Is a mattress cover or concealment?

[Will Carry]

   I have a Tempur Pedic king size mattress in my bedroom and was wondering if it would stop a bullet?  I am not curious enough to see for myself but was wondering if using a big mattress for cover was a futile gesture? 

[East_TN_Patriot]

As you note, cover is anything that will stop a bullet.  I very seriously doubt a mattress will stop any bullet.  You might get lucky and have the round deflected by the springs, but I wouldn't bank on it.  I suppose it's better than nothing, especially since any concealment makes it harder for the bad guy to see what they are shooting at.

[dralarms]

No springs in a temperpedic , but from side to side I think it would. Have you tried moving that sucker.? Mines a queen and I don't look forward to moving it.

[Spots]

Depends on the bullet. It might stop a slow moving hollow point. I wouldnt bet my life on it stopping anything though.

[DaveTN]

I would think that top to bottom any common SD handgun caliber would shoot right through it. Side to side I don’t think most handgun calibers would go through 6 feet of it; but I wouldn’t want to count on that.

 

When the bad guys come through your bedroom door; shoot them and this will not be an issue.

[East_TN_Patriot]

No springs in a temperpedic , but from side to side I think it would. Have you tried moving that sucker.? Mines a queen and I don't look forward to moving it.

 

Oh, yeah.  I didn't pay that much attention to the type of mattress.  Yeah, maybe a straight-on side to side, but the likelihood of that is very slim.  Either way, I guess it's still better than nothing at all.  It might clog a hollow point round, which would save you some injury if struck by the bullet.

[glock55]

cover if the incoming round is a bb,concealment for any other incoming round

[Guest Wildogre]

It would be better than nothing. If you could find out the density (lbs per sq foot) and compare that with other materials you might be able to get a better idea of how effective it would be. 

[Mike]

Concealment.  Concrete is cover.

[BryanP]

You could pick up a tempurpedic pillow and make a test box.  Cut up the pillow and fill the box to make something that's say 6"x6"xhowever deep that will let you go.  Then do your own box'o'truth test.

[UncleJak]

You could pick up a tempurpedic pillow and make a test box.  Cut up the pillow and fill the box to make something that's say 6"x6"xhowever deep that will let you go.  Then do your own box'o'truth test.

Yep, there's only one way to find out!

[enfield]

[quote name="Mike" post="891173" timestamp="1358731108"]Concealment.  Concrete is cover.[/quote] Some concrete is cover - depends on the weapon. Sandbags are cover too - sometimes. The only perfect cover is being out of range.

[Jamie Jackson]

Concealment.  Concrete is cover.

^^ This.

 

Quite a few years ago we took some car doors (driver's side and passenger's side) and tested several SD rounds from handguns on them.

 

With the window rolled down (inside the door), most of the SD rounds would not penetrate through and through. After the glass was shattered and out of the way, the majority of the 9mm and 45 acp rounds, including 230 gr FMJ 45's fully penetrated.

 

The A-pillars in most autos (that we tested) do a reasonable job of stopping rounds.

 

We did the same with 2x4 door frames...most rounds penetrated fairly easily...enough so I wouldn't count on them as "cover".

 

There isn't a lot in your average home that works well for actual cover...refrigerator...large gun safe ... I personally wouldn't count on a mattress though.

 

:2cents:

[173rdABN]

Concealment. If you question it, Its concealment. 

[scoutfsu]

Concealment.  Concrete is cover.

Until my gunner starts punching .50 through it ;)

173rd is correct.

[dcloudy777]

I don't know about the mattress... but if you find yourself in a gunfight in your bedroom, it's probably too late to worry much about cover....

[peejman]

...

 

There isn't a lot in your average home that works well for actual cover...refrigerator...large gun safe ... I personally wouldn't count on a mattress though.

 

:2cents:

 

Appliances don't work either.  Most rounds will zip right through a modern fridge.

[Smokeman13b]

I'm with DaveTN on this one. At the point you are defending yourself from your bedroom and the intruder is coming in...lawful lethal force is a given. Shoot HIM through the bedroom door before he can see that you are only hiding behind a mattress. 

[Jamie Jackson]

Appliances don't work either.  Most rounds will zip right through a modern fridge.

 

 

Good point, and I'm sure you're right...

although you haven't seen all the crap stuffed into our fridge. :stunned:

[peejman]

At the end of the day, nothing inside a modern (wood & sheet rock) house is "cover" with the exception of a big gun safe. 

[gnmwilliams]

I'd just be PO'd that he shot my $3000 mattress! Those memory foam mattresses are expensive! :rant:

Edited January 23, 2013 by gnmwilliams

[Will Carry]

I'd just be PO'd that he shot my $3000 mattress! Those memory foam mattresses are expensive! :rant:

You got that right! I will never buy another either.  You guys make good sense as usual.  I'd dying to try it out though. In a few years we will be replacing it and then I'm gonna test it with some live ammo.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Will Carry

[gnmwilliams]

You got that right! I will never buy another either.  You guys make good sense as usual.  I'd dying to try it out though. In a few years we will be replacing it and then I'm gonna test it with some live ammo.

I hope you've got a mattress protector on there. Because the average person's mattress will almost double in weight in it's normal life span from dead skin cells, sweat, and dust mites. There's an appetising thought for ya! :) It'd be a neat test though to see if a mattresses age affects it's stopping power.

[LI0NSFAN]

The density of a tempurpedic mattress is 5.3lbs I don't know what it takes to stop a bullet but I think it might slow it down to non lethal levels. I bet you would be safe under the bed and box spring. They have several thicknesses, the thick one is about 18 inches.