Penitration through plaster

[LoneCoon]

So I'm in my basement, cursing the people who "water proofed" down there with some sort of plaster, as I chisel and grind it off the walls.

It occurs to me that people have done a lot of tests with drywall an penetration, But I've never seen a test with plaster and penetration. A lot of older houses have no drywall in them, and plaster is significantly heavier than drywall, but more brittle.

Any thoughts on how plaster would affect penetration from a missed shot?

 

[tbreihan]

Not significantly.

I have personally seen a 230-gr .45 FMJ penetrate a plaster ceiling (~1/2" of plaster on 1/4" wood lath), some 3/4" tongue & groove roof sheathing, felt paper, and asphalt shingles and keep right on going.

 

[Oyeboten]

Quality, thickness, hardness, and backings behind Plaster will vary...making it much harder to generalize.


Dry wall is pretty well consistantin it's particulars...

 

[jimsmith80]

I think that the same thoughts apply with plaster as with drywall. The testing to to show which rounds will overpenetrate inside a dwelling. To purposefully shoot though a wall to hit someone is irresponsable at best. In both a civilain and Law Enforcment shooting one must concern one self with where each and every round might go, and whom it might hit. This is not possible if you are unable to see where your rounds are going. In that regard and from my experince most plaster walls are made to a bit tougher than a wall made out of drywall. Most testing with drywall is done to show that a certin bullet / caliber, with either bearkup on impact with drywall, or pass through X amount. In either case knowing your target and what is beyond is important.
Now as a side, I have during fighting in Mosul Iraq, fired through the corner of a plaster wall in an insurgent stronghold (war, not law enforcment or civilan shooting). Firing an M4 some of the rounds went through and hit the bad guy, while most of the tracer rounds got stuck in the wood & plaster and contuined to burn. As we where not as concernted with overpenetration and such this is oviously very differant than a civilan shooting. We where also shooting an M2HB into the house, and yes they go though plaster.