Bullet's path AFTER passing through the target

[R.W.Dale]

Yesterday while at the 300m range shooting my 243 at one of the 100m boards I had a thought that had never crossed my mind before. Are the bullets actually hitting that burm another 200m away.

A little geography

Our 300m range has a couple of smaller elevated areas at 100 and 200m. These have pipe sunk into the ground so a person can put up a target board at the closer ranges if they so choose. I don't know exactly how tall it is but the 20' or so burm is right behind the fixed 300m target boards. I was shooting a target board that was set up 100m from the firing line.

I wonder if that piece of conveyor belt material and paper I was shooting through could deflect the bullets flight enough to miss the backstop?

 

[jmr40]

Where I shoot I usually have the range to myself. I usually set up a lot of targets at 50,100, and 200 before I begin shooting. Saves time walikin back and forth. I often find bullet holes in the 200 yard target that are keyholed or are jagged from bullet fragments. I can see skid marks in the dirt where bullets going through the target have deflected, hit the ground and came back up into the air.

We do not have a traditional berm, but right after the 200 yard line there is a hill that rises up several hundred feet above the range. I rarely shoot at 300 because the only way to squeese it in was to bush hog a narrow path through the woods and it is a bit higher in elevation above the others.

 

[Anteater1717]

They can go pretty far off course. In my experience, 7.62x39 FMJ will go through a pallet at 100yd, and by the 200yd mark will be off by up too 30-40ft. Though 5-20ft is more typical.

 

[dewage83]

I'd say not to much off.

box o' truth has a section on bullets changing there path due to obstructions in the way...
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot40.htm <--- LINK to box o' truth