.22 Safety Question

[TurtlePhish]

Old Dog Man, why not? Some people like to shoot differently than others. If someone does something that bothers you, ask them nicely to stop or move to a different port.

 

[deadin]

Common definition of "Rapid Fire" is taken from Bullseye pistol as "5 shots in 10 seconds" i.e. 1 shot every 2 sec.
Actually it is even slower because if you get the first shot off at the "Fire" command, you have 10 seconds for the remaining 4 shots, so it comes out to be 2 1/2 sec. per shot...

 

[Captains1911]

Oops

 

[Captains1911]

What is 'hold over'? I assume that you are saying that this the time it takes to re-sight your target. My goodness. This is a 22 caliber rifle that essentially has no recoil. The last time I had my little Remington 22 With its 2 power Daisy scope at the local National Forest range, I was putting 100% in a 3 inch circle at 50 yds while firing around 2 rounds per second or a tube of 16/18 (I can't remember its capacity) in around 10 seconds. That is why they are so fun to shoot.

Hold over is basically the distance above point of impact you must aim to account for bullet drop at longer distances, assuming you haven't adjusted your sighting system for it.

 

[bartman]

So, it seems that it has been ascertained (and acknowledged) that it is, in fact, a private range. It also has been ascertained (and acknowledged) the the owner can come up with his own set of rules.

Ia anyone going to address the OP's question? Here it is again for those who might have missed it:
"I have always been told that .22 rounds can travel a great distance and ricochet easily. Was this what the owner was concerned about? I was under the impression that the large berms were sufficient, but I have heard that many ranges don't allow .22 caliber rifles on hundred-yard ranges. Is there a safety consideration I'm missing?"

So, can .22s travel a great distance and ricochet easily? Is there a safety concern that the OP is missing?

 

[Flintknapper]

I imagine his concern was fostered by several elements.

1. His perception that there was rapid fire going on.

2. His concern for hold over (and the ability of the shooter to judge it correctly)

3. The possibility that a fired round would end up "short" thus hitting the ground in front of the berm and possibly ricocheting over it. A valid concern for any cartridge.... but more likely with a short range weapon like .22 rimfire.

 

[Captains1911]

So, it seems that it has been ascertained (and acknowledged) that it is, in fact, a private range. It also has been ascertained (and acknowledged) the the owner can come up with his own set of rules.

Ia anyone going to address the OP's question? Here it is again for those who might have missed it:
"I have always been told that .22 rounds can travel a great distance and ricochet easily. Was this what the owner was concerned about? I was under the impression that the large berms were sufficient, but I have heard that many ranges don't allow .22 caliber rifles on hundred-yard ranges. Is there a safety consideration I'm missing?"

So, can .22s travel a great distance and ricochet easily? Is there a safety concern that the OP is missing?

I think several people here have addressed his questions.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Was that a rifle range or what? Or just a .22 range? I'd unlimber a boomer and boom boom. What kind of moustache was he wearing?

 

[ny32182]

You did not miss anything, there is no safety issue. No particular skill is required to hit the paper with a .22 at 100 yards.

I'd find another place to shoot.

 

[230RN]

Captains1911 noted,

Hold over is basically the distance above point of impact you must aim to account for bullet drop at longer distances, assuming you haven't adjusted your sighting system for it.

Otherwise known as Kentucky Elevationage.

As I mentioned (post 20), .22s are notorious for ricochets.

Terry, 230RN

 

[murdoc rose]

Best to look for a different place to shoot

 

[230RN]

^ "Best to look for a different place to shoot."

I respectfully disagree. With the constant shrinking of places to shoot, I would probably curry favor with that landowner. As I mentioned, if he has to close it to "public" access, it might be possible to retain the privileges for yourself.

 

[JohnBT]

"Ia anyone going to address the OP's question? Here it is again for those who might have missed it:"

"I have always been told that .22 rounds can travel a great distance..."


When I was a kid in the '50s and '60s every single box of 50 rounds of .22 rimfire had a statement on the end flap pointing out that you needed to be careful because the bullet could travel 1 1/2 miles. Have they stopped doing that?

Is google broken? Come on people, it's a gun and fires real ammo.



Look at the box on the right. The statement across the bottom says: WARNING: Range 1.5 miles...etc. (It's easy to read if you bump the zoom setting to 200%.)

John

 

[JohnBT]

And see my earlier post where I said, "Ask him." We'd know why the owner had the rule. Don't challenge him, just ask. No whining.

 

[hardluk1]

If your 10/22 is capable of tight groups at 100 yards shooting 1 shot every 2 sconds walk him down to the target and let him see what controlled quick fireing is or can be. I had the same problem shooting a 357 revolver at 100 yards till the owner walked out and saw the groups. Show him the distance's used in most rimfire matchs that take shots out to 225 yards at steel plates.

It does burn my rearend at the dnr ranges when some one sets up at the 100 yard range and starts spray'n targets at ground level at 30 feet. Not what your doing. Most guys I see shooting .22lrs at 100 yards can shot groups many centerfire shooters would hope to be able to do.

 

[bartman]

I think several people here have addressed his questions.

Actually, not really, aside from "It's his range" and "He probably thinks...".

Other than the holdover issue, which seems to really be a non-issue, and the possibility of a squib load that Flintknapper referenced, are .22s more dangerous or more susceptible to ricochet than large caliber bullets? Or is that pretty much it?

 

[tacdad]

I don't see what the HUGE deal is over the "22 can go over a mile"......so what! He is allowing High caliber fire there (which can go MANY miles) then what is the big deal?

 

[JohnBT]

If someone would politely ask the owner everyone could stop guessing.

 

[exavid]

Yeah, if you had the wind at your back and elevate the barrel to about 45 degrees above the horizon a .22 slug could travel over a mile. What kind of energy it would have at that distance is debatable. As for rapid fire noise, it's hard to see why a .22 rifle's noise would even be noticed at a range where larger calibers are fired. Ricochet worse on .22s? Why? Physics should apply to bullets of all calibers pretty much the same.

 

[JohnBT]

"What kind of energy it would have at that distance is debatable."

It's not debatable, it is easily calculated.

 

[exavid]

Debatable in the amount of damage a .22 round could do at that distance. Energy can indeed be calculated but that hardly tells the whole story because at that distance and fired at such a high angle the round may have tumbled which is certainly going to reduce the energy at the end of its flight. Unstable flight is going to give up a goodly amount of energy to aerodynamic drag and increased heating due to more exposed area to it's slipstream.

 

[JohnBT]

Tumbled? Why do you think a round will tumble at a mile or more? If it tumbled at all at any point it wouldn't go that far. Couldn't go that far.

Heating? Slipstream? We haven't been reading the same external ballistics books and articles on rimfire ammo.

John

 

[230RN]

I think the questions of "how far" and "how much energy remains" and "how easily they ricochet" have been dealt with sufficiently.

The fact is, they will travel that far, do have sufficient remaining energy to do at least some damage, and yes, they will ricochet badly.

The more relevant fact, at this point, is that the landowner himself, as well as the neighbors, have genuine concerns about the above facts, and these genuine concerns must be considered in anyone's reaction to the landowner's request.

These genuine concerns must be dealt with regardless of the actual physics and numbers involved.

If the landowner and his neighbors "feel" that firing at a rate of a round every 2.4823 seconds is undesirable "rapid fire" shooting, so be it, and don't challenge them on it.

If the landowner wants you to keep a gallon of water handy while on his range, so be that, also.

In other words, be a "High Road Shooter," be smart, don't get all jaw-jutty and self-righteous about it, comply with the landowner's requests, and keep the place open for others.

There. I said it, and I ain't takin' it back.

Terry, 230RN

 

[bhk]

I think the questions of "how far" and "how much energy remains" and "how easily they ricochet" have been dealt with sufficiently.

The fact is, they will travel that far, do have sufficient remaining energy to do at least some damage, and yes, they will ricochet badly.

The more relevant fact, at this point, is that the landowner himself, as well as the neighbors, have genuine concerns about the above facts, and these genuine concerns must be considered in anyone's reaction to the landowner's request.

These genuine concerns must be dealt with regardless of the actual physics and numbers involved.

If the landowner and his neighbors "feel" that firing at a rate of a round every 2.4823 seconds is undesirable "rapid fire" shooting, so be it, and don't challenge them on it.

If the landowner wants you to keep a gallon of water handy while on his range, so be that, also.

In other words, be a "High Road Shooter," be smart, don't get all jaw-jutty and self-righteous about it, comply with the landowner's requests, and keep the place open for others.

There. I said it, and I ain't takin' it back.

Terry, 230RN

Very, very well said!!