Thoughts On Taking Cover

I realize that it has been a couple of weeks since the last post, but hopefully things have settled down for me enough that I can get back to my post a week goal.

In this post I am going to go over something that needs consideration relating to having a defensive mindset and situational awareness.  And that is the difference between cover and concealment.

Concealment is a barrier that obscures you from the threat.  If you are hiding behind a bush, or an interior wall, then you are behind concealment, not cover.

Cover is a barrier that protects you from the threat.  If you are behind a mound of packed dirt, a cinder block wall, or the engine block of a vehicle, then you are most likely behind cover.  Now, take note that I said most likely.  That is because firearms come in a wide variety of powers.  What provides you cover from a .22LR, may not be able to protect you from a 12 gauge slug.

So, what constitutes cover is a changing concept, and also cover can deteriorate with repeated hits.  But, generally speaking, if there is a threat trying to shoot you, you should get behind the most solid piece of cover possible, and then evade or engage accordingly.

What I am not advocating is to sit there and try to determine what type of gun you are being shot at by, and then looking for appropriate cover, because there isn't time for that.  But, a lot of what is used as cover in TV and the movies, is actually concealment.  A car door is really just a couple pieces of sheet metal with some trim and glass, and can be penetrated with many handgun rounds.  A wooden table or couch are definitely concealment, as is an interior wall, and most doors.

Some things that generally make good cover are packed dirt (there is a reason the military still uses sandbags), concrete, thick gauge metal, and thick trees and pieces of wood.  Be aware of the threat of ricochet with any of the hard surfaces as well.

Pretty much the worst thing you can do if there is a lethal threat, is stand still.  It can greatly increase your chances of survival  if you move, especially towards cover.  Concealment is better than standing still, but not as good as cover.

So make sure you understand the differences between cover and concealment, and learn how to recognize what cover is.  If you have the opportunity, you may want to run some tests to see what kind of things qualify as cover, just make sure you do so in a safe manner.  Also, you can check out the link to the "Box O' Truth" he has a lot of tests on penetration capabilities of different rounds, that may be rather eye opening.