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Posted: 6/16/2002 9:54:42 PM EDT
Link Posted: 6/16/2002 10:04:54 PM EDT
[#1]
100-300 yds
you will have no problem

inside of 5 yds you may have a little shrapnel.
i know with my .44 magnums the bullets spatter on the steel plate target and shred the leaves of the tree the target is hanging in.
Link Posted: 6/16/2002 10:17:14 PM EDT
[#2]
I can tell you shooting a snowboard with 12 guage bird shot [u]is[/u] a bad idea.

My buddy and I got in to a debate about his Kevlar core snowboard. He thought it would literally be bulletproof. I disagreed.

My Sig 229 punched a hole right through it. Since the board now had a good sized hole in it, we decided to take it to the woods for some "experiments".

Thinking my 590 was loaded with buckshot, I fired at the board propped up against a tree. It was birdshot, and in that instance the Kevlar won. We got pelted pretty hard. Stupid? Oh yeah. Lesson learned? I'm pretty sure.
Link Posted: 6/16/2002 10:31:00 PM EDT
[#3]
I have seen a .45 come back off a pepper popper and hit a person from 25 yards.

If using a .223 at 100 yards+ you should have no problem.

medcop
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 12:23:37 AM EDT
[#4]
While doing penetration tests:

3/4" stainless steel plate
50 yards
.338 Win Mag 250gr Sierra BTSP 2660 fps

Part of the jacket ricocheted straight back 55 yards to where I was spectating and hit me on the back of the hand. Felt like a huge bee sting at first and little to no bleeding as the heat of the copper fragment cauterized the wound.
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 1:14:46 AM EDT
[#5]
I've been hit twice by spent bullets that fragmented and bounced off steel target hangers.  Both times they were just fragments and stuck to my clothing, causing no damage but a good story anyway.  I'd say there's definately a danger if the target itself is a steel plate, but there's plenty you could do to lower that risk to almost non-existant.

The farther away the better.  After any bullet hits a plate fairly square, it's going to loose alot of energy.  The farther away you are, the less likely a fragment, or ricochet will have enough energy to do anything.  

Select the right ammo.  If you use soft-points, or lead, you'd have a much better chance of not getting ricochets.  Use bullets that fragment easy, and there will be less of a bullet to worry about.

Wear your eye protection!  Even a light fragment that wouldn't even scratch your skin may cause problems with your eyeball.

Ross
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 1:26:04 AM EDT
[#6]
Also not a good idea to shoot at a bowling ball with a shotgun.
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 2:30:36 AM EDT
[#7]
Thought this was interesting and topical.  I have been hit with lots of bullet fragments, espcially when shooting steel. I think it is just part of the fun, and why you should always wear eyes, ears and armor on the range.

[b]Officer hit in left arm when bullet ricochets[/b]
By Samira Jafari

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Saturday, June 15, 2002

An Austin police officer was wounded Friday morning during a training exercise when a bullet he fired ricocheted and hit him in the left forearm.

Officer Joseph Stinson, a 17-year veteran of the Austin Police Department, was at a police academy off McKinney Falls Parkway shooting at targets with a 223-caliber AR-15 assault rifle, which is the "civilian version of an M-16," said Cmdr. Robert Dahlstrom.

Dahlstrom said the bullet ricocheted off the edge of the target and hit the officer about 11 a.m. during an advanced tactical training course.

Stinson was taken to Brackenridge Hospital for evaluation but was not seriously injured.

The department said it's investigating the incident to see if the injury could have been prevented.

A similar incident occurred a few years ago with a stray bullet causing a minor injury to an officer, Dahlstrom said.

No other recent injuries have been reported at the range, he said.


[url=http://www.austin360.com/auto_docs/epaper/editions/saturday/metro_state_14.html]Read the article.[/url]
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 2:55:45 AM EDT
[#8]
Mounting the plate with the top closer to the firing line puts an angle on the plate that puts MOST ricochets into the dirt.  If you hang the plate attach the support to the BACK so it will tip forward slightly.  If you pole mount the plate simply bend the pole.
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 3:26:55 AM EDT
[#9]
Quoted:
Also not a good idea to shoot at a bowling ball with a shotgun.
View Quote


Or with a .44 magnum. An experience I could have lived happily without.[:)]
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 3:32:55 AM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Also not a good idea to shoot at a bowling ball with a shotgun.
View Quote


Or with a .44 magnum. An experience I could have lived happily without.[:)]
View Quote


People shoot at pins, so I figure why not bowling balls?
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 4:05:33 AM EDT
[#11]
We have more return fire from steel when steel core ammo is used in .223

Pistol range the steel core and jhp seem to kick back more pieces
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 10:52:46 AM EDT
[#12]
AK on steel at 15 yards; it required two stitches.  Handguns at the same range will occasionaly pepper you with fragments or even a whole projectile, but these are not dangerous to skin.  Except for one fluke.  A fragment nailed him perfectly between the eyes, it bled like crazy and the jacket fragment was stuck below the skin.

Lessons learned:
15yds is too close for rifles.
I can continue shooting my string, even with a fragment stuck in my arm.
If you get hit in the face, get to safety before removing your safety glasses, lightning might strike twice.
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 11:00:09 AM EDT
[#13]
Just put the target as far away as possible.  It is more fun that way.  Make it a bit of a challenge to hit and it also creates a bigger delay between the time of the muzzle report and when you hear the impact on the target.  
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 12:07:40 PM EDT
[#14]
I've read stories about bullets and jacketing material bouncing back from some pretty far distances.  I think the material used for the target is important.  If it starts to crater up real bad it may get into a shape that would be conducive to ricochets.  I believe the IPSC guys use T-1 grade steel and pay close attention to the condition of the surface of the plates.  
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 12:20:25 PM EDT
[#15]
When I was shooting silhouettes with a handgun, I saw a lot of bullet jackets bounce back from the 25 meter chicken target, some drawing blood. I believe the NRA moved the 25 meter target out to 40 meters because of this. Also saw a round fired from the far right firing line hit a 50 meter center range target, richochet off, and hit someone on the left end of the firing line during a practice session.
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 12:31:12 PM EDT
[#16]
Just yesterday my spinning disk metal plate became wedged in the dirt. I continued firing at it and took four shrapnel rounds  from the bullet or the plate, this was at 10 yards. It drew blood on my forehead, arm, neck, and penetrated my shorts. I was very lucky because I also had my eye protection off.

We used to bowl with bowling balls, using 9mm to propel them and never had a problem.
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 1:00:45 PM EDT
[#17]
Several times from shooting .22lr at steel poppers.  Got hit right in the forehead each time (I was not the shooter).  Just stung a bit.
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 6:32:52 PM EDT
[#18]
I don't recall who it was, but someone caught some back splash from a close in steel target at the last pipeline shoot.

He had to go to the hospital to have it removed from his arm or hand (don't recall which it was).

Nasty looking piece of work.

Jay
[img]http://www.commspeed.net/jmurray/images/iroc-cop.gif[/img]
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 6:40:07 PM EDT
[#19]
Darwin's theory at work.
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 9:45:26 PM EDT
[#20]
The grade of steel is the important factor.  You want one that is fiarly tough but will give just a bit.  A softer steel will be a more receptive to the bullets and not turn them back.  When you get into the T type of steels then you are asking for them to start turing the bullets back.  One range i ised to go to had a t-3 steel target that you could shoot with pistols but not centerfire cartridges.  the bullets had too much energy and would richocet back towards the shooter.

I like shooting steel targets, they give good feedback.
Link Posted: 6/17/2002 11:57:50 PM EDT
[#21]
Quoted:
While doing penetration tests:

3/4" stainless steel plate
50 yards
.338 Win Mag 250gr Sierra BTSP 2660 fps

Part of the jacket ricocheted straight back 55 yards to where I was spectating and hit me on the back of the hand. Felt like a huge bee sting at first and little to no bleeding as the heat of the copper fragment cauterized the wound.
View Quote


You have a .338 WM conversion kit for your 10/22?  Where do I get one of those?
Link Posted: 6/18/2002 9:40:15 AM EDT
[#22]
yes, it's dangerous.

well, let's just say it has its risks.  just yesterday i was at the local indoor range.  was loading up the .45 mag and turning around to tell matt that i was going to take 10 shots instead of 5.  that's when it happened.  i felt this VERY sharp pain on my forehead.  stung for the next hour too.

seems the guy THREE stalls down was shooting a .357mag revolver.  must have been using unjacketed stuff because some of the spatter is what nailed my forehead.  and the backstop is at 40-50 feet away (even angled the right way to help deflect).

i know it wasn't a shell casing because a casing doesn't STING like that.  plus the only other shooter was on our right so any brass deflections had to go right (out the ejection port) deflect off the side stop and go left, clear the 7 ft high wall between the two of us, deflect off the left wall of my stall, and THEN hit me with enough force in the forehead to make a mark.  i don't think so.

just another reason i really, really dislike indoor ranges.
Link Posted: 6/18/2002 10:15:36 AM EDT
[#23]
I was at an outdoor range, shooting pistols at 25 yard steel silhouettes.  Buddy whipped out his .30-30 and shot at a couple targets.  A scrap from a round flew back and hit a guy next to us in his hand.  Nice gash, but no stitches or anything needed.

Stopped shooting that one on that short range!
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