Automobile Penetration Testing

[msp21]

Has anyone seen any recent tests done on the effectiveness of different types of ammo on vehicles (pistol, shotgun & rifle)? I know the pillars provide a decent amount of cover and have seen testing preformed with pistol rounds and 5.57 rounds.

I’m especially interested in how the 300 BLK & 6.8mm do and if the offer and better penetration.

[ggammell]

You’re not going to get a blanket rating. We had some .40 rounds zip right through an old Lexus A pillar but a POS old Chevy stopped them. The vehicle is an independent variable.

[C-grunt]

From my experience investigating shootings, car penetration is super unpredictable. Every type of car is going to be designed different, made of different materials, and have different objects inside of them.

Car doors for example. Inside the door you are going to have support beams, window motors, lock motors, window mechanisms, lock mechanisms, window glass, insulation, etc... Every car is going to have those things in different places. Electric motors are damn near bullet proof.

[The Mig]

I was lucky enough to go to a vehicle CQB class last year where we shot cardboard targets set inside of junked cars. The results were enlightening. The pillars really do stop rounds, a lot of them. In LE, they teach officers to stand behind the B pillar of a car because its safer if someone wants to shoot at you. That's just as true for the B pillar as it is for the A pillar and C,D pillar in SUVs and minivans. They're all constructed of steel and designed to support the weight of the roof so they can take a lot of punishment.

I shot a 165 grain .40 Gold Dot into the C pillar of a sedan (think it was an Accord) and the instructor managed to fish through the panel and pull the round out, it did not penetrate. On another drill, I shot at the A pillar (front metal that holds the windshield in place) of a sedan and it took nearly 20 frangible .223 rounds before I started getting through to the target beyond. No one in that class was shooting 300 BLK or 6.8 so I can't attest to that, sorry. What I can say is that cars offer unknown variables and the best medicine for punching through them is having a big enough magazine.