Parker Smith set up a full-size Dr. Pepper vending machine on the Yee Yee Life range with one main question in mind: if someone hid behind it, would it actually stop a bullet?
In the video, Smith explained that the plan was to start small with a .22 and work all the way up to a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, checking the inside of the vending machine after each shot to see how far the rounds traveled. The machine was filled with soda cans, giving the test a little more real-world weight than an empty metal box, though Smith made clear that the result would depend heavily on where the bullet hit.
Smith and his crew used a mannequin named Fred as the unlucky stand-in behind the machine, joking that Fred had just grabbed a fresh drink when someone angry came after him. It was a ridiculous setup in the usual Yee Yee Life style, but the question behind it was interesting because vending machines look solid enough that many people might assume they could offer some kind of cover in an emergency.
As the test unfolded, the answer became more complicated than a simple yes or no.
Small Calibers Struggled To Get Through
Smith began with a Ruger Mark IV chambered in .22, and the first shot cracked the plastic front of the machine more than he expected.
When he opened the vending machine, Smith found that the .22 round had passed through the outer plastic but bounced off a metal interior piece. He showed the flattened bullet, comparing its shape to a small computer mouse, and called the machine “.22 proof” after that first test.
Next came a Glock 19 firing a 9mm round. Smith said the 9mm made a smaller, cleaner hole through the plastic than the .22, but once he opened the machine, he found that it had gone farther inside before stopping in a second layer of metal.
The 9mm had passed through the plastic and one metal panel, then bulged the next metal section without breaking all the way through. Smith concluded that the vending machine had still stopped it, although it clearly performed better against the .22 than it did against the handgun round.
Smith then moved to a 1911 firing .45 ACP, which hit with a louder, heavier impact and pushed deep enough to create a large bulge in the metal. The round still did not make it through the machine, and Smith pulled out the flattened bullet, describing it as looking almost like a little spaceship.
At this early stage, the vending machine looked surprisingly capable, but Smith also pointed out an important limitation: the machine’s ability to stop rounds depended on whether the bullet hit one of the stronger parts with extra layers of metal.
Soda Cans Added Another Layer, But Not A Guarantee
After the early handgun tests, Smith decided to aim at a section where the bullet might pass through the stacked Dr. Pepper cans inside the machine.
Using a .44 Magnum revolver, he fired into the vending machine and immediately saw soda leaking from the bottom. Smith said the round had gone through the front, passed through the metal, punched into a Dr. Pepper can, and then continued toward Fred.
The soda did slow the round, according to what Smith observed, but it did not stop it completely. He said it appeared to strike Fred in the jaw area after passing through the machine, though not with enough force to go cleanly through the mannequin’s face.
That part of the test was a good reminder that “slowed down” and “stopped” are very different things. In a controlled range video, it makes for an interesting visual, with soda spraying and cans leaking, but in any real scenario, a projectile that still exits the object is still a serious danger.
Smith then brought out a Desert Eagle firing .50 AE, which many viewers might expect to perform dramatically better than the earlier handgun rounds. The impact produced more soda leakage and a large hole in the front metal, but Smith found that the round did not make it out the other side.
According to Smith, the vending machine stopped the Desert Eagle round in that particular spot, though he again stressed that this depended on where the shot landed.
Shotgun And Rifle Rounds Bring More Surprises
The next test involved a 12-gauge shotgun slug, which left a large, satisfying entry hole in the front of the vending machine.
Smith opened the machine and found that the slug had entered through the outer shell and into the second wall, but it stopped inside the material and did not exit the back. Fred, standing behind the machine, appeared unharmed from that shot.
Smith then moved into rifle rounds, beginning with an AR-15 firing .223. The entry hole was small compared with the shotgun slug, which Smith noted was typical for that kind of round, and it appeared to rip through a lower plastic area before striking interior material.
After checking the back of the machine, Smith said he did not see a new exit hole from the .223, meaning the vending machine had stopped the AR round in that test location.
The AK-47 test followed, using a 7.62×39 round. Smith said the AK round entered lower, passed through some insulation and into the internal metal, but again did not appear to exit the back. After inspecting the machine, he concluded that the vending machine had stopped the AK round as well.
This portion of the video was probably the most surprising, because many people would expect common rifle rounds to defeat something like a vending machine quickly. Instead, the internal structure of the machine, especially around certain reinforced areas, proved much tougher than it looked from the outside.
The Middle Section Proved Toughest
Smith next tested a .308 from what he called his gold SCAR, aiming toward the area where coins would normally go.
The round ripped into the machine, but Smith found that it had struck a very solid internal metal section and stopped. He joked with Zach about what might be inside the machine, mentioning gears and “mechanical turbines,” while Zach reminded him that it was not a car.
The result, however, was clear enough: the vending machine stopped the .308 when the shot landed in that stronger middle section.
Smith then moved to a .30-06 rifle, another powerful hunting round that usually penetrates deeply. This time, the round made it much farther into the machine and nearly exited the back, leaving a visible bulge on the rear side.
According to Smith, the .30-06 made it through the middle portion and into the back of the machine, but it still stopped just short of exiting. He said Fred would have survived if he had been behind the middle section during that shot.
By this point, the vending machine had stopped far more than Smith and Zach seemed to expect. Handguns, a shotgun slug, several rifle rounds, and even the .30-06 had failed to fully defeat it when the shots struck the strongest areas.
Still, the test had also shown that the protection was uneven. The center belt of the machine was doing most of the work, while other areas looked much weaker.
The .50 BMG Ends The Debate
For the final test, Smith brought out the Barrett .50 caliber rifle loaded with a .50 BMG round, while Brian set up a slow-motion camera in case the impact produced something worth capturing.
Smith aimed at the tough middle section, the area that had stopped many of the previous rounds, and fired.
The .50 BMG tore through the vending machine and out the back, sending pieces of Fred flying and knocking his helmet off. When Smith inspected the damage, he found heavy charring and a clear path through the metal section that had stopped so many earlier rounds.
The round passed through the first piece of metal, continued through the inside structure, ripped through the back, and struck Fred in the chest before exiting through his back, according to Smith’s inspection.
“Vending machine stopped a lot of guns today, but did not stop the 50 cal,” Smith said.
That final result was not especially shocking, given the power of the .50 BMG, but it did put the earlier results in better perspective. The vending machine could stop many rounds in the right spot, but it was not a reliable barrier against everything, and it clearly failed against the largest rifle round tested.
Not Reliable Cover, Even If It Stopped A Lot
After the .50 caliber test, Smith said he would not consider a vending machine a reliable object to hide behind.
He explained that if a bullet hit the center belt area, the machine could stop many rounds, but that portion was only a small part of the overall structure. Higher sections, he said, would likely offer much less protection, and even some handgun rounds might pass through depending on where they struck.
Smith’s final conclusion was careful enough for a video built around shooting a vending machine for entertainment: the machine did better than expected, but the results were too uneven to trust.
That is probably the most useful takeaway from the experiment. Objects that look heavy or solid can sometimes stop bullets, especially if they contain layers of metal, insulation, mechanical parts, and liquid-filled cans, but real protection depends on angle, caliber, distance, construction, and the exact point of impact.
Smith’s test showed that the vending machine was tougher than it looked, especially through the reinforced middle section, but the .50 BMG made clear that toughness has limits. For Fred, at least, the machine worked against a surprising number of rounds before the final shot proved that a vending machine is not something anyone should mistake for dependable cover.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.
