If you had to shoot through a windshield from inside car--recommendations?

M

MikeGoob

New member
Just a lot of thoughts these days about having to leave an area where I am staying, and how perhaps, my way would be blocked by possibly armed people. Would you want a pistol caliber carbine? SBR? Is a high cap handgun just fine?

I know many say a car is a fine equalizer against people on foot, and sure it can be. My cars are all low to the ground city cars, so theres that.

Anyway, I keep rolling around in my head what would be the most ideal tool to have handy in case the time comes to get out of dodge quickly via car, through the streets. Thanks
 
H

hagar

New member
Remington Golden Saber bonded. It's a law enforcement round only, but not illegal to own. Don't forget your sunroof, makes for a great steady platform standing on the seat.. ;)
 
D

Don Fischer

New member
Absolute best defense against that is to simply stay out of an area you might need to do that is. Pay attention to where your at and if it might be possible to get around you, recognize it and stay out. Lot of people feel they must go through the area or they have a right to and will exercise that right. Good way to set up the situation! stay out. If I was to go to an area like that I'd leave my 8rd gun on the seat next to me and my high capacity gun in my hand. I pretty much doubt I'd risk a shot through the windshield. That I would think would send bit's of broken glass all over inside the car. Be hard to fight back with a bit of glass in your eye! Get's to the point where I'd have to shoot through glass I'd wait for the bad guy's to break it for me. I don't think a windshield broken from the outside with some object other than a bullet will send glass bit's flying like a bullet fired from inside. Then with the glass gone,firing through an open window is no sweat. Of course if you see your window is going to be shot out, nothing to lose fire away. Bottom line, recognize the situation and detour around it! I think it was Morgan Freeman said in the movie "Robin Hood", "live to fight another day"!
 
H

HiBC

New member
We all have opinions. I'll agree,avoid the trouble is the best plan.

In John Plaster's book....was it "The Ultimate Sniper" ? I forget. He discussed shooting through glass. The angle of the glass determines deflection. The results may be counter intuitive. Shooting from inside a car out through a sloped windshield,the bullets would tend to deflect up. Of course,other angles would also have an influence.
The bullet is not engaging the sloped surface so much as it deals with the edge as it passes through.
While windshield safety glass tends to close back up,consider the first shot gets the glass out of the way,and follow up shots may be more effective.

As far s having a handgun on the seat next to you...That was one of the major lessons learned in the FBI bank robbery shoot out.

In any extreme driving or collision,that loaded handgun will not stay on the seat. You will have to find where it flew to . In your holster,it will be wherever you are.
 
Last edited:
T

tango1niner

New member
If I might have to fire from inside the vehicle I most definitely want hearing protection.
Let's just say corded ear plugs dangling from around my neck. JIC...
 
R

Rangerrich99

New member
From a purely physical standpoint, I'd imagine you'd see less deflection with a relatively short, heavy bullet. Maybe something shaped like a semi wad-cutter? I would think that .40 S&W 180 grain would fit the bill fairly well. Or .44 mag. Or 10 mm with a truncated nose. Something along those lines, I'm guessing.

Of course, firing a gun inside a small enclosed space like a car would probably do permanent damage to a person's ears, so I wouldn't recommend it.
 
S

SaltyPirate

New member
This is an easy one.

Underwood Extreme Penetrator.

Empirical: I own a bunch.

Just look it up. There's no second guessing.


302gr-453-xtreme-penetrator-lehigh-defense-sku-07453302S_cb0e5529-7a2e-4938-bb5a-6c86a33be5c0-400x400.jpg
 
H

HiBC

New member
I copied this link from a FrankenMauser post.

It includes high speed vid of an artillery round (IIRC,a 105 mm) being deflected seriously by a watermelon. ( correction! Its a 152 mm)

I ,myself,would not put a lot of brain damage into speculating which bullet will not be deflected.

Maybe a police dept sniper could justify conducting a series of tests on angles and deflections,or maybe its already been done and data is available.

https://youtu.be/xpJ8EoGmLuE?t=365
 
Last edited:
F

FITASC

New member
I can't imagine a scenario where I would risk a ricochet back to me, completely making me deaf and breaching the strength of a defensive barrier to get out of a situation as opposed to using the D or R on my transmission.
 
S

Shadow9mm

New member
God forbid you had to shoot from inside a car, crack a window if you can to let some of the sound out. regardless your going to be deaf for a bit, but there should be less damage.
 
T

TXAZ

New member
Your ears will never be the same if you do.
If you maintain situational awareness, you'll never be in that position.
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
Anyway, I keep rolling around in my head what would be the most ideal tool to have handy in case the time comes to get out of dodge quickly via car, through the streets.
Click to expand...

Via car? the best tool is the car you're driving.. and the "trigger" you need to operate is the pedal on the right...:rolleyes:

If you need to fire from inside the car, the handgun is the most optimal choice, and the only practical one if you are driving is something you can operate with one hand.
 
V

vito

New member
IT seems that the only reason you would have to fire through the windshield is when the threat is immediately in front of your vehicle. Ducking down and stepping on the accelerator might be better than any round through the glass windshield. Plus it puts the engine as a barrier between you and the threat.
 
M

Mike38

New member
Shooting from inside a car out through a sloped windshield,the bullets would tend to deflect up.
Click to expand...

I admit, I know little about ballistics, enough to get by, but that's it. How can a bullet hitting the windshield that is angling "down and away" cause a bullet to go up?

From the standpoint of a layman, shooting through a windshield from the inside would cause the bullet to deflect down slightly. Shooting through a windshield from the outside would cause a bullet to deflect up slightly. Or am I wrong?
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
if the bullet doesn't penetrate the glass the angle would deflect it down, fired from inside and up from outside.

But consider this, when the bullet does penetrate, its going through this / kind of angle of barrier. Because of the angle one side of the bullet is still in contact with the barrier as it passes through when it leaves contact with the other side.

In other words, fired this way /<-- the top of the bullet gets through the glass while the bottom side is still in contact, and this tends to deflect the bullet up.

going the other way, tis just the opposite and the bullet tends do deflect down.
 
S

Sharkbite

New member
Yep, up going out, down going in. Shooting into a vehicle the deflection is not really big enough to worry about. Nor is it big enough shooting out, if the tgt is right at the front of the hood. Maybe 2-3” MAX

At that distance, hold the sights center and shoot as normal. If the tgt is at 10yards off the hood, now you can have a deflection issue.

The solution is MULTIPLE rounds, trying to shoot through the same hole. The first cpl will open a hole in the laminated glass and subsequent rounds will pass thru with little/no deflection.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top