Shooting thru windshield

[gbran]

I've searched the web far and wide to find info on deflection when shooting thru glass, especially thru a windshield from the inside. I've always wondered how close to or how far from point of aim the bullet would actually strike if I ever had to shoot from inside my vehicle thru a very slanted windshield. If I ever get the chance, I will try to stage this to see for myself. Until then, can any here shed light on this?

 

[Taipei Personality]

It so happens I recently attended a class where they demonstrated this. Shooting from the inside out at a target at the front bumper the round deflected about 3" low. Shooting from the outside in at a target in the drivers seat resulted in the round striking about 2" high. Overall, the effects were not dramatic. Other parts of the demo were, however.

 

[El Tejon]

Has been my experience as well. However, my experience only comes from gun skuls and informal experimentation (no white lab coats).

 

[Doc]

Glass will shatter, but windshield glass, since it is a laminate of
plastic inside of glass, will 'spider crack'. After the first shot, you
will not be able to see well out of the vehicle forward.

unfortunately, there are no absolutes...
however, one thing is certain
if you MUST shoot thru glass, especially with your pistol from inside the car,
break and rake and push the muzzle thru the glass
then keep shooting!

Also, pistol rounds react very differently than rifle rounds
low velocity (pistol) bullets tend to deflect more than
high velocity (rifle) bullets; but angle of attack (bullet entry into
the windshield glass) has impact on the final direction and is
the most difficult varible for which to control.

many will give you "expert" opinion but few have
shot many rounds thru glass, especially auto glass.
police marksman do it the most, often as part of their practice
consider their offical publication "Police Marksman" as a source of
good information, or the journal of the National Tactical Officers Assn.
---Clint Smith did a small series of shots (i forget the
reference) and his conclusion was that the only thing which was certain
was the varibility noted in the point of impact. He did have a conclusion,
but i don't think sharing it would benefit the discussion.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Taipai Personality - what caliber, what distance, what angle, what bullet?

BTW, I know a lady who shot from inside her vehicle and right through the windshield. The target was a stalker (estranged boyfriend) who lept upon her hood and brandished a firearm. She shot first.

 

[Sunray]

There ain't no handgun that has as much power as any car. If the lady had just floored the gas then hammered the brakes, her problem would have ended forthwith. Granted fear makes one do odd things, but holding on to a car when the physics of speed and the rapid decrease of speed kicks in is impossible. You can hold on in the movies because the stuntmen are safety strapped to the vehicle.
In any case, windshield glass is designed to shatter into very wee pieces. It isn't armour, so a slant means nothing. However, if it comes to pass that you have an assailant on your hood. Start the engine and floor it then hammer on the brakes. Newton's Laws will take care of the rest.

 

[mnrivrat]

The hard part isn't hitting what your aiming at - it is trying to plug both ears and still pull the trigger !

 

[Travis McGee]

I read a great nonfiction book about the SAS and the IRA fighting in Northern Ireland in the 70s and 80s. It was SAS SOP to have shooting glasses and gloves available in their undercover cars at all times. When "TSHTF," they would put on glasses and gloves immediately, so that they could continue the fight after shots fired between cars. Otherwise, flying glass would blind them, and they would cut their hands up clearing broken glass from windows to keep driving and shooting.

Gloves and glasses. Simple. Think about it. "SAS, Lessons Learned."

 

[Taipei Personality]

Taipai Personality - what caliber, what distance, what angle, what bullet?

It was 9mm FMJ. The car, if memory serves, was a Chevy Lumina. Distance was from driver's seat to front bumper, and vice versa. Another interesting thing was that there was a hit from the jacket as well. The jacket was stripped when the bullet hit the glass and took a slightly different trajectory.

 

[Travis McGee]

A law school buddy of my brother went into Navy JAG to pay for school. He told us about some great cases. One was a Camp Lejeune Marine guarding a remote gate. A buddy drove up in a USMC pickup truck, and his pal on guard duty aimed his M-16 at him, joking around, and had an AD. The slug keyholed through the windshield, and took off everything above the lower jaw. Talk about a bummer, accidentally killing a friend.

 

[benEzra]

windshield glass is designed to shatter into very wee pieces. It isn't armour, so a slant means nothing.

Actually, the windshield will craze but stay in place. The side (and probably rear) windows are usually tempered glass, which shatters into the little cubes when it breaks. The windshield is a laminate of two pieces of glass bonded to a very tough plastic core.

 

[Mikul]

There is a lot of data available for .308 and .223 shooting through glass, but mostly plate glass.

The general concensus is: don't do it, it's too unpredictable. If you have to shoot through glass, do it perpendicular to the glass. The results from shooting at an angle were VERY unpredictable. If your target is 24 inches or less from the glass, he WILL get hit almost exactly where you aimed.

If you have to, have two people fire at the same point at the same time. One will break the glass and the other will sail through.