08-05-2011, 04:53 PM
Yes, In an urban environment, you don't want to be launching projectiles through your intended target(s) and then off into innocents. 5.56 FMJ's and M855 usually sail right through vehicles, in my experience, even front-to-back. Maybe ballistic tips would be a good idea for a car gun, but you also have to think about windshield penetration, often after penetrating from within your windshield if you are nose-to-nose with another vehicle filled with imminent threats.
Whatever I'm shooting, I won't be relying on one round to do the trick, as the first round usually breaks the ice in a rapid string into my aiming point on the smallest point of the target being engaged. This is where I lean towards magazine capacity and controllability, so I can keep rounds within a 2-6" circle under rapid fire, depending on the distances. For me, 5.56 from a well-built AR fills the bill right now. I know of no other 5.56 carbine that can match the speed and controllability of an AR for these types of scenarios.
I would say the most important aspect of this discussion is training, not necessarily weapons selection. Due to the NFA laws, it is more difficult to obtain the properly-profiled SBR's appropriate for this type of work. I will also say that if you have to shoot from within your vehicle without ear pro in, you WILL suffer significant hearing loss. There will also be dangerous levels of glass particulate dust that is hazardous to breathe.
If you can't afford to participate in professional training events where shooting from within vehicles is conducted, you can practice from a simple arrangement of chairs on the range. Use barricades to simulate the dash, and imagine where passengers, windows and pillars will be, constraining your fields of fire. Then practice shooting from a seated position to your left and right, as if shooting from the driver's and passenger side windows. I also suggest incorporating those who you drive with frequently to participate in this training. You can also practice dry in your vehicle in the garage, with the garage door closed as to not spook any neighbors.
There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the FBI Miami Shootout when it comes to car guns, shooting from within vehicles, retention of eyeglasses, pistols falling on the floor in vehicle impact and getting lost, range habits gone horribly wrong in life-or-death shootings, mag or cylinder capacity, back-up guns, malf's, reloading under fire, shooting and moving, using cars as weapons, communication, and so forth. The SBR Mini-14 with folding stock and coupled 30rd mags proved to be the most formidable weapon in that encounter, especially in the hands of a better-trained fighter, regardless of the well-honed marksmanship skills of the FBI agents.
The use of vehicles as weapons by the FBI gave them a major advantage in the initial stage of the encounter, constraining Platt and Matix to a limited area of maneuver, after disabling their vehicle and trapping it between two other parked cars. Once Platt started firing effectively on the agents from within the car with the Mini-14, he turned the tables on them, even though they had totally surrounded him and Matix, who had been effectively disabled with a basal skull fracture from a +P+ .38 Special.
There are way more things to think about than gun play and vehicle handling/dynamic driving, while training for these encounters is restricted to extremely-small Government, LE, and Military circles. Learning to be aggressive while keeping a cool head is the basis to start from, when preparing for a scenario where a car gun will come into play. One of the first drills is to learn how to maneuver your vehicle out of the kill zone, often while driving in reverse with many sharp turns without hitting obstacles, as your passenger places rapid strings of fire effectively into the threats. There are only a handful of people in the world that train on these skill sets.
Whatever I'm shooting, I won't be relying on one round to do the trick, as the first round usually breaks the ice in a rapid string into my aiming point on the smallest point of the target being engaged. This is where I lean towards magazine capacity and controllability, so I can keep rounds within a 2-6" circle under rapid fire, depending on the distances. For me, 5.56 from a well-built AR fills the bill right now. I know of no other 5.56 carbine that can match the speed and controllability of an AR for these types of scenarios.
I would say the most important aspect of this discussion is training, not necessarily weapons selection. Due to the NFA laws, it is more difficult to obtain the properly-profiled SBR's appropriate for this type of work. I will also say that if you have to shoot from within your vehicle without ear pro in, you WILL suffer significant hearing loss. There will also be dangerous levels of glass particulate dust that is hazardous to breathe.
If you can't afford to participate in professional training events where shooting from within vehicles is conducted, you can practice from a simple arrangement of chairs on the range. Use barricades to simulate the dash, and imagine where passengers, windows and pillars will be, constraining your fields of fire. Then practice shooting from a seated position to your left and right, as if shooting from the driver's and passenger side windows. I also suggest incorporating those who you drive with frequently to participate in this training. You can also practice dry in your vehicle in the garage, with the garage door closed as to not spook any neighbors.
There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the FBI Miami Shootout when it comes to car guns, shooting from within vehicles, retention of eyeglasses, pistols falling on the floor in vehicle impact and getting lost, range habits gone horribly wrong in life-or-death shootings, mag or cylinder capacity, back-up guns, malf's, reloading under fire, shooting and moving, using cars as weapons, communication, and so forth. The SBR Mini-14 with folding stock and coupled 30rd mags proved to be the most formidable weapon in that encounter, especially in the hands of a better-trained fighter, regardless of the well-honed marksmanship skills of the FBI agents.
The use of vehicles as weapons by the FBI gave them a major advantage in the initial stage of the encounter, constraining Platt and Matix to a limited area of maneuver, after disabling their vehicle and trapping it between two other parked cars. Once Platt started firing effectively on the agents from within the car with the Mini-14, he turned the tables on them, even though they had totally surrounded him and Matix, who had been effectively disabled with a basal skull fracture from a +P+ .38 Special.
There are way more things to think about than gun play and vehicle handling/dynamic driving, while training for these encounters is restricted to extremely-small Government, LE, and Military circles. Learning to be aggressive while keeping a cool head is the basis to start from, when preparing for a scenario where a car gun will come into play. One of the first drills is to learn how to maneuver your vehicle out of the kill zone, often while driving in reverse with many sharp turns without hitting obstacles, as your passenger places rapid strings of fire effectively into the threats. There are only a handful of people in the world that train on these skill sets.