What Stops A Bullet And What Doesn't

I was showing my wife some pictures of targets I had taken on last week’s trip to the range. She noticed that there was a hole in the plywood that was the backing for the target. She asked if the bullet always went through the wood. I told her it would have to be several inches thick before it would stop a bullet. She seemed surprised. Even though she has been with me to the range often, and has been shooting for years she doesn’t have enough interest to really learn about ballistics or how bullets act. All she is usually concerned about is the holes in her target. I don’t fault her for this because she is not really into guns and shooting. She goes to the range with me to do things with me. Just like I will help her in the kitchen even though I don’t know the difference between folding in ingredients or mixing them into a recipe. She is a chef and a pro baker and I am not. But we like to be with each other so we do things together. She had never really paid attention to the bullets going through the steel or the ¾ inch plywood like it wasn’t there. She then starting asking about what would stop a bullet. She started to list things in our house.

A wall? No not a standard interior or exterior wall.

A couch or bed? No.

A refrigerator? No, depending on how much is in it and whether it is frozen or not.

A metal or wood front door? No, depending on the thickness

“Well what WOULD stop a bullet in our house?” Not very much I’m afraid. Brick or stone walls would. A stone fireplace or maybe a cast iron wood stove. I’ve never really tested a woodstove.
A book shelf from the side. In other words, a stack of books about 8 to 10 inches thick. I use a stack of paperback books taped together about 11 inches thick when I dry fire.
If you have a ballistic vest then you could use that. Or maybe a plate panel that goes into a plate carrier.

Practice pads that are specific for dry fire are a good portable alternative. Make sure it is rated for the caliber you will use.
A 5 gallon bucket of sand will stop a bullet.
A vehicles engine block or axle will stop a bullet, but not a vehicle door. The only vehicle I have seen stop a bullet is the door of an armored vehicle like some military Hum Vees.
A large tree will stop a bullet.

The five-gallon bucket of sand could be disguised inside a decorative basket, with a fake houseplant such as a ficus tree plunked inside the sand bucket. Such a contraption is a handy place to point your firearm when you must load, unload, or disassemble it (especially in the case of Glocks and other designs which require you to pull the trigger during the disassembly process).

I was reading a blog, Concealed Carry.com. The article is titled “16 Things That Will Stop a Bullet and 28 Things That Won’t”
The article showed video evidence of the things that would and would not stop bullets. It is very important to know what actually will stop a bullet.
There are several ways to explain this. I will attempt to do so.
There are several factors we need to consider. The caliber of bullet, the velocity of the bullet, and the thickness of the thing you’re trying to use as cover. We’ll talk about these things.
Caliber is the size of the bullet. Most of the time when you have a higher caliber you will have more power behind it. But not necessarily.
An example. The .25 caliber bullet only has a velocity of 760 feet per second while the .22 Stinger has a velocity of 1,640 feet per second. The .22 has more power behind it so it goes faster than the heavier .25.
Velocity is everything. If you compare a .22 Long rifle cartridge and a 30-06 cartridge the difference in size is obvious. The 30-06 is bigger around (.30 caliber) compared to the .22 caliber. But the case size differences are really where the large difference is. The 30-06 has much more power behind it so it travels at a higher velocity. That velocity gives it better punching power. Velocity is also affected by the weapons barrel length. The charge that the cartridge is loaded with has an impact on the velocity too. The charge continues to burn in a longer barrel so this increases the bullet speed. This can act in an opposite effect if the barrel is too long.
So why are we talking about all this physics? Because this is what plays a role in whether you can hide behind something and be protected or not.
There was a young guy who wanted to be a You Tube star in 2009. He kept bugging his girlfriend to film her shooting him with a .50 caliber handgun with a book in front of his chest as a shield. He is now dead and she is in jail for accidentally killing him. They did not understand what was considered cover, (stop a bullet) and what is concealment, (something to hide behind.) It is vital that you know this too. Ever see a movie and see a shooter in a restaurant having a gunfight? People are hiding behind walls, appliances, and tables. None of these things may stop a bullet. Maybe the wall if it is brick or concrete. I’ve seen countless T.V. shows where law enforcement stops their patrol car, get out, and kneel in back of their vehicle door pointing their gun. This would be a fatal mistake. But that is what has taught us how to protect ourselves. This is a horrible lesson. First of all, I’m not sure we should take our life-and-death advice from fictional characters. Learning the truth about what is cover is very important. I have shot through 2 X 4 and ¾ inch plywood lumber. Almost any caliber unless it is quite a distance away would go through this type lumber. Maybe a 4 x 4 or a 4 x 6 inch piece of lumber would stop some bullets but not all and not at all distances. A concrete wall full of rebar and concrete will stop most bullets.
In my experience, 8 inches of bound paper will stop a 9mm bullet at point blank range. I’ve tested that and use 10 inches of bound paperback books as a bullet stop for dryfire drills. Sand is a pretty good bullet stopper. A sandbag is about 4 inches thick. Sandbags saved my life many times over. They lined the walls of our fighting positions with about 8 rows of sandbags!
Water and glass can be shot through but the course of the bullet is usually altered along with its strength depending on the thickness of the glass and depth of water.

Basically, knowing the difference between cover and concealment may save your life. Just know that most things don’t stop a bullet but it’s difficult to hit a target that can’t be seen. So concealment is important too.
It’s always better to not get in a fight. But if you must be in a firefight, know the difference between cover, and concealment.

Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn