Bullet Backstops and Safe Zones?

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Ok, I don't have money for body armor for the wife and kid. So I'm left with the prospect of having them move into a safe zone if a firefight erupts. I'm planning to have a closet (walk in) to work with.

Does anyone have ideas on ways that I can make this a safe zone? I'm thinking stuff I could get at Home Depot. One idea was to actually have sheets of concrete board used in flooring delivered and make it about 18 inches thick. Sand bags? Telephone books in a garbage can?

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

-- Jim Smith (cyberax@ix.netcom.com), December 09, 1999

Answers

are the concrete slabs rebarred? That would help against shattering. double walls with a sheet of the diamond steel panels and sandbags in between should provide adequate protection. I'd use sandbags insyead of a layer of sand to keep it from pouring out and weakening the defense peramiter. Also...consider gunports. You might need to get inside. Earplugs as well. Gasmasks. If you are on a raised floor- with a crawlspace...a trapdoor would be wise too.

-- Satanta (satanta@zdnetmail.com), December 09, 1999.

18 inches of gravel in sandbags will stop all smallarms including 50 BMG ball ammo.

Ball ammo is lead core, full metal jacket.

See Hatcher's Notebook.

-- Ranger (Rngfr49@yahoo.com), December 09, 1999.


I understand that a wall six inches thick filled with road rock is effectivbe against small arms fire. Mil armorpiercing thirty cal is rated at going thru a bit less that half inch of mild steel. So if you put some steel plate in there, say building up a couple layers of quarter inch stuff, I would think you would be in pretty good shape.

Shakey

-- shakey (justheard@nuts.nut), December 09, 1999.


thanks guys really appreciate it.

-- Jim Smith (cyberax@ix.netcom.com), December 09, 1999.

Jim S; You didn't mention the size of the closet ? But if you get concrete blocks and build a wall,then leave a 2-3" opening, then another wall of the same ,but fill both concrete cells with poured concrete. The space between the walls fill with sand. Then you have your 18" . But have you asked your family if anyone clostifobic (sp)? ? ? You must be in a bad area ???

-- Furie (furieart@dnet.net), December 09, 1999.


These closet ideas sound like quite a bit of work, seeing that we have 500 hours left. How about this: your natural reaction in fear is to drop to the ground, so instead of building a walk-in, build the housing equivalent of trenches instead. Arrange concrete blocks 18-24 inches high, in groups 3 or 4 block-widths thick, like settees in front of windows. By overlapping the end of a "settee" with a "table" you could block off a good chunk of floor space. Fill the cavities with bags (like garbage bags) filled with sand. The bags keep sand from leaking out. Or pea gravel (too big to leak out).

You could do all this in a day, rearrange as needed, even carry to a new location if you decided to pull out of a risky neighborhood.

Just a thought. I don't know your personal circumstances, of course.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), December 10, 1999.


Oh, yeah, and put slipcovered cushions over the top to complete the disguise. Or plywood over the "table", with a cloth draping to the floor.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), December 10, 1999.

From a thread above, a cheap place for sandbags:

25 sandbags listed for 5.99

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/taf/DisplayItem.taf?ItemNumber=39422

Hope it helps,

Nick ================================================== - Bulletproof Vests for Law-Abiding Civilians - www.BulletProofME.com * 1-888-374-7029 ==================================================

-- CONCEALABLE BODY ARMOR (solutions@access1.net), December 12, 1999.


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