![]() Maybe a reader can leave a comment with more information about shotguns and vehicles.įor handguns, I’d say. I don’t have data backing that up, but this seems reasonable to me. Some of the more powerful calibers will be effective at ranges beyond 100 yards.įor shotguns, I’d say slugs (unlike BBs, a slug is a single projectile fired from a shotgun) fired at a range of 50 yards or less should be able to penetrate most vehicle components. That’s not an exhaustive list of calibers, but it should be a good starting point. 223 (the AR-15 is an example of a common. I hesitate to put a solid rule on this, but I’ll peg it this way: If a character is using a rifle equivalent or greater than the following calibers at a distance of 100 yards or less, then the shot should be able to penetrate most vehicle components: 45 handgun at a distance of 15 yards penetrated a car door. 223 round easily penetrated car doors and wheels at distances up to 100 yards. 223 rifle bullet fired directly into an engine block at a distance of 25 yards “totally disintegrated,” in Lofland’s words. I encourage you to read the entire post, but here are some key takeaways: His verdict is that even a police car isn’t going to provide guaranteed protection against any firearm, although some shelter is better than none. He recently wrote a post about officers taking shelter from gunfire behind their vehicles. Lee Lofland is a retired law enforcement officer and fellow author at Writer’s Digest Books of Police Procedure and Investigation (highly recommended). Lofland wrote that typical car doors are like “melting butter” when hit with bullets from. A direct hit might not be necessary if a shred of car door or glass shard lodges itself into a character’s throat. Don’t count those factors out of a scene. It Isn’t Always About a Direct Hitīullets can ricochet, send shrapnel flying and cause all sorts of unintentional damage. I cover that in more detail in my book, The Writer’s Guide to Weapons: A Practical Reference for Using Firearms and Knives in Fiction. If a character isn’t crouched behind a metal part, the windows might be a better spot to aim.Īs far as shooting out a gas tank for a Michael Bay style explosion, that’s not likely to happen. Remember that most vehicles, even the large trucks, use run-of-the-mill windows. Specialized vehicles with the latest ballistics materials are even better, but this post is about more typical models.ĭon’t focus on just the metal components. A semi built like a tank, on the other hand, will shrug off everything from firearms to a herd of cattle. ![]() The 17-year-old Honda Civic parked in my driveway (laugh it up, jerks, it still runs like a top after 250,000 miles) is probably not a great choice for stopping any type of projectile, be it a bullet or an errant corn dog. On the plus side, the bullet holes won’t affect its resale value. The caliber of the gun, distance, whether the vehicle is moving and the character’s shooting abilities all play important factors, too. It’s just that, like anything else, ammunition is designed with a specific purpose in mind. That isn’t to say it’s a good idea to fire a gun at a vehicle. The bullets available typically aren’t hardened to the point where they can be counted on to punch through a vehicle. That’s a world apart from the ammunition for sale at civilian sporting goods stores. That contract request probably triggered a special run of ammunition just for that purpose. the projectile) strong enough to reliably blow in and out of a vehicle while passing through any occupants inside. A special ops group needed a particular type of bullet (i.e. I recall a friend working for a major ammunition manufacturer telling me about a request from the U.S. Some ammunition is designed specifically to punch holes through vehicles, light aircraft, buildings and other forms of shelter. The type of ammunition the shooter is using in a story matters a great deal. Here’s my shot at filling in the Swiss cheese. But how well do everyday vehicles, such as the kind you whittle away your life inside stuck in traffic, stop bullets? Much depends on the firearm, the ammunition and the make of the vehicle, so the answer isn’t going to be concrete. It makes sense that characters hiding from gunfire would choose to skirt death by taking shelter in or against a car or truck. This is a good time to mention my disclaimer. 223 on up at a distance of 100 yards or less stands the best chance of penetrating a typical vehicle. TLDR: There are too many variables to call a definite yes or no, but any rifle from a. Pictured: Still a better look than those stupid bullet hole stickers.
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