armor-piercing

[ ahr-mer-peer-sing ]

/ ˈɑr mərˌpɪər sɪŋ /

(of bullets, artillery shells, etc.) designed especially for piercing armor.

Origin of armor-piercing

First recorded in 1895–1900

Evidence of execution-style gunshots with armor-piercing bullets has emerged.

Ukraine Is On the Verge Of War And Putin Is To Blame |Michael Weiss |February 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Furthermore, the cannon and armor-piercing bombs of Shturmovik ground-attack aircraft posed a mortal peril for the German tanks.

WWII’s Greatest Battle: How Kursk Changed the War |Andrew Roberts |August 31, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
And nobody needs a 30-round clip of high-velocity, steel-jacketed, armor-piercing ordnance for target shooting.

One Redneck’s Gun Stand |Joe McLean |February 13, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Our armor-piercing bullet was made with a cupronickel jacket for the sake of the gun barrel.

America's Munitions 1917-1918 |Benedict Crowell

They were proof against the ordinary bullet but not against the armor-piercing.

War in the Garden of Eden |Kermit Roosevelt
Just where would an armor-piercing steel bullet do the most harm?

Valley of the Croen |Lee Tarbell
Thus, the proportions of the shrapnel gun will be intermediate between those of the armor-piercing gun and the shell gun.

Scientific American Supplement, No. 324, March 18, 1882 |Various
It is an armor-piercing shell for a 12-inch gun; it is made of forged steel, and is filled with explosive "D."

The Gunner's Examiner |Harold E. Cloke