What do you consider an "across the room" distance

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Jason_W

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I am planning on conducting some terminal ballistics tests at self defense distances. I'm trying to decide on the exact distance at which to shoot the gel blocks. I'd be interested to hear what exact distance everyone thinks I should use. I'm thinking 10 yards.
 
I'd say about 20 feet indoors. My longest indoor shot could be 15 yards.

Personally my HD distance is the better part of 40 yards since I have outbuildings.
 
I have a big two story house -- but its footprint is only 40 X 32 feet. I'd have to shoot the full width of the house to get a 10 yard shot.

If I were interested in "real life" shooting effectiveness, I'd select a range that was far enough so that muzzle blast didn't affect the outcome -- say 3 yards or so.
 
It depends on the size of the room. The living room of my apartment, for example, is maybe 10x15 feet. The larger rooms in Hearst Castle are hundreds of feet. :D But, were I doing controlled testing with a fixed distance for consistency of results, I think I would go with 20 feet for the purpose you state.
 
Even in a large room, it is unlikely -- as katad said -- that the antagonists will not be in opposite corners. Most likely they will not have their backs pressed against the wall, either. So in a 20 X 20 foot room (and that's a big room), subtract 4 feet for each antagonist, and you get about 12 separation.
 
First the bad guy is gonna have to get past a dog that stays in the Living room, a cat with a bad attitude that roams at will, and three parrots that fly at anybody they don't recognize and proceed to bite parts off their head before they even get the chance to throw someting at my head, (Likely it will be a parrot), or jump me in the dark, (likely because the dog is firmly attached by the jaws to their backside or leg, whichever presented itself first), and chances are they will be begging me to remove the dog.
 
"No, but then I can envision some things besides what applies only to my current situation. Maybe you should try that sometime? Just a suggestion."

katad,

At whom was this comment directed?

Because gelatin is expensive in quantities required for testing (something I do mostly as a hobby), I need to pick a distance for my tests. To test half a dozen rounds at all ranges from 2 feet out to 25 yards would we prohibitively expensive, not to mention maddeningly time consuming.

I certainly didn't mean to start any controversy with my original question.
 
I would guess about 3-4 yards. Any more than that the BG would probably decide to run away if he could, but within 3-4 yards he will probabaly try to grab you. I'm just guessing, though.
 
Across the room? What the average size of a room is probably depends on the size and layout of the house. 15-20 feet average sounds about right to me.

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Je Suis Prest
 
my rooms are 14x14 feet. that being said from the back of the hallway to the kitchen is 9 yards so i guess its possible that i may have to shoot that distance as well.
 
I consider "across the room" distances to be domicile distances. I don't know why, but I don't think of "across the room" in regard to showrooms, eateries, malls, etc.

3 to 7 yards, in my house. You guys with 10-yard rooms must live in bigger houses than I do.
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I have a hallway that runs from the laundry room at one end of the house to a bathroom at the other. The opposing walls are the exterior walls of the house. The absolute greatest distance in my house, not including the attic, is 16 yards and that isn't a room, but two small rooms and a very long hallways. I'm thinking a 7 yard room is pretty darned big.
 
Seven yards is kind of a close range shooting standard.
Five yards would be ok, too.

I would not shoot any closer. For best data, you need to chronograph and the unit is best set at 10 feet to the start screen.
 
I think the practical home defense range is about 20 feet or 7 yards. Depending on your resources, you might consider doing some testing at 30 feet (10 yds) with the better performing rounds in addition to the closer range to see if there is any significant difference. Frankly neither is very far which is why I don't worry about my shooting abilities at those kinds of ranges. Both are rock throwing distances. I am more concerned with my ability to bring the weapon to bear fairly quickly which can be practiced without even shooting.
 
Choke and puke's

As a prior LEO ,I look at the longest range I could expect to shoot while on patrol,or in a mall.

That being the case I say about 25 yards is the longest shot and 3 yards the shortest.

I do understand that many shootings happen at 3' but that usually is S/D situations and happen FAST.

My house is only 1100 sq ft but there are a few places to take a 45' shot = that makes 15 yards and yes its a long way.

btw = the "choke & puke" refers to the nickname we gave to the 7-11's and Wilson farms [ ya know,open all day and night stores ]
 
Unless you home really IS your castle, probably around 25ft or less. Now if you home REALLY is a castle. . .well, there are probably rooms in Buckingham Palace that are longer than 25 ft.
 
"What do you consider an "across the room" distance?"

3 to 7 yards.
 
"Across the room distance" equals 3x "bad breath distance".
 
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