Ballistics discussion.. How to stop 30-06

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Agreed on the tall order. I did state that was the IDEAL scenario, but like most things, you get a tradeoff.

The current construction uses wood framed walls just like residential construction. To get much away from that might cause more headaches than just using steel plate.

There are some excellent ideas to pursue here. I thank all of you for your input!

If nothing else, I can justify a bit of surfing on a gun related forum on company time, right? :D
 
Do they need to take multiple hits? Hard but brittle things like ceramic plates often are the best bet for one hit, for their weight, but they sometimes break up on the first hit to dissipate the energy. Subsequent hits may go through.
 
Not sure what sounds fishy, maybe referencing an above post? Some companies want to protect against bullets hitting equipment they put inside their buildings.

The UL spec that we are trying to abide by states that one shot fired in a 12" by 12" area from a distance of 15' needs to be stopped from penetrating the wall of the building.

I may be chasing my tail and already have the best solution. We do know that our current fiberglass/aggregate panel backed with 1/2" plate steel (as pictured above) does the trick, but I am hoping to find something that also worked but was more cost effective.


Thanks again!
 
Here's a quick scan from my trusty FM 5-34... Who says combat engineers are good for nothing;) But just to throw something out there, though I never tested it with anything more than .22LR... Plastic lumber used in playground construction worked really well when I was still involved in robot wars.
SURVIV.gif
 
Safety dividers on one deluxe range I have shot on (M.I.S.S.) are two layers of corrugated steel with the gap filled with gravel, not sand. I understand the rocks break up the bullet and the far side steel contains the fragments. It isn't going to be light but it will be (relatively) inexpensive.
 
Another random thought: Switch to an A frame design, 0 degrees deflection with vertical walls are bad ju ju when it comes to penetration.
 
The advantage of sand is that it can be bought cheaply near the building's final site. Design the building properly, double-walled with some bracing steel. You won't have to stock or ship the bullet-stopping material, which will either be very heavy, or very expensive.

Cheap, light, strong... pick two.

--Shannon
 
tube_ee,

motorcycle mechanics have a similar saying. good, quick, cheap. pick two.


i agree, cant beat sand or gravel in the walls. might be able to do a combo of the steel and gravel. like 2 or 3 inches of gravel and 1/4 inch steel. maybe save cost and weight that way. or maybe 2 layers of steel and gravel with the thickest layer inside.
 
If you go the sand route, you might want to design it so that the bottom plates can be detached in place; remove fasteners, lift building and let sand drain out, dig out plates. Otherwise, moving it from the original site at a later date will be difficult.
 
Something's fishy about the story
Click to expand...

I second that. There are bullet resistant panels you can get that are a little cheaper and lighter than steel. I was in the residential building industry and I know of them, it been around for years. I never use them, but some guys I know up north install it in homes near state game lands. It looks similar to the Spall liner used in the www.theboxotruth.com but its rated to stop rifle rounds. If this guy is a commercial builder and he specializes in bullet resistant structures and does not know of this product, he is full of it. Heck I even seen this product mentioned on DIY shows:rolleyes:

Sorry I'm not helping an Al Qaeda fishing expedition.
 
Check on ATF explosizes magazine construction requirements. They have regs on what is needed in construction to stop a rifle round. I would suggest 2 walls with the middle filled with sand. Then put sand in the roof.
 
Thanks Lonestar! Just for clarification, I am not specializing in bullet resistant strucutures, but am looking for an effective alternative to current plate steel usage.

If you stumble across a link to that commonly used material that you have seen on TV I would appreciate it.

I am looking into the above options, and thank all that contributed ideas.
 
I'm thinking something like two layers of rubber sheeting/conveyor belting, with a thin layer of gravel (or maybe sand) between them would probably do a pretty good job; the first layer would disrupt/deform the bullet to the point where I doubt it would be able to get through the second.
 
Foam rubber self seals with sand behind it when shot with 7.62 NATO. Might work with 30.06.
 
as i recall the brits used sheets of cork with flint chips in it during WW2 to up armor merchant ships bridges against strafing.

rms/pa
 
Its a rather easy problem to solve. Use berms (2) the outer berm will be your largest berm. It will only have one exit which will be offset from the buildings exit. The inner berm will surround the building on 3 sides except for an offset exit from the building and the entrance to the inner bermed area. On the 4th side you will need space to allow for air flow for your HVAC units. A berm can be built away from that side that would block fire. You could also add small blocking berms inside the larger berm (HVAC) or even place them on the outside blocking the area you expect incoming fire to come from.
 
He's trying to come up with an alternative to what his company is already using in portable buildings that might be cheaper or lighter or, ideally, both. I've checked and his company and postion in it are legit.

Sounds like a lot of good ideas from some good THR members that could help all of us with our own range designs.
 
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I don't know about cost, but honeycomb aluminum (1 inch hexagons) filled with sand would be structurally sound, and would be compartmentalized enough that one hit would not compromise the integrity of an entire wall.

Tire rubber is probably the cheapest option though.

If I recall correctly fiberglass laminate is a bulletproof substance if you get it thick enough. I believe that they make the frames for some armoured vehicles out of it. perhapse a double walled hull structure (made like a boat, only rectangular, filled with chipped tires would be a cost effective/ relitivly light option for armor.

many thin layers of different bonded material will always resist penetration better than one thick piece of anything.
 
Thanks everyone! I now have at least a month worth of research and testing to do on various methods.

Samples of materials are inbound.
 
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