Finding Cover in the Home

A wall of sand 5.5" thick sandwiched between .5" sheetrock seems to be pretty effective.
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1. I would be worried about the sand holding moisture

2. What happpens when someone accidentally puts a hole in the bottom of the drywall? Sand everwhere and no way to stop it from pouring out while you are trying to patch the hole
 
1. I would be worried about the sand holding moisture

2. What happpens when someone accidentally puts a hole in the bottom of the drywall? Sand everwhere and no way to stop it from pouring out while you are trying to patch the hole
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I didn't say it was great idea.:D;)
 
Our "safe zone" is on the far side of the bed. I've taken two sheets of 3/4" plywood and cut them to length and height and put two layers along both sides of the mattress, vertical. Thus giving myself and my family 1.5" + queen size matterss + 1.5" of protection.

Upon intrusion, my wife runs to get the kid while I guard the hall between our rooms with my G22 and 210L light. She takes the little one to the far side of the bed, grabs the S&W 642, maglite, and cellphone. She calls the calvary as I lock the bedroom door and shove a galvanized 2" pipe between the door and the bed to shore the door closed (it's a heavy *** bed). I join her and the kid on the far side of the bed and wait it out. We don't come out until the responding officers relay the all clear to the 911 operator and the operator tells us.

And yes, we go through fully pre-briefed dry runs about every month using my neighbor as the Bad Guy and also as an objective observer. (And yes, we use fake guns ;))
 
Most master bedrooms are at or near the end of a hallway and have very little "common wall" with hallway space. They may have common wall with other bedrooms but that's not the point here.

If you have a little space, put a knick-knack cabinet or narrow bookshelf in front of the wall (in the hallway). If you happened to fasten a 1/8" steel panel to the back of the unit, so much the better. ;)

Protection only needs to be about armpit high at the door frame. This will allow a kneeling position while covering most of your body. Some kind of pedestal stand for an oak or cedar chest full of blankets or bedcovers would do fine, if a little short on height.

Just as important (to me anyhow) is to make sure that walls of the guest and children's bedrooms are protected from your line of fire. This means adjusting the layout of the kid's bedrooms so they aren't sleeping along the hallway wall or have the head of the bed close to that wall.

If you install the solid core door, also consider some "dead throw" bolts. These are usually used in double-wide doors to keep the non-functioning side of the door closed. Some use a metal loop at the bottom or top to retain the door.

Install the mounting piece with 2" screws. If installed vertically with a hole into the flooring, be sure to install a tight-fitting metal collar at the floor level. If mounted horizontally, one top and one bottom, be sure to use a 2.5" or longer screw to mount the locking loop end.
 
Does anyone know anything about the bullet resistance of Wonderboard or similar products? The stuff is way denser and heavier than sheetrock, and it's not that expensive. I looked for a test on the Box O' Truth website and couldn't find one; they have test results for sheetrock walls and for ballistic nylon (which did poorly, BTW), but nothing for Wonderboard. :(

Seems a couple of thicknesses might be a good alternative to sheetrock for new construction, or for "hardening" a safe room.
 
If I was looking to reinforce just one wall, or just a section of a wall, I'd seriously consider something like 1/4" aluminum. I haven't looked recently but a few years ago a 4X8 foot sheet was like $400
 
it depends. Are you planning on scattering cover around your home so you can stage a running fight? Or do you just want cover in one safe room?

It's a lot easier to harden on room than it is to scatter cover around.
 
Lowes sells 1/4" thick Lexan panels for about $5/square foot. You can double up with plywood underneath, screw them to the inside walls of a closet with a solid door, and paint them whatever color they where before. Call it $300-$500 depending on the closet.
 
Are you planning on scattering cover around your home so you can stage a running fight? Or do you just want cover in one safe room?
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Every house layout really has just one or two "most likely" lanes of fire, given your floorplan, points of entry, and living arrangements. Create some kind of backstop behind those "most likely" areas, and make sure everyone in the home has something solid to duck behind in their own bedroom(s), and you're a lot safer than you were before.

It's not that major an undertaking, if you remember that almost anything is better than nothing and that just because you can't do everything doesn't mean you should do nothing to improve matters.

pax
 
I am no handyman, I'll stick with the bullet proof vest,
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Never seen one of those before... Seen and worn many many kevlar vests... Not sure if a bulletproof vest exists. Imagine the manufacturer's liability exposure if such a product was marketed as being bulletproof...

Even if it does exist, I still would rather some inanimate object take the full brunt of a bullet. I've never been shot with or without a vest, but I can't imagine I would still be fully mobile and ready to defend myself... Even if the vest stops the bullet, you're gonna be in a world of pain that's almost indescribable. If the bullet is stopped, the inertia of the bullet as it slows/stops will still be fully transferred to your body. This could cause serious injury to bones and tissue, not to mention the possibility of severe internal bleeding if any organs erupt due to the force.

Just MHO...
 
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This could cause serious injury to bones and tissue, not to mention the possibility of severe internal bleeding if any organs erupt due to the force.
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that will not happen, assuming the round is within the vest's designed parameters. You get bruised, and there have been a very few instances of a rib cracking or similar, but serious injuries and erupting organs are not going to happen. A fair number of officers have continued the fight with minimal interruption aftern being shot while wearing their vest.
 
that will not happen, assuming the round is within the vest's designed parameters. You get bruised, and there have been a very few instances of a rib cracking or similar, but serious injuries and erupting organs are not going to happen. A fair number of officers have continued the fight with minimal interruption aftern being shot while wearing their vest.
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Good advice, just make sure you ask the armed criminal who kicks in your door what caliber weapon he's using so you can select the appropriate vest.

If you'll read what I said carefully, I said these things could happen. And you verified that statement with your own(text in bold is my addition):
that will not happen, assuming the round is within the vest's designed parameters
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When it comes to SD/HD, I don't want to be making any assumptions...


BTW
This thread was asking for viable options for cover in the home. How many people will wear kevlar while they're watching TV? Under no circumstances am I saying that kevlar is not a great tool. No doubt that it has saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives. I'm just saying that it's not a practical tool for "hardening" the defenses of your home.
 
Interesting question.

The only "real" cover we have is the wall that the gun safes are against and our dresser.

It's solid wood (no particle crap. and is 36 inches wide and full of clothing. It's also one of those half armoire deals so it's got a vertical board dividing the center. 3 layers of wood, not counting drawer side panels with plenty of clothing. I'd imagine it'd stop most common handgun calibers.

Computer hutch might stop a bullet. Maybe.

Our chest with extra linens in it might but it's not in any position that would help us.

Our kids rooms are laid out in such a way that their beds are out of the most likely lanes of fire if I were trading lead down the hallway with an intruder.

Thinking about this makes me regret going minimalist on my books and bookshelves a few years ago. It got a bit overwhelming and I sold off a lot of them...........not very tactically smart :D.
 
just make sure you ask the armed criminal who kicks in your door what caliber weapon he's using so you can select the appropriate vest.
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You don't have to ask the criminal anything. You select a vest based on what threat level you are comfortable working with. I'd imagine one could develop a vest that would stop a .50 BMG, but it would be to heavy, awkward, and expensive for most anybody.
When it comes to SD/HD, I don't want to be making any assumptions...
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You are always making assumptions concerning SD/HD, just like the rest of us are. How accurate those assumptions are is a different story, as is how one chooses to respond to those assumptions.
 
If the bullet is stopped, the inertia of the bullet as it slows/stops will still be fully transferred to your body. This could cause serious injury to bones and tissue, not to mention the possibility of severe internal bleeding if any organs erupt due to the force.
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I don't think you transfer 'inertia'. But this sounds like an energy transfer argument as compared to a penetration and destruction of tissue argument.

Vests are designed to spread the energy, esp. with pistol rounds. Rifle rounds are a different beast. If it were just the energy - your hand would erupt from the force.

Energy transfer as a crucial component of stopping power isn't that much of a factor with handgun rounds. If a home invader come in with a rifle - you are screwed with the common vest - which you aren't going to be wearing as you watch COPS.
 
Every house layout really has just one or two "most likely" lanes of fire, given your floorplan, points of entry, and living arrangements. Create some kind of backstop behind those "most likely" areas, and make sure everyone in the home has something solid to duck behind in their own bedroom(s), and you're a lot safer than you were before.
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That's basically what I'm trying to do on the relative cheap. Given my house and bedroom layout, I think a "bullet stop" on the back/side of one or two of my closets should be enough to protect my next door neighbor in the event of my needing to defend myself. I'm just looking for the lowest cost option (as opposed to the expensive options that I'd get around to eventually....).

If I can't stop a 9mm SD round, what's the cheapest/thinnest material that will take enough out of it so the neighbors don't have to worry?
 
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