sjp2452

This is the place for ballistics, so...

Maybe it's a 'duh' question, but I honestly don't know. Will a typical cast iron bathtub stop a bullet? I've been thinking about the safest place to quickly get my little kids to in the event of a home invasion. It's on the top floor of the house, and is the only cover in the house that might (?) stop a bullet.

Anyone?

Schwebel

What kind of bullet we talking about here...lol. Maybe email the guy at http://www.theboxotruth.com/ and he might make the tub o truth. I would bet it would stop handguns bullets easily. I had one of those old iron "claw foot" tubs in a house back in college and it was pretty darn thick metal. I don't think much short of a armor piercing .50BMG would get through it.

ppkheat

I remember those tubs too and those old ones refinished can be worth some bucks. I don't have one to test in a shoot, so I don't know how a cast iron tub would do against a bullet, I think it would do pretty well. Mainly I can't think of anything better in your house that would be more "bulletproof"

Speaking of that, I think that A-10 Warthog pilots are protected from a "bathtub" type design shield around their cockpit.

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MattLarson

Cast iron is typically grainy and somewhat brittle.

Never shot a bathtub, but I did use an old cast iron skillet as a gong.

.22 LR actually penetrated it at 50 yards if it hit just right.

230 gr .45 FMJ obliterated it. Literally shattered the thing into a half dozen pieces.

Of course, the tub would be much thicker, but I'd still be concerned about holes or spalling (which would be pretty dangerous in it's own right).

It would, however, certainly be better than no cover at all.

Matt

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rstickle

I would think that is dead on (no pun intended), since cast iron is usually a pretty brittle metal.

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Rick

EOD - Initial success or total failure

QKShooter

My best guess (only a guess) is that you would be quite safe in the tub if shot at with your average handgun for the first shot anyhow.
Maybe the first few shots until the cast iron shattered.
I think a lot would depend on the exact angle of the bullet impact.
It would be an interesting test.
Shooting at an old heavy cast iron tub...not with you in it (of course)...an empty cast iron tub.

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Chooie

I think I'll just line the walls of a walk-in closet with 1/2" lexan and forgo the cast iron in favor of a nice whirlpool for the wife. Of course, if money were no object, lexan is out and lexgard is in (a little over 5x the cost of lexan, but it's laminated sheet that will stop 7.62 rounds, 12ga slugs, axes/mauls... pretty much anything you can throw at it!)

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aus71383

+1 cast iron being brittle.

Whether or not it would stop a bullet would, IMO, have a lot to do with what the bullet is made out of. If its a hollowpoint with soft lead inside, maybe. If its hard cast lead, no way. If its an FMJ, chances are better that it would ricochet, but still not a safe idea. Also, the chances of spalling would be pretty high - I think its a bad idea.

Spalling = the shock on the outside of the metal causes fragments from the inside to go flying.

Austin

nn

Do that and you will feel better about the issue.

Tom G

I think the tub might be protection against some of the smaller calibers or if the tub was hit at an angle it could deflect the bullet but wouldn't want to have to depend on it.