From 9mm to .50 cal: Discovering if the Tesla Cybertruck really is bulletproof

[midian182]

In brief: One of the many claims that Elon Musk makes about the Cybertruck is that it's bulletproof – the panels, not the windows – but is this true? YouTube channel JerryRigEverything decided to put this to the test by shooting the vehicle with a variety of weapons, ranging from a 9mm Glock 19 to a .50 cal rifle.

JerryRigEverything's Zack Nelson, famed for the torture tests he carries out on the latest phones, turned his attention to the Cybertruck in his latest video. He begins by noting that "nothing is actually bulletproof" as there is always a bullet that can get through.

Starting with the 9mm Glock 19, a caliber that Musk previously said wouldn't penetrate the Cybertruck, Nelson found that the bullets did indeed fail to get through the panels, leaving only dents. However, hitting the same spot more than once left cracks.

The .22-caliber bullets also failed to do any significant damage, but the .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire round went through the panel due to it traveling at over 2,000 feet per second. The good news for any passengers is that it failed to burst through the other side.

Next was the .223 Remington rounds moving at 3,200 feet per second when fired from an AR15. This bigger, faster bullet shredded through the stainless steel door and passed through the interior panel.

Finally, it was the turn of the .50-caliber rifle round. While slower than the AR15 (2,896 feet per second), the bullet is massive. Unsurprisingly, it left finger-sized holes in both sides of the door, with noticeable damage on the inner panel. What was a bit more surprising is that the window of the truck never shattered from the impact of the bullet.

Lower-velocity pistols are the most popular guns in the US, so the Cybertruck should offer at least some protection against most shootings – again, this is assuming people don't aim for the windows, which once famously failed to stop a steel ball from shattering the glass. Against larger caliber/high-velocity rounds, the truck is definitely vulnerable.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/102229-9mm-50-cal-cybertruck-really-bulletproof.html

 

[VaRmeNsI]

Need a CyberHouse if you live in a blue state.

 

[erickmendes]

It still not foolproof.

 

[Zsoltblabla]

A typical American problem…
The rest of the world looks an while Americans keep killing each other.

 

[Beerfloat]

Aim for windows, noted

 

[Beerfloat]

Need a CyberHouse if you live in a blue state.

9 of the 10 states with the highest firearm mortality rates are deep red states.

 

[Thanthan]

9 of the 10 states with the highest firearm mortality rates are deep red states.

Yes, but NRA indoctrainees dont realize that the best way to prevent firearm violence is through… a lack of available firearms… they think the weapons keep them safe… until they end up being one of the many many people to shoot themselves or their families.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

A typical American problem…
The rest of the world looks an while Americans keep killing each other.

I mean we could be like Europe and switch to knives and acid, but that seems so barbaric.

Yes, but NRA indoctrainees dont realize that the best way to prevent firearm violence is through… a lack of available firearms… they think the weapons keep them safe… until they end up being one of the many many people to shoot themselves or their families.

Meanwhile zealots will screech from their basements about how banning guns from legal ownership will somehow stop criminals, whom break the law, from having guns. They will ignore the massive porous border with Mexico and without a shred of irony argue to remove the rights of citizens while ignoring what historically happens when citizens disarm themselves, and the incredibly dangerous precedent that would set, all while calling their opponents tyrants and every ist or ism in the book.

These are the same geniuses that arrest men for defending others on a subway from a crazy man then wonder why nobody helps them when they get mugged on that same subway.

 

[opckieran]

9 of the 10 states with the highest firearm mortality rates are deep red states.

“Firearm mortality” is a metric severely lacking in context. If someone was shot and killed while assaulting someone or committing a home invasion, that would definitely be a plus for firearm ownership.

 

[m4a4]

9 of the 10 states with the highest firearm mortality rates are deep red states.

And if you looked at the individual counties in said states, you'd see the ridiculous gun crimes stats are found in the deep blue cities.

If only (inconvenient) facts and context mattered to people like you lol

 

[GodisanAtheist]

“Firearm mortality” is a metric severely lacking in context. If someone was shot and killed while assaulting someone or committing a home invasion, that would definitely be a plus for firearm ownership.

Uh... So red state folks have criminals breaking into their houses so often that killing those criminals keeps them at the top of the mortality rate list?

I aughta go start a crime scene clean-up service out in the South East...

 

[m4a4]

again, this is assuming people don't aim for the windows, which once famously failed to stop a steel ball.

I seem to remember the windows stopping the steel ball (as in, it didn't make it into the truck), even though they did end up shattering.

Your wording seems to indicate otherwise

 

[opckieran]

Uh... So red state folks have criminals breaking into their houses so often that killing those criminals keeps them at the top of the mortality rate list?

I aughta go start a crime scene clean-up service out in the South East...

It doesn’t matter who’s coming at me or breaking into my house, I’d rather have a firearm than not.

And you do realize that even the SE is chock full of major blue cities right?

 

[wiyosaya]

I mean we could be like Europe and switch to knives and acid, but that seems so barbaric.

Meanwhile zealots will screech from their basements about how banning guns from legal ownership will somehow stop criminals, whom break the law, from having guns. They will ignore the massive porous border with Mexico and without a shred of irony argue to remove the rights of citizens while ignoring what historically happens when citizens disarm themselves, and the incredibly dangerous precedent that would set, all while calling their opponents tyrants and every ist or ism in the book.

Myths.. Here's reality - https://www.scientificamerican.com/...sted-for-violent-crimes-as-u-s-born-citizens/

Brainwashed by the orangutan much?

These are the same geniuses that arrest men for defending others on a subway from a crazy man then wonder why nobody helps them when they get mugged on that same subway.

Ah yes. Some JA on the subway gets to be judge, jury, and, not the least importantly, executioner. He was arrested and will face his day in court.

Its amazing how emotionalism outweighs reality, logic, and rationalism.

 

[GFitzpatrick47]

And if you looked at the individual counties in said states, you'd see the ridiculous gun crimes stats are found in the deep blue cities.

If only (inconvenient) facts and context mattered to people like you lol

Cities are more populous and thus the likelihood of pervasive gun ownership is higher.

So, once again, you give a bunch of people a bunch of guns, and shootings happen. To wit, look at a densely populated country like Japan where acquiring a firearm is damn-near impossible, and in 2022 there were a grand total of 9 firearm-related incidents in the entire country. I'm certain that the number is higher (these are only reported incidents), but even the peak year of 2013 saw only 40 reported incidents, and again, in a country with roughly 1/3 the population of the US, but nearly 10x the population density. What is the main variable different between the two? Access to firearms.

 

[wiyosaya]

So yet another BS claim from Musk gets debunked as if it was a selling point in first place to anyone other than the paranoid.

 

[wiyosaya]

I seem to remember the windows stopping the steel ball (as in, it didn't make it into the truck), even though they did end up shattering.

Your wording seems to indicate otherwise

Once the window is shattered, did they bother to see whether another round would penetrate? Shattering indicates the structural integrity of the window is compromised.

 

[m4a4]

Cities are more populous and thus the likelihood of pervasive gun ownership is higher.

So, once again, you give a bunch of people a bunch of guns, and shootings happen. To wit, look at a densely populated country like Japan where acquiring a firearm is damn-near impossible, and in 2022 there were a grand total of 9 firearm-related incidents in the entire country. I'm certain that the number is higher (these are only reported incidents), but even the peak year of 2013 saw only 40 reported incidents, and again, in a country with roughly 1/3 the population of the US, but nearly 10x the population density. What is the main variable different between the two? Access to firearms.

What a deflect and non-reply!
My point was that Democrat cities (and their policies) are the reason why Republican states have skewed firearm mortatity stats. And yet here you are rambling about something entirely different. Try again with more stats pertaining to the point at hand.

 

[Lew Zealand]

What a deflect and non-reply!
My point was that Democrat cities (and their policies) are the reason why Republican states have skewed firearm mortatity stats. And yet here you are rambling about something entirely different. Try again with more stats pertaining to the point at hand.

How do those 'stats' compare to Republican cities? ie: what are your control groups?

 

[king cleanass]

Break the gun murder rates down by race and it’ll paint a clearer picture of the root cause (hint: its not the guns)

 

[Bobbydpue]

"Lower-velocity pistols are the most popular guns in the US, so the Cybertruck should offer at least some protection against most shootings " This is not the purpose of the Cybertruck it was a dumb thing for the author of the article to write.

A typical American problem…
The rest of the world looks an while Americans keep killing each other.

People are killing each other all over the world. The UK where guns are all but banned have shootings all the time, they just don't hit the news because it's mostly bad people shooting other bad people. Most countries don't have 330 million people or the problems the US has none of which still be solved by taking guns away from people who are responsible and trained.

I seem to remember the windows stopping the steel ball (as in, it didn't make it into the truck), even though they did end up shattering.

Your wording seems to indicate otherwise

If the glass was damaged from a steel ball thrown by a tech bro there is no chance the glass will survive a bullet. Not that anyone should expect it to be since the vehicle isn't a protective vehicle it's only a claim Elon made and not a trend in vehicles today.

Yes, but NRA indoctrainees dont realize that the best way to prevent firearm violence is through… a lack of available firearms… they think the weapons keep them safe… until they end up being one of the many many people to shoot themselves or their families.

This is such a stupid thing to say. Everyone who commits violence with the use of a gun is breaking piles of laws. Banning certain drugs didn't stop those drugs from getting across the border.

Gun's do not cause suicides. You could stop some violence from people who purchase guns legally, but all crimes involving guns involve a person breaking at least one law if not several. It's like banning all drugs including prescription drugs.

People who follow the law shouldn't get their rights taken from them by people who don't follow the law. If there was a way to actually take all guns from everyone it wouldn't make violence go away. I'm all for people being required to get training and perhaps have to prove they are responsible before being allowed to own a gun, but taking the ability for anyone to protect themselves in a violent country is stupid. The violence from people who don't follow laws isn't going to be affected by laws that don't affect them.

 

[Beerfloat]

What a deflect and non-reply!
My point was that Democrat cities (and their policies) are the reason why Republican states have skewed firearm mortatity stats. And yet here you are rambling about something entirely different. Try again with more stats pertaining to the point at hand.

Your 'point' is wishful thinking. At best.
1) 9 of the 10 states with the lowest firearm mortality rates are deep blue.

2) This includes New York and California, which host the largest cities in the country.

3) A new study published in Journal of the American Medical Association’s Surgery found that firearm deaths are more likely in small rural towns than in major urban cities

The stats are the stats. Your conjecture is something else. Clearly, you right wingers have gone way past making up alternative facts. You inhabit an alternative reality altogether. Which is not, in fact, real at all.

 

[hel0sn8]

It still not foolproof.

That means literally nothing.

 

[hel0sn8]

A typical American problem…
The rest of the world looks an while Americans keep killing each other.

I'm sure you'll find everyone killing everyone all over. I'm not American BTW. Just so stupid to put it out there that only they kill each other. Killing happens in every country since always.

 

[m4a4]

How do those 'stats' compare to Republican cities? ie: what are your control groups?

If you were to look at the murder rates (highest to lowest), you would see that the highest listed R city is Mobile, Alabama (R) (low on the list), where it is both an R city and R state. Only 2 R cities are in the top 20.

But looking at the highest R state, you have Missouri. Where both St. Louis (D) and Kansas City (D) top that rate.

If you want to continue looking, be my guest.