Pick Your Target

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Jim Watson

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Dec 24, 2002
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I shot myself Monday.
OK, that is the shock opener, what I actually did was shoot a resilient target that bounced the bullet straight back at me, HARD.

The indoor range operator does not allow steel and the supply of bowling pins we had been using to spice up the USPSA cardboard were about shot to splinters. So the MD came up with blocks of polymer "timber" about 5x3x14", not much different from bowling pins in size. They did well for a while but then shot back at me. I think they were so weighted and hardened by imbedded bullets as to bounce mine.

I shifted hands and finished the stage.
Then went to ER for X-ray and glue.

Lesson: Use targets as targets.
The "timber" is going back to the vendor so he can advertise how tough his product is. IMG_1790.JPG
 
Many years ago I had a bullet in a .357 reload that had something wrong with it bounch off a stump and smack me in the head. I actually saw it coming, about the same speed as if it had been thrown, but didn’t react fast enough. It didn’t hurt so much as burn, and it didn’t break skin so there was no scar, but it left an enduring memory.
 
Flintshooter said:
Many years ago I had a bullet in a .357 reload that had something wrong with it bounch off a stump and smack me in the head. I actually saw it coming, about the same speed as if it had been thrown, but didn’t react fast enough. It didn’t hurt so much as burn, and it didn’t break skin so there was no scar, but it left an enduring memory.
Click to expand...


I had a few .38 hit me in a bowling pin match. No real damage, but I definitely felt them. One to the forehead.
 
Dang.

Jim Watson said:
I shifted hands and finished the stage.
Click to expand...

Dang right!
And I hear he eats steel and spits nails, too!
:D

Hope you heal up quick.:thumbup:

I no longer shoot muzzleloader balls at anything either.
Balls bounce...;)

By the way, what's the name of that material?
If like to know more about it as I am a contractor, and love the new composites that come out.
(Well, I love what people will pay for "new" stuff...)
 
Sorry, I did not get a copy of the X-rays. Wonder if they will give me a set.

I don't know the name of the material, the vendor is Sabic Polymershapes.
The blocks are black with a distinct grain about 0.1", probably the way it was built up from raw or recycled plastic.

The gun was not hurt, not even bloodstains. The impact was just below the trigger guard, an inch higher and it would have hit the weaponlight. Of course another inch different and it would have hit me in the face.

Finger remains painful, no slide racking for me for a while.

I have been hit by bouncebacks a number of times over the years, this is one of the three worst and the worst location.
 
Good to know there wasn't any permanent damage to the gun, finger, I meant finger!:)
Some Jameson aught to fix it...

Sometimes, things happen. Just ask a carpenter.
My Dad is a pretty good one. He's about to retire, with all his fingers. But he nearly lost his thumb just recently. The nail and everything grew back fine, mostly.;)

https://www.polymershapes.com/products/product-types/

Wow! What don't they make?
By Royal decree even!
 
90 ° angle hard targets are a big no no at any speed projectile or caliber.
I have seen many 25 cal. coming back to shooters, until they banned locally in private range.
 
Wow what a freak thing to happen! Glad to hear you're okay and that your finger is on the mend!
 
I feel like if I “like” the post, that I’m somehow glad you were injured. As you wouldn’t have posted without the injury. So I’m not going to. But I’m really glad you’re alright. Lesson learned.
 
Jim Watson,
So glad your injury wasn’t worse. Hard lessons.

I learned a hard lesson years ago. My friends and I were testing bullet resistant Lexan train windows to see what types of rounds the windows would stop vs what rounds would pass through. Things were going great until my friends decided that we should test 12 Gauge 00 Buckshot. I disagreed. They sat a window up about 30’ away. I moved back further. My friend fired at the Lexan and I was hit in the face by a ricocheting pellet.
It felt like someone punched me really hard. The pellet lodged in my left cheek near my mouth. I popped it out and off to the doctor I went. I got 4 stitches and my face hurt for weeks. I probably had a fracture.

I have been hit by lead flying back at CAS matches but nothing like that 12 gauge pellet. Man, that rang my bell. ;)
I no longer tempt fate by shooting at targets that might deflect rounds back at me.

I am glad you are alright.
 
Pat Riot said:
Jim Watson,
So glad your injury wasn’t worse. Hard lessons.

I learned a hard lesson years ago. My friends and I were testing bullet resistant Lexan train windows to see what types of rounds the windows would stop vs what rounds would pass through. Things were going great until my friends decided that we should test 12 Gauge 00 Buckshot. I disagreed. They sat a window up about 30’ away. I moved back further. My friend fired at the Lexan and I was hit in the face by a ricocheting pellet.
It felt like someone punched me really hard. The pellet lodged in my left cheek near my mouth. I popped it out and off to the doctor I went. I got 4 stitches and my face hurt for weeks. I probably had a fracture.

I have been hit by lead flying back at CAS matches but nothing like that 12 gauge pellet. Man, that rang my bell. ;)
I no longer tempt fate by shooting at targets that might deflect rounds back at me.

I am glad you are alright.
Click to expand...
My buddy Shane got hit in the mouth by a bullet fragment at Camp Pendleton. It had just enough energy to penetrate his lip and stopped on his tooth.
He carried that bullet through two tours in Iraq and Afganistan and came home without another scratch, thank God!
 
Yowch! Nothing can ruin a great day on the range like getting tonked by a rebounding bullet, I’m glad the injury was to a finger and not an eye :eek:.

I hope you’ll be healed up and back at it soon! :thumbup:

Always wear lenses to protect your vision, and stay safe.
 
Is that a FMJ? Looks like you could reload it again!

With stuff like that floating around, I always recommend: wear your shooting glasses!
 
Yikes.

All the scariest bounce-backs I have seen have been with 45-caliber projectiles. There's just something about that modest speed and big, heavy ball that seems to make it prone to bouncing more. Obviously it can happen with any projectiles, but the old warhorse seems to delight in it more than the others. I've mainly seen it with .45 FMJ, which sometimes refuses to splatter on steel, but I guess even the powder coated stuff will hang together if you're shooting it into the equivalent of a extra dense gym mat!
 
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