Question for gun experts. If I hear a gunshot do I have time to duck?

[Alandalus]

Its always just one shot for some reason.

Not to doubt you, but are you certain it's gun shots? I'm surprised that it's always just one shot, rather than varying amounts.

I imagine there are quite a few things that may sound like gun shots, especially to an untrained ear.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

Gun experts?

You mean physics experts.

In almost every situation, no. You'd have to get to very specific situations for it to be 'yes'.

[PBitt]

For that particular bullet being fired, no. Bullets travel faster than the speed of sound, some considerably so. There are very few cases where you can actually 'dodge' a bullet, usually it's just the shooter missing their target. And I don't think any cases in which you can 'dodge' a bullet are a result of you hearing the gun firing.

My advice, however, would be to GTFO if you 'always' hear gunshots. I'd live in a tent in the middle of the woods before living there.

[Prokne]

There are Handgun rounds that travel slower than the speed of sound.

They have a slower velocity and make less sound when fired.

True except even though they travel slower than sound, they are usually very close, within 100m/s and still very fast. Also handguns are very inaccurate at long range, so you would have a very short time to change your position even if you could hear it if you were shot at from normal handgun range.

Its like the difference between dodging a baseball thrown at 80mph(60 ft) from the pitchers mound or a tennis ball served at 120mph(about 85 ft). You will probably have an easier time dodging the tennis ball because it has to travel farther before hitting you giving you more reaction time.

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There are very few cases where you can actually 'dodge' a bullet, usually it's just the shooter missing their target. And I don't think any cases in which you can 'dodge' a bullet are a result of you hearing the gun firing.

Most if not all "dodging" is probably because the target was moving away from where the gun was pointed before it was fired.

[Gothicshark]

I always hear gunshots outside my apartment. I live above a hair salon in a strip mall. I always duck because there is a brick wall on the flat roof connected to me. Is it pointless or a good thing to do?

In dry air at 20 °C (68 °F), the speed of sound is 343.2 metres per second (1,126 ft/s). This is 1,236 kilometres per hour (768 mph).



Sound 1126.4 ft/s (measurement of a bullets velocity)

Typical Pistol
Velocity of a 9mm 990ft/s -1,155 ft/s
Velocity of a .45 ACP 835 ft/s - 1,225 ft/s

Typical Riffle
5.56×45mm NATO ~2,500 ft/s
7.62×51mm NATO ~2,750 ft/s

So the answer is, if you hear the sound of a bullet, it has already hit you unless it is the slowest bullet, which will hit you about a fraction of a second after you heard it. However if the bullet doesn't hit you than taking cover is a good idea.

[haxartus]

I always hear gunshots outside my apartment.

Change the neighborhood.

[Cthulhu 2020]

If you have time to duck, do it?

You'll have been hit by the bullet and possibly dead by the time you hear it otherwise.

[Deleted]

If you hear the shot, you're not dead or you're wounded... you'd know though (I'd hope) but just in-case, Do take cover in case of any other shots that may go off.

[Jayburner]

I'm still alive but for how long..who the hell knows and cares.

[Kalis]

I'm still alive but for how long..who the hell knows and cares.

Move back to Scotland? Even the rougher parts of Glasgow sound more friendly than somewhere you are getting shot at every day.

[Jayburner]

Move back to Scotland? Even the rougher parts of Glasgow sound more friendly than somewhere you are getting shot at every day.

I'm not getting shot at..its the random gun shot sounds that freak me out. I'm paranoid that way.

[Kalis]

I'm not getting shot at..its the random gun shot sounds that freak me out. I'm paranoid that way.

Still less likely to get shot in Scotland though.

[Jayburner]

Still less likely to get shot in Scotland though.

I thought I was safe in Toronto, Canada. I did sleep with the door unlocked last night because my sister lost the only key and she went out on a date so I couldn't lock it.

[S7orm]

buy a bullet-proof glass and mount it on the back of your chair

btw you should really consider another place to live

[Kolo]

I'm pretty sure guns have more than 1 bullet so if you aren't shot by the first one it's probably still wise to try and duck.

[Kalis]

I thought I was safe in Toronto, Canada. I did sleep with the door unlocked last night because my sister lost the only key and she went out on a date so I couldn't lock it.

Where in Scotland do you come from, that you thought a very rough estate in another country would be a step up?

[Deleted]

No, but it's still good idea to duck for chance of continuing fire or ricochets/shrapnel (glass etc). Now if your fast and have good sight so you can see the flash from the gun barrel then you might have a change to duck if long distance (rifles). Mythbusters did some testing on this matter...

[Zoldor]

Single shot is pretty random. In most shootings in a city people fire more than one shot. You might be mistaking a lot of things for gun fire. One shot is normally a straight close range kill shot to a stationary target or some jackass firing his gun into the air. Single shot sound is probably not a gun, but something else. Lots of things have a similar sound to gun fire that go on in a city. If you aren't hearing or seeing police sometime after its also probably not a single gun shot, most people will report them and the cops will at least make an effort to check on the call.

OT; ducking is probably a good plan for follow up shots, but like others said if you heard it and your not hit, you are fine. Most of it is going to be pistol fire in a city as well with a decent distance on it. It will slow down enough to not be fatal shot in most cases and has a chance of hitting a stud. The bullet will pass through most sheet rock, but will slow down drastically, a bookshelf, bathtub etc will also cause a dramatic slow down or stop. A brick wall will help in a lot of cases, especially over the 25 yard distance I would say. Also it will depend on the bullet type itself, a hollowpoint slows down a lot more when it hits objects. I wouldn't be too fearful, moving is always good, but you are above something as well, which would require the person to be aming up wards and would require the bullet to pass through the building below and then through your floor or the brick wall. Most shots on street level aren't going to be aimed up wards. This is taking on that the gun is a pistol and probably of 9mm caliber since its so popular or possibly a .22. Now a .44, .45 or .357 would cause more problems but again, you are probably 10 to 15 feet off the street level if you live above something, so your chances of a bullet going into your apartment are a lot lower than if you were on the ground level.

[Jayburner]

Where in Scotland do you come from, that you thought a very rough estate in another country would be a step up?

Glasgow. Gorbals

[Very Tired]

Wouldn't the bullet reach a person before the sound does?