Shooting in an apartment

[PistolBob]

A lot of women do well with a .38 Special and practice. You might consider that in a revolver. Or even a 4 inch .357 revolver loaded with .38 spl ammo. The 20g shotgun is a good home defense tool, and you can kill deer and squirrels with it. Good luck and thanks for considering the neighbors.

 

[dcolip]

Try this idea. The walls that are in a safe direction to shoot paint in a light color. The walls that are not in a safe direction paint with a dark color. Less thinking in a panic situation. I chose the light color for safe direction because it is easier to see a person against a light color wall than a dark one. Especially at night.

One more thing. Cudo's to you for asking questions and trying to do the right thing. I get very frustrated on this web site with people who criticize and belittle others for asking questions. Good luck with what ever you choose to protect you and yours.

 

[yepthatsme]

Since you live on the upper floor, consider laying on the floor and shooting up at an intruder. Most intruders will be concentrating on trying to hit a standing target, not a target on the floor. This just might give you an advantage and help prevent anyone else from being hit.

Just my

 

[squidvt]

Uh shes 5'2" and 100 pounds...Karate is a no go.

You should ask the Ni Dan in my dojo. She's about that size and she is faster then anyone else at the Dojo!

 

[Gluemanz28]

My hats off to the OP for asking for good honest answers to a great question. There will always be someone to try to belittle you if given the chance. I have learned that some people are like garbage trucks. "They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they look for a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you. So when someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Believe me. You’ll be happier.”

I would consider Glaser Safety Slugs for a 38 Special. This info was taken from Midway USA's website:
Made with #12 compressed shot, Glaser Blue Safety Slugs were designed for maximum stopping power. This ammunition produces immediate energy dispersal into the target with reduced penetration, penetrating 5" - 7" in lab testing. Each round is exceptionally accurate and has minimal ricochet. Glaser Safety Slugs are an excellent choice for personal protection in the home where over penetration may be a concern but ballistic performance is still important.

 

[vanillagorilla]

All good questions to ask jtwilson3, but you also have a lot of variables. Bullet type, placement in target, ETC. Wall color thing is a good idea but I doubt you can realistically do that in an apartment. Neighbors move around alot. Shooting from a low stance is a good idea too if there is no one above you.

I would also save the money to buy a reliable firearm and get professional training with it for her if you are that worried about it. I tell the womens classes I teach that you get the biggest gun that you can safely control and then practice, practice, practice. Think about the surroundings and train for that.

 

[wildhair]

Yea my wife has a 20 gauge pump and she weighs in at 110. She likes. These are good questions, guns are very dangerous and should be treated with great respect. I don't even look at one unless I got my serious face on.

And the good thing is, you'll never need to use it anyway, but just in case!

 

[MadMan66]

Some people forget this site is a great resource for education, not ridicule. Don't take it personally, jtwilson, as you can see, most people here are eager to help.

I don't know about your apartment building, but where I'm currently at, they have concrete in the walls between the units to help cancel out surrounding neighbor's noise. At least that's what I was told when given the tour, which seems believable unless my neighbors are just very quiet people. You might try asking what materials are in the walls. Just a thought.

 

[roadrunner681]

id imagine that a ar15 would be idea, with that light fast round, i doubt it would penetrate two solid walls, and if you really worried about it put book shelfs up at that end of the outside wall. 30 rounds of go away and very light recoil is idea for any woman.

 

[SERparacord]

All good questions to ask jtwilson3, but you also have a lot of variables. Bullet type, placement in target, ETC. Wall color thing is a good idea but I doubt you can realistically do that in an apartment. Neighbors move around alot. Shooting from a low stance is a good idea too if there is no one above you.

I would also save the money to buy a reliable firearm and get professional training with it for her if you are that worried about it. I tell the womens classes I teach that you get the biggest gun that you can safely control and then practice, practice, practice. Think about the surroundings and train for that.

The only reply that makes sense, unless you want to be a mall ninja.

 

[24Carat]

If you are in an apartment complex, rather than a divided house, your walls will have a specific fire code barrier incorporated in the construction so your concern is understandable but construction code and materials used are going to make your question almost impossible to answer. Drywall and plywood tests are useless for your purposes.

 

[Gluemanz28]

The only reply that makes sense, unless you want to be a mall ninja.

Hey Paul Blart only a Mall Cop would know about mall ninja's. It took you a while to chime back in so you must have been rotating the tires on your segway.

 

[jtwilson3]

All good questions to ask jtwilson3, but you also have a lot of variables. Bullet type, placement in target, ETC. Wall color thing is a good idea but I doubt you can realistically do that in an apartment. Neighbors move around alot. Shooting from a low stance is a good idea too if there is no one above you.

I would also save the money to buy a reliable firearm and get professional training with it for her if you are that worried about it. I tell the womens classes I teach that you get the biggest gun that you can safely control and then practice, practice, practice. Think about the surroundings and train for that.

That is why I carry a .380 rather than a 9 or 45. I KNOW that I can comfortable control the firearm and do not doubt myself with it. I can control a 45 like my brothers M&P but I don't have as good of control and not as many/good follow up shots. Also my fiance can shoot it well too.


And Gluemanz I was strongly considering that. I was watching some videos online and those Glasers seem really good. I like the super low penetration, spread, and fragmentation of them. I just wish they weren't $7 a PIECE. But thats the price ya gotta pay for quality and safety.

 

[Gluemanz28]

They are cheaper than $7 a piece at Midway USA. $9.99 for six and 27.49 for twenty. That is like $1.38 each plus shipping. I'm not sure if the big box stores carry them but it would be worth checking.
Here is the link to midway.
Glaser Blue Safety Slug Ammo 38 Special 80 Grain Safety Slug

Vanillagorilla gave great advise. practice, practice, practice and practice some more. Using the BG as your backstop is the best way to keep from shooting through walls.

My wife and I will make a date night of it. Go to the range for about thirty minutes to an hour then grab some dinner. I also sent her to a women's only class at Kodiak Firing Range in South Bend, IN. The $100 I spent there and the $65 I spent for ABATE motorcycle training was the best money I have ever spent. I would show her proper grip and different techniques that I have learned through training and practice, but she would resort back to her pistol days with her dad. I would get frustrated and I finally asked her if she wanted to get better or if she was going to the range just to hang out with me. When she said she wanted to get better I swallowed my pride and realized the problem could be me. Sometimes I think I'm just looked at as a Jar opener and spider killer. She told me the other night that she wanted to start carrying all the time. She has a Ruger LCP .380, Ruger LC380 and a Glock 17 9mm. The girl can shoot the legs off a gnat.

I didn't pressure her at all I let her progress at her own speed and now I have a backup partner that trains with me and could take care of a BG should the need ever arise.

That is why I carry a .380 rather than a 9 or 45. I KNOW that I can comfortable control the firearm and do not doubt myself with it. I can control a 45 like my brothers M&P but I don't have as good of control and not as many/good follow up shots. Also my fiance can shoot it well too.


And Gluemanz I was strongly considering that. I was watching some videos online and those Glasers seem really good. I like the super low penetration, spread, and fragmentation of them. I just wish they weren't $7 a PIECE. But thats the price ya gotta pay for quality and safety.

 

[maxmayhem]

GET A SHOTGUN - JOE BIDEN

Biden tells Americans to buy a shotgun! - YouTube

 

[6mm Shoot]

I don't understand why you are getting such postings from SERparacord. People like that give gun people a bad name. Most people on this site are very helpful. As you can tell from your post he isn't the norm.

The type of wall that divides your apartments is made to create a fire rating. The building code in your area will tell what the fire rating is for your type of building. If it is one hour it will have two sheets of 5/8 drywall. One on each side of the wall. If it is two hours it will have two sheets on each side of the wall with no double seams lined up.

In any case, a hand gun will shoot through both. It will take up much of the energy that the round has. It still could be deadly to some one on the other side.

Your best bet is to not shoot in that direction if you can keep from it. If you do have to or think you might have to, use the safety slugs that were talked about above.

The other thing you can do and she can do is practise, practise, and more practise. That is what will help you put that all important first shot where it will stop or change the bad guy from doing what you don't want him to do.

As far as a 9mm, 38 or a 22, all could and have been used to kill people. Witch is best? You will get as many answers to that question as people you ask. A 22 loaded with Aguila 60 grain bullets moving at 900 FPS can do a lot of damage to the human body from across the room of an apartment. They are no good in the open because they will key hole in a one in sixteen twist barrel. To be accurate past 25 yards you will need a 1 in 9 twist to shoot the 60 grain Aguila bullets accurately. Allso in 22s you have the hipper rounds that are very fast and very in weight from 30 to 38 grains.

9mm and 38 both have all sorts of ammo. They come in +P, HP, wad cutters, and JHP. I know that I have forgotten some of the rounds such as the safety rounds and such. All have the ability to kill and do it well with properly placed rounds.

My thought is get what works for her and practise a lot.

 

[danielson]

I got a Saiga 410 loaded with 5 shot. No, its not the most effective, but, 8 rapid fired rounds should do the job, if I ever need it to.

In an apartment, there is no better weapon than a shotgun, to ensure the proper amount of penetration, without going over.

 

[sloughfoot]

If you are going to miss, don't pull the trigger. Shoot when you can get a hit instead of just making loud noises.

If you shoot at someone and miss, they might just take your little pistol from you and smite you with it.

Why is a bad guy bypassing all those apartments below you to make an attack on you? Why is your apartment so appealing? Do you leave your door open or something?

 

[sloughfoot]

Lock your gun in a vice so it will only shot in the safe direction. The try to entice the bad guy to step in front of it. With all your second thoughts you will be shot dead before you can react.

Roger this.

Some people should not rely on a firearm.