Can a Filing Cabinet Save Your Life?

Published on January 1, 2016
Duration: 11:27

This video features hickok45, a recognized firearms authority, conducting an experimental test to determine the ballistic resistance of a standard metal filing cabinet against common handgun and rifle calibers. The experiment involves firing .380 ACP, 9mm, 5.56 NATO, and 7.62x39mm rounds into the cabinet and assessing penetration through the cabinet and its contents. The results indicate that while a filing cabinet offers some minimal protection against handgun rounds, it is largely ineffective against rifle calibers, concluding it is better than nothing but not reliable cover.

Quick Summary

A filing cabinet offers minimal ballistic protection. While it may stop some .380 ACP rounds with internal contents, it is largely penetrated by 9mm and completely ineffective against rifle calibers like 5.56 NATO and 7.62x39mm, making it unreliable cover in self-defense scenarios.

Chapters

  1. 00:00Introduction & Experiment Setup
  2. 00:47.380 ACP Test (VZ 61)
  3. 02:539mm Test (Glock 26)
  4. 04:445.56 NATO Test (Colt 6920)
  5. 06:457.62x39mm Test (Arsenal SAM7)
  6. 09:16Conclusion and Damage Review

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a filing cabinet stop bullets?

A standard metal filing cabinet offers limited ballistic resistance. While it may stop some lower-velocity handgun rounds like .380 ACP, especially with contents like books and magazines inside, it is generally ineffective against higher-velocity handgun rounds like 9mm and completely fails against rifle calibers such as 5.56 NATO and 7.62x39mm, which penetrate easily.

What calibers were tested against the filing cabinet?

The experiment tested four common firearm calibers: .380 ACP fired from a VZ 61, 9mm (using HST +P ammunition) from a Glock 26, 5.56 NATO from a Colt 6920, and 7.62x39mm from an Arsenal SAM7. The results showed varying degrees of penetration based on caliber and velocity.

Is a filing cabinet reliable cover in a self-defense situation?

Based on the test, a filing cabinet is not considered reliable ballistic cover. While it might offer a slight advantage over no cover at all against some handgun rounds, its inability to stop rifle rounds and limited effectiveness against 9mm means it should not be relied upon for significant protection in a violent encounter.

What was the most effective caliber against the filing cabinet?

The 7.62x39mm caliber, fired from an Arsenal SAM7, demonstrated the most destructive power and penetration against the filing cabinet. The rounds exhibited significant tumbling and created large exit holes in the plywood backing, indicating minimal resistance from the cabinet.

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