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Car doors as cover ??

4K views 34 replies 28 participants last post by  aus71383 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Second chances owner Richard Davis used to test all types of stuff to see how well it would with stand bullets. I remember watching videos he produced shooting engine blocks, car doors ect.
 
#3 ·
I always rated a car door as little more than concealment.

Watching the N Hollywood shootout made me realize that in fact a whole darned car ain't much use against AK's and AP rounds!

Think on it - outer steel skin - maybe 18 gauge at best, could be 20 - then odd bits inside which may not include glass if window up - then flimsy internal upholstery panel - not much at all! It has to be way more ''psychological'' cover than real cover.
 
#5 ·
Ben Hennessy said:
How about a wheel well as cover. Much more metal there and stopping power.
Much more metal? You're kidding right? While I have never shot a car before Jeeps are my hobby and I can tell you that there isn't that much more metal in a wheel well. Heck, depending on the car in a wheel well there might be more plastic then metal then in a door.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I used to work for a company that made the stamping dies used in making car body parts such as the inner and outer door panels, trunk & hood panels, roof, etc. The typical thickness of the steel used for these parts is between 0.6 ~ 0.85 millimeters. Car doors(and a car body in general) is basically VERY thin metal enclosing mostly empty space!!! Only in very few areas, such as near the 'A'/'B' pillars, does the door metal thickness exceed 1mm...typically 1.2~1.5 to support the weight where the hinges connect the car frame and the door together.

Also, the doors on your typical car are only made of two layers of metal; the outer skin panel, and the inner panel that the skin panel is clamped/folded onto. The interior panels are just vinyl covered plastic or particle board...not the best bullet stoppers. To save weight, the inner panel has LOTS OF HOLES punched into it, often exceeding 100-130 holes. The end result is the bare minimum of metal needed to keep the door's desired shape, rigidity, and weight supporting characteristics; the rest is methodically removed as the thin sheet metal is transformed into door shaped thin sheet metal.

Long story short...car doors are concealment, NOT cover!!
Despite the results of the testing posted in the firingline.com link, I wouldn't bet my life on a typical car door being able to to even stop a .22 consistantly. :ahhhhh:
 
#7 ·
Here's a thought... if anything hide behind tires (if you're small and got big tires).

BushidoMarine said:
I used to work for a company that made the stamping dies used in making car body parts such as the inner and outer door panels, trunk & hood panels, roof, etc. The typical thickness of the steel used for these parts is between 0.6 ~ 0.85 millimeters. Car doors(and a car body in general) is basically VERY thin metal enclosing mostly empty space!!! Only in very few areas, such as near the 'A'/'B' pillars, does the door metal thickness exceed 1mm...typically 1.2~1.5 to support the weight where the hinges connect the car frame and the door together.

Also, the doors on your typical car are only made of two layers of metal; the outer skin panel, and the inner panel that the skin panel is clamped/folded onto. The interior panels are just vinyl covered plastic or particle board...not the best bullet stoppers. To save weight, the inner panel has LOTS OF HOLES punched into it, often exceeding 100-130 holes. The end result is the bare minimum of metal needed to keep the door's desired shape, rigidity, and weight supporting characteristics; the rest is methodically removed as the thin sheet metal is transformed into door shaped thin sheet metal.

Long story short...car doors are concealement, NOT cover!!
I wouldn't trust a typical car door to even stop a .22... :ahhhhh:
 
#10 ·
Never trust ammunition to over or underpenetrate. I once had an ND. Fired a .357 Mag HP inside a travel trailer. LOUD! Anyway, the round penetrated one layer of an overhanging bunk's lightweight wood "cabinet" face, and came to rest inside a thin mattress. After I got over the shock of the ND, I really got to thinking that there are no guarantees in a gunfight.
 
#13 ·
I tend to error on the side of caution; most everything is concealment not cover. The TV shows that have people taking cover behind refrigerator doors and interior walls and the same stopping the bullet crack me up,
 
#14 ·
I wonder how alum. wheels stop bullets, compared to steel wheels? Engine blocks should be o.k., but remember there is some sheetmetal above where the engine sits making up the hood and fenders.
 
#15 ·
mark555 said:
I tend to error on the side of caution; most everything is concealment not cover. The TV shows that have people taking cover behind refrigerator doors and interior walls and the same stopping the bullet crack me up,
Yeah, I just watched Mr & Mrs Smith and it's entertaining to see how all of the bullets only dented the fridge doors. That must be a hell of a fridge :wink:
 
#17 ·
rocky said:
I wonder how alum. wheels stop bullets, compared to steel wheels?
From my wheeling experience the aluminum wheel is gonna go desintegrate in a puff of smoke.

Engine blocks should be o.k., but remember there is some sheetmetal above where the engine sits making up the hood and fenders.
That's why you look for a vehicle with a big engine, not a lawnmower engine powered civic :smile:
 
#18 ·
Thanks for the post. Something to think about. Had never really considered a door as cover, but hadn't thought about a hit actually being made worse due to ejected glass and/or metal parts from the door.
 
#21 ·
hey anything is better than nothing. Plus wants something goes through a door there's some garbage in there for it to hit and change direction. Not ideal but something. Also I'd say the older the car the better, because you'll have more in that door and thicker metal. Ever feel the weight of an '80's GM door?
 
#24 ·
I suppose better than nothing if that is all that you can get between you and the BG....but probably a better option to reposition body to take advantage of tire, engine block, or length of vehicle if at all possible.
 
#25 ·
During a recent "lessons learned" briefing I attended from some of the boy's coming home from the sandbox, the words "bullet magnet" were used concerning vehicles. Now keep in mind most Humvee doors have been "armored" over there. "read that as flak jackets either draped over the door frame" it was stated that the best option was to seek cover away from the vehicle. I know this is a bit different scenario than what we are considering but it's a perspective that may need to be considered by some.
 
#26 ·
Car Door Cover

If you're going to use a car door for cover, don't stand behind it. Instead, stay seated and roll out towards the door with your gun (you may have to put on foot out the door) between the door (by the hinges) and the car frame. There's much more metal there, and with the door at an angle (don't open the door all the way) there is actually more metal for the bullet to be stopped by, or due to the angle to riccochet away from you.
 
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