]

I want to buy a panel of 30x cold rolled stainless steel for testing. I want to shoot it with a 9mm, 357 magnum and 45 auto. I want to see just exactly HOW bullet proof it is. I also want to buy a panel of ALON glass and test it as well. I want to do the test and put the video on YouTube. Please let me know how I can go about buying it. Thanks.

"Bullet-proof" is like "weather-proof"; the definition depends on the details. For instance, a panel of the identical material might behave differently than it would as a CT door surface.

But it wouldn't hurt to ask Tesla if they might be interested in cooperating with you. Good luck with your interesting project.