http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/28296699/man-dies-in-accidental-shooting-near-creech-air-force

That sucks. I try not to go out there if I can help it. Not because of my own ricochets but because its a fucking zoo. I'd never consider going out there at night, seems even more prime for an ambush than the day time.

It's gotten more crowded in recent years. Wasn't always so bad.

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Damn, you're old G! Just missed Vietnam.

Really though, that's a very cool pic.

I missed a lot of it, but remember bits and pieces on the news. I do remember some of that last pull out stuff.

I hope you still have that rifle!

Enough about all that BS, sorry.
Some man died.
Not to sound something conspirital , but is it common for ricochets to kill?
I'd imagine they lose half the energy but look twice as ugly.

Not enough detail included in the stories I read. Don't know what he was shooting at or what gun/caliber he was shooting.

I've been splashed with lead when shooting steel, but nothing serious. I had a friend who cut his hand when he got some sort of ricochet or fragment come back to him, but nothing serious. He was shooting a G19 in the same area this guy got killed at.

They declared him dead at the scene, so I  imagine he was struck in the head, but that's just speculation on my part. Haven't heard confirmation about much of it other than it was ruled accidental.

Several years ago a local kid was lucky to only lose a kidney from a self inflicted ricochet.
He assumed that 54R silver tip meant armor piercing, and shot a drive-shaft he found out in the desert to see what it would do.
He always claimed that he was a good distance away but I would bet he was very close, the better to "See what it would do".
I also suspect that he shot the solid portion of the drive-shaft, not the thin tube.
Have heard of similar with folk shooting at rocks.

While deer hunting a few years ago I got to hear several rounds buzz/sing by me.
This happened when I was at a 90º angle and over three hundred yards away from some guys shooting into what looked like soft ground.
Lucky I was behind a small rise, having come up a shallow ravine, those rounds were close enough to be amazingly loud!
I fired a shot to let the guys know I was there and they stopped long enough for me to get to safer ground.

So it's not only "Know your back-stop", know where your rounds are ending up, and be very aware of other shooters rounds.
Final impact zone can be a long way from what may be expected.

Da Fuq?

Really?

In the last two years, I've personally fired an estimated 7,000 pistol and rifle rounds at steel, and been on the line while another 30,000+ (probably closer to 50k) were fired by others.



Here are my observations -



FMJ, HP, SP doesn't matter. Jacket and core composition does. Bimetal (steel) jacket tends to hold together better and retain more energy. Steel core is a big no-no. Steel cores do not disintegrate like lead and copper (rifle projectiles) do and do not pancake like lead and copper (pistol rounds). Shooting steel core is potentially bad for the target, and worse for the shooter.



Low velocity hard cast lead projectiles also tend to retain all of their weight (flatten, but not disintegrate) on hitting targets. This is not a problem unless you are ignoring manufacturer recommendations for safe distance. Just because you've reduced total energy and velocity, it doesn't mean you can reduce the safe distance.



Target material matters. A mild steel target will stop pistol rounds, if sufficiently thick. The surface will rough up with use and those rough spots will cause unpredictable patterns to dispersal of bullet fragments. Rifle rounds will pit and penetrate mild steel, even 300 yards plus. If you are going to ignore all the advice out there on not using mild steel targets, at least be smart enough to not use pistols on a target with a rough or pitted surface.



Shooting at rocks angers the gods, and they will be inclined to shoot back at you with chunks of your own bullets.



Minimum recommended distances exist for a reason. The distances vary based on manufacturer, club, and organization, but there is a general consensus of 10-15 yard minimum for pistols, and 85-150 yards for most rifles.



MOA Targets recommends no less than 12 yards for pistols, and 100 yards for non-magnum and non-varmint rifle. Distances for shotguns are less commonly stated, MOA recommends 12 yards for birdshot, 20 for buckshot, 50 for slugs.



Never use steel shot, bimetal jacket, steel core, AP, tracer, or incendiary projectiles on a steel target, no matter how cool it looks.



Always angle your target with the top towards the shooter, with a total angle of 10-25*. This angle should be measured from the shooter's perspective, not the ground, as we rarely shoot on flat ground.



Please, be safe, enjoy your day shooting, and try to apply some common sense when selecting targets.

If that's directed at me, yea it's true, I can take you to the exact spot.
I did not realize I was near a popular shooting spot having come up a draw from another direction.
The backstop area is an old gravel digging.

That wasn't directed towards you, Bro.

I was commenting on the story.

He worked at the Bellagio as a Sommelier. I also work at the Bellagio, I have been trying to find information from my co-workers, but no one knows anything other than what has been reported in the news. Very tragic.