8 Firearms Myths Hollywood Still Can't Get Enough Of
5. Car Doors Are Bullet Proof (As Is Most Of What You See Around You).
If there is one Hollywood myth that is absolutely unforgivable and must be dispelled, it is this one. Even after decades of reality knocking at the door, car doors still stop bullets, wooden walls and trees still do the same, and concrete walls remain impervious.
All of this is nonsense. A 9mm handgun round will pass straight through one car door and out the other.
Assault rifles are even less bothered by cover. A single NATO 5.56 mm round fired from an assault rifle will punch through 1cm of mild steel door, one to three rounds will bore a hole through 40 cm of tree trunk or log wall, and thirty five will bore through 20 cm of concrete. Ramp things up to the .50 calibre and, as the US Army’s Field Manual FM 3-06.11 notes, “The .50 calibre round can penetrate all the commonly found urban barriers except a sand-filled 55-gallon drum.”
Simply put, in a firefight there is no such thing as guaranteed cover and a soldier must always keep moving if they want to stay alive. Hollywood heroes should all be stone dead.
Yes, heroes must be heroes and plot armour must hence be plot armour, but with many moviegoers taking their cues from the silver screen this myth is dangerous and it is past time that it is put to bed.