Shoot through car window from inside

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Shoot the engine, can't steal the car, the glass will drag in your direction, you'll go blind and deaf shooting the glass, and there is a high probability of a richochet
 
Never happened to me and I hope it never does.

If the perp has his gun pointed at you from 18" away and you have just sat down then it would appear that you are screwed as far as shooting through the window. Unless you want to take the chance that he really just wants the car and will not fire then there is no way you can draw your gun and shoot before he does. Best bet is to be prepared to take action when the door opens but this sounds like a scenario where you are taken by surprise and the outcome will be bad.

If the car is already in reverse then hit the gas as hard as you can. You may only go 3 feet but that is a lot better than 18" IMO.
 
Most likely the guy just wants the car, if he wanted to kill you you'd be screwed regardless, something else, if he's right on the door id kick the door into him hard, it could be just enough to save your life, shooting glass your bullets path is unpredictable at best
 
Shoot the engine, can't steal the car, the glass will drag in your direction, you'll go blind and deaf shooting the glass, and there is a high probability of a richochet
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Seriously?
Shooting the engine will harm your ears less?
Shooting the hard metal parts won't be a higher ricochet risk?
When the round goes off that you are shooting into the engine don't you think the carjacker is going to shoot back?
 
Obviously you fail to understand the make up of a car, yes it will be just as bad for your ears, but the firewall will stop the frag , and if the jacker has a gun your screwed anyways
 
Obviously you fail to understand the make up of a car, yes it will be just as bad for your ears, but the firewall will stop the frag , and if the jacker has a gun your screwed anyways
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What is the fire wall made of, Marshmallows? I know quite a bit of the makeup of a car and unless you have a predetermined target marked there is no guarantee that you won't hit a bolt or seam that would fragment a bullet in the passenger compartment. If the carjacker has no gun keep the windows up, doors locked and slide to the side opposite of him and if he breaks the glass shoot him.

shooting glass your bullets path is unpredictable at best
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What about shooting the engine, how do you know that your handgun ammo will even have an effect after going through the fire wall?

Stop Digging, your in over your head already.
 
I wouldn't draw my gun until I have no options. that being said, I would have my seat buckle on and wait for him to open the door. then draw my gun as he opens and dispatch him.

I have a custom holster in my truck and wife's car that sticks it between the bucket seats. and it's. very easy to draw and it's quick.
 
I wouldn't draw my gun until I have no options. that being said, I would have my seat buckle on and wait for him to open the door. then draw my gun as he opens and dispatch him.
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Why would you not have your gun in hand as soon as you could see what was happening?
Why would you have your seat belt buckled?
And why would you have your door unlocked so he could open it?
 
xrap. I would have my gun in hand till I need it. don't want to amp up the bg.
I would have my seat belt on because it would make a hand to hand altacation last a few seconds longer. your right about the door being unlocked.
 
We did anti-hijacking courses in South Africa back in 2002. It was all video-taped. The primary objective (assuming an immovable car) was to get out of the car and take advantage of early shooting opportunities as soon as possible. Whilst firing from around the car, we were taught that no part of the car can be relied upon as cover, but some concealment and attenuation can be offered by doors, wheels and the engine. Once you're out the car (even if it means you only have one foot on the ground) then you have valuable options.

I learned on that course was that there are several issues when firing out of a car:

1) Holstered IWB gun is difficult to get at and causes lost time. Some folks will suggest a fixed mounting point for the gun in the car, possibly at the center console. Now for reasons that are specific to my perception of the threat in South Africa, I didn't like that option and instead traveled with the gun under my left thigh. I was therefore committed to an initial weak hand draw and I accepted the risks associated with having a loose firearm in an accident. That was my choice of tactic based on experience on the range and certain other factors to do with the behaviour of these goblins that I won't go into here.

2) Seatbelt on when sitting in a stationary car is a bad plan.

3) You can get out of a car pretty damn fast if you have practiced it, but if not there is good chance for a fumble. We did these drills passenger side and driver side and combined passenger and driver firing forward and rearward as we exited the car. Probably would be very rusty now, but in my opinion it is a very valuable experience to get your car on the range and work out what the best plan is to get out, use the best attennuation possible and engage those targets. After doing that all day, my right thigh was bruised black but it was worth it.

4) When firing weak-handed out towards the passenger window I was distracted the first time by unexpected quantities of smoke, cartridge cases bouncing off the inside of the windshield and an almost tangible percussion/blast effect caused by firing in the car. I think without ear protection it's going to be fairly grim.

5) The first time the passenger fired out of the car while I was firing out of the driver's side (door open) I was distracted by his empties hitting the roof of the car and rolling down the windshield.


With regards to firing out of and around a car, I can only say that you are best off taking your car to a range where they allow 360 degree fire, and just have at it. If you start off by learning your blind spots and trying to gauge distances with regards to what you see in the mirror versus where the goblin actually is, that will be valuable. Blind spot mirrors are good, but a general situational awareness is invaluable. If your arse is still on your seat and you are firing, you are not in a great position.

You've kind of got to experience this before you understand it.
 
There's a lot of macho fantasy about running the goblin down and using your vehicle as a weapon. Well maybe your goblins aren't as evolved as the ones in South Africa, but I can tell you if you have visions of using your car as a weapon in SA you'd better hope you try it on a half-asleep goblin.
Put yourself in his shoes: do you really want to stand right in front of a car where the engine is on and there is about to be a debate about who owns the car? Maybe not. As a goblin, you want the most rapid inconspicuous unannounced approach to the car, leaving the driver at your mercy. That's why they like coming from the side or at least from a quarter approach.

Good luck running him over.
 
Robbins
I am confused on you having or not having the gun in a manner in which you could use it, chances are that the bad guy is already amped up, he is committing a felony that will send him to prison. Having yourself tied down to the seat really needs to be evaluated, I can see nothing but bad coming from that.
Odd Job has pointed out that you want to be as mobile as possible if you are ever attacked while in your car with the best just getting out and using the car to distance yourself from the attacker. The OP seemed to want options while stuck in the car and if the doors won't open my first thought was to move away from the threat and then engage from the passenger side, that of course would be hard if you had a passenger.
Biggest thing is avoiding being trapped in the car.
Leave some room in front of you at stops.
Watch people who are on foot but not in crosswalks.
Keep scanning your mirrors.
If you are tapped from the rear be very careful and drive on if you feel you are at risk. (a serious rear end isn't what you will expect in a carjacking since the idea is to steal a nice car)
Leave your doors locked and windows up in stop and go traffic.
When you stop at auto teller, drive through, mail box look around as you approach, criminals love people who are distracted.
 
Fire wall is made up of plastic fabric and metal, and the engine is much safer target because it is covered with material that would reduce the frag back, seriously, in most carjacking situations the safest bet is to take the car out of the situation entirely, and the easiest way is to wrek it or to shoot the engine, if you don't destroy it i doubt a car jacker is going to try to check it to find out why it won't start, and another idea, by a car window at a junkyard then shoot it, you'll be surprised how strong they are
 
The firewall on a car is to keep the engine heat away from the passenger compartment. On cars 70 years ago the firewall might... might have been "Pistol bullet resistant" on some models, but today I bet it's not very thick steel or very "pistol bullet resistant". Now it's likely mostly insulation like fiberglass or something on thin steel. Remember that cars today are built light to save weight, improve handling and fuel economy. Things have changed.

Never assume when it comes to firearms and cover vs concealment. Test things first like Box o truth does.
 
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I still don't get why you would discharge a gun during an attack and not do it toward the attacker??? Am I crazy? Shoot the fire wall around the steering column?? Aren't you feet down there?.
I am just guessing at the criminal mind but I suspect that rounds going off in their proximity especially from inside a car that they know to be occupied since they are targeting it will result in return gunfire if they are armed with the resulting glass imploding on you and the dreaded loud gunfirey noise not to mention bullets.
This has to be one of the craziest threads yet.
My car anatomy also says there are not to many critical parts below the steering column that would guarantee disabling the motor anyway and to start another debate, how many rounds does it take to stop a car?
 
One, behind the colomn is the power stearing break booster and COMPUTER on a typical newer made fwd car, and if your the target and he has a gun your pretty well screwed no matter what
 
You really don't want to fire that gun in an enclosed car. Your hearing will be hurting for a long time. Open the door for the man then shoot. It will still hurt but not as bad.
 
You really don't want to fire that gun in an enclosed car. Your hearing will be hurting for a long time
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My first thought when I saw this thread. Hearing damage will result, and it will never recover. My hearing is a lot more valuable than any car.
 
Also given cars can have very different angles and thickness of the windshield, rear, and side windows, this will definitely change angles and speeds when bullets go through them. Your mileage will vary.

And of course the hard glass will bounce the sound of you firing the pistol, pretty much guaranteeing some hearing damage. But if it's shoot back or get shot or stabbed... you have little choice.
 
Shoot the engine, can't steal the car,
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Unless you're packing a .50 AE, .454 Casull or some other major magnum, an engine block is just going to laugh off being hit with a handgun, especially after the bullet has already passed through body metal (if it passes through body metal)

One, behind the colomn is the power stearing break booster and COMPUTER on a typical newer made fwd car, and if your the target and he has a gun your pretty well screwed no matter what
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What exactly is "behind" the column in your mind? Anything forward of the steering wheel? Brake boosters (which damaging them hardly disables a vehicle anyway) are mounted high on the firewall, the steering gear (which will also shrug off a handgun bullet) is not directly in line with the column angle on any but a few vehicles, and the PCM is rarely located behind the instrument cluster; Behind center of IP, passenger side IP, passenger kick panel or somewhere in the engine compartment are the places they're usually found.

The notion of rapidly disabling a vehicle with ANY small arm is one bred of being ill-informed. The idea that it can be done with a handgun is pure foolishness.

We had a 1997 Honda Civic hatchback that we got to tear up with all manner of rounds. The very first shot fired was with my Armalite AR-50 using AP ammunition. I knew EXACTLY where all of the components were in the car, and fired that round into the front with the expectation of a peirced engine block. Didn't happen. The bullet passed through the bumper, radiator, radiator fan motor, catalytic converter and then hit the AC compressor bolt right on the head. It gouged the bolt and broke the boss off the block, but that's where it stopped. This lowly econobox could have continued to run for several minutes, until it eventually leaked out the coolant and overheated. That was after being hit with an ARMOR PEIRCING round having roughly 35 TIMES the energy of a typical handgun.

Obviously you fail to understand the make up of a car
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Pot, meet kettle.
 
Shooting inside of a car is a very bad idea!

Many years ago I shot a squirrel with a .357 Mag out of the driver side window. The window was down and the gun was at arms length out of the truck. My left ear has never fully recovered. I can't imagine what shooting a gun inside an enclosed car would feel like.
 
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