Cover in the Home?

[JclInAtx]

We have a couple of ornamental trees in planters that are probably 2' tall and 18" across. We chose resin planters so they would be light enough for us to move. Concrete and 1/4" steel are also common materials for planters, and they can be much larger. Filled with sand/dirt/gravel and real or faux plant they would provide cover and might pass approval of a significant other.

I also remember from my younger days when I was single and had more disposable income a number of stereo loudspeakers designed to be filled with sand or lead shot to add mass and dampen vibrations. I suppose they might offer some cover as well. There are also speakers made of concrete, but they make the 8k couch appear a bargain in comparison.

[Rocky Racoon]

In the latest Mitch Rapp adventure, his house had variable density walls. Color coded so he would immediately know if he were under cover or had a shoot through at an intruder.

There was a 70's action film in which the bad guy's floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse apartment distorted the apparent view by six inches, so when a sniper took a head shot he missed. I have these installed. Hasn't proven useful yet.

I will up vote anyone that remembers the name of the movie.

[runcible]

Paired king and jack studs have already mentioned here, though I suspect it's ammunition-sensitive as a relevant concept.

If memory serves, ref: GKR, duty-appropriate 5.56mm has less overpenetration concerns with interior materials versus pellets from 12ga 00\etc; but the cheapo M193 and M855 is not nearly so moderated.

It may be an entirely plausible reality that two parties having it out with each other across/through a threshold at extremely narrow angles, may have extremely different effects through the intermediate barriers in-play, depending on if they're using duty ammunition or surplus ammunitions, and depending on whether or not their rounds are passing across the surface of the drywall and additional framing members vice through the hinge gap and/or paired studs.

[Maple Syrup Actual]

I'm not currently in a position to do anything about it financially, but I've often thought that if you wanted to build cover into your house, you could combine it with passive solar heating by thermal mass.

For example:

Let's say you have a southern exposure; you place a lot of windows along that wall to get the sun anyway. Back from the high angle summer sun (yellow) but within the low angle winter sun (orange) you place a long, darkish-pigmented concrete dividing wall/countertop for your kitchen. Totally reasonable to pour it eight or ten inches thick with rebar to reinforce it; now in the winter it heats up during the day and releases that heat energy at night, and you're an eco-hero.

But you can also strategically place this kind of element to give you serious cover. I haven't sat down to work out exactly how you'd need to lay out the house to get the best advantage while still having a normal, functional home...but passive solar via thermal mass gives you some options.

Naturally...these things wouldn't be light, so you would need to plan around that.

Curious to whether you might have thoughts on this, @rob_s

[Cheap Shot]

In a prior home my bedroom was on the second floor. Any home invader would have had a significant advantage shooting up through the floor. As a Boomer, and an untrained civilian most of my solutions for that problem were similar to Road Runner/ Wile E Coyote story line.

I moved before I implemented any of my "ideas".

[rob_s]

Wasn't there a blog or something, started off barfcom, called "wall of truth" or something like that? Tested a ton rounds in various building materials?

I was actually planning on doing my thesis on bullet resistant building materials, back in the late-90s. Never did though, and changed topics.

We've done some projects with bullet resistant material requirements. kevlar-lining was a thing. One example.
https://fortifiedestate.com/walls/ke...listic-panels/

I suppose you could strategically add this to certain locations.

[runcible]

I'm not currently in a position to do anything about it financially, but I've often thought that if you wanted to build cover into your house, you could combine it with passive solar heating by thermal mass.

For example:

Let's say you have a southern exposure; you place a lot of windows along that wall to get the sun anyway. Back from the high angle summer sun (yellow) but within the low angle winter sun (orange) you place a long, darkish-pigmented concrete dividing wall/countertop for your kitchen. Totally reasonable to pour it eight or ten inches thick with rebar to reinforce it; now in the winter it heats up during the day and releases that heat energy at night, and you're an eco-hero.

But you can also strategically place this kind of element to give you serious cover. I haven't sat down to work out exactly how you'd need to lay out the house to get the best advantage while still having a normal, functional home...but passive solar via thermal mass gives you some options.

It's certainly not the main reason that I'm looking at ICF construction for if/when I build my forever house, but the durability certainly doesn't hurt, even with all of the inset windows and doors...

[JclInAtx]

Wasn't there a blog or something, started off barfcom, called "wall of truth" or something like that? Tested a ton rounds in various building materials?

There was a "box o truth" Maybe that's what you remember ? https://www.theboxotruth.com/threads...x-o-truth.278/

[Dov]

It's certainly not the main reason that I'm looking at ICF construction for if/when I build my forever house, but the durability certainly doesn't hurt, even with all of the inset windows and doors...

Yeah I've been interested in ICF construction for many years, also after renting room in a partially earth sheltered house from coworkers for year been real interested in bermed/earth sheltered houses.

[UncleGabby]

Wasn't there a blog or something, started off barfcom, called "wall of truth" or something like that? Tested a ton rounds in various building materials?

I was actually planning on doing my thesis on bullet resistant building materials, back in the late-90s. Never did though, and changed topics.

We've done some projects with bullet resistant material requirements. kevlar-lining was a thing. One example.
https://fortifiedestate.com/walls/ke...listic-panels/

I suppose you could strategically add this to certain locations.

That appears to be the same product as “armorcore” that I linked to earlier. I found it perusing ebay, people cut the sheets into plates and sell it as body armor. Looks uncomfortable.



I bought a pair of the 6x8 “side armor” panels a while ago just to shoot them and see what happens, but haven’t gotten around to it yetz