Have you ever been struck by a ricochet?

[LJH]

Today was quite eventful. I got to shoot a new gun, break an old one and I was shot, well hit anyway.

I was on the 25yd pistol range when the guy 3 lane to my left was sighting in a rifle. As he fired his third shot I felt something smash into my arm. I looked down to see blood dripping from a gash just above my elbow. I washed it out and with a little help from my buddy we were able to pull out a metal fragment. The piece of metal was less than a quarter inch in diameter and just under the skin, but it felt as if someone had hit me with a hammer. I had an “Oh yea, that’s why I wear eye protection…” moment as soon as it happened.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

 

[usp_fan]

Yep, have a jacket fragment in my cheek from a JHP disintegrating on a steel plate and coming back to the line while I was sitting, loading a magazine. Didn't even know there was anything in my face until a year later when a Doc saw it on film while looking for something else.

 

[sargenv]

I've been "fragged" a bunch of times over the years. One reason why I alwys wear glasses of some sort at the range and usually a broad brimmed hat. I've been hit on the arms, in the face, on top of the head, and on various other parts of my anatomy by fragments from one thing or another. I've even been hit by stray shot from someone firing at game from over 120 yards away shooting #8 lead shot (mild sting). If you do this long enough, eventually you'll catch something, though usually it's a mild sting more than something that will break the skin.

 

[HB]

I had a .22 fragment hit me when shooting smallbore in a indoor range with a steel backstop. I was shooting prone, an felt something hit my lip, look down and see a little chunk of lead, weighed maybe 4 or 5 grains. It didn't hurt, but I'm glad it hit something other that my eye

HB

 

[The Bushmaster]

Runnin' some real low pressure .45 ACP's down my private range the other day. I have old tires filled with dirt and railroad ties to back them up. Shot a few down range and felt a "thump" on my chest. Looked down on the shooting bench and low and behold there was a 185 grain hollow point .45 ACP with a bit of rubber sticking out of the cavity...

 

[Scoupe]

I worked at the Bianchi Cup/NRA Action Pistol Championship for 9 years. I've caught pieces flying off the plates many times. Only been scratched a couple times, but have witnessed two incidents that required medical attention.

In my opinion, shooting steel plates and bowling pins require extra attention and constant eye protection out to at least 100 yards.

 

[spwenger]

Several Times

I have been hit and seen students and others hit with enough ricochets (usually bullet fragments) to have become very skeptical about the use of steel targets.

On one occasion it felt as though I had been hit with a small rock on the upper lip. I reached up and felt something which was about the size of a grain of rice, which seemed to be embedded in the skin. It turned out to be a lead fragment from one officer's .45 ACP JHP round and it was firmly wrapped around a whisker. I had felt the impact down to the tooth.

The students had been shooting ten yards from steel knockdown plates that were set up behind the mediastinal area of their paper targets, mounted on cardboard backers. I was located several yards behind the students and at a fairly wide angle from the cops who were using the JHP ammo.

 

[Wes Janson]

For all the time I spend on ranges, strangely enough I can't recall ever once being hit by anything, save for particles from cylinder blast.

 

[Calibre44]

Not a bullet ricochet but I did see a spent cap from a BP Pistol fly off and cut a guys cheek so bad it brought blood. An inch higher and it would have imbedded itself into his eye – good reminder to wear shooting glasses!

 

[GarySTL]

As several others have posted, I've been hit by jacket or lead core fragments while shooting steel. A few have caused a little blood flow, but nothing major.

Was attending a class once where a lot of steel was going to be shot, and hopefully hit. The instructor told folks beforehand that if they were feeling tough they could wear shorts. I wore long pants.

 

[hso]

Yep, but I expect that shooting steel.

 

[never_retreat]

Plenty of times. I comes with the sport.

 

[Claude Clay]

^ +1

handful of times somewhere between a mosqito and a wasp sting. once even found 2 small holes in my pants near the cuff. figured it as a pass through.

 

[Ske1etor]

I have been hit by splatter off of steel targets... Never a ricochet.

 

[VINTAGE-SLOTCARS]

Some one left a beat up bowling ball at a forestry range. I shot at it with a .45 acp "once", round came back and left a welt on my leg. It scared the hell out me when I realized I had shot my self. "DON'T SHOOT SOLID RUBBER OBJECTS"

 

[ZeSpectre]

Participating in a CAS match one time I felt a fairly solid "poke" in the chest and then a spot of heat. Looked down and there was a perfectly flattened .45LC bullet sitting in my front pocket (it had hit me in the chest above the pocket and then slid down).

When I was younger (and dumber) I was shooting at the entrance to an old rock quarry to see if it would spark and the 30-06 round went "spring, sproing, bwaaaaaang" and clipped the fencepost right next to where I was leaning with enough force to throw up a few wood splinters. I NEVER tried that sort of foolishness again!

 

[scrat]

wow nope thank god never happened to me

 

[txdude321]

i havent yet but its always on the back of my mind because the range i go to has some steel targets but the closest one to the shooting line is a hundred yards away so i hope its far enough

 

[wyocarp]

I haven't been hit, but this is a good warning post of a possible danger.

 

[ProShooter]

A few years ago, I shot at Blackwater's new steel range and got fragged in the forehead........ouch!

 

[sharkhunter2018]

Yeah, several times. Been hit with bits of .22 and once by a small piece of 12 ga. slug. Got hit by something else, but can't remember wht cal. it was. None of them hurt or broke the skin.

 

[tinygnat219]

Oh yeah, ESPECIALLY in CAS with their steel targets so close.

Been peppered with birdshot on just about every stage, been hit with ricochets before forcing the match providers to move the pistol targets back at least 3 yards to 7 yards.

Been nailed at the range by someone saying "watch this" and then aiming for the target carrier.

Oh yeah...

 

[Sheldon J]

Yep Splat's N falling Debee it's why you wear protective eye wear, and a good hat.

 

[Headless]

Yep. No steel involved in my case, though - a sand backstop, in fact. A guy next to me was shooting a small .380 at paper targets - on his 3rd shot i felt a sting on my arm and looked down to see a scrape that barely drew blood...pretty weird.

 

[polizei36]

Count me in on this one. This is a good topic to reaffirm the concept of "heres your sign". Some smack **** 7 lanes away from me was taking shots after drawing from his IWB holster. This happened at an indoor range. For about 4-5 minutes I kept hearing a "tig" sound coming from that direction after each shot he took from his .22lr pocket pistol. Some shots must have been hitting the target rail as he was aimlessly shooting after his draw from the holster. I decided to let the guy know that he was way off target and shooting the wall per say. I cleared my weapon, set it down and proceeded to walk over to the guys fireing point....after passing lane 5 one of his rounds hit the target rail (again) and logged into the heel of my left boot. Needless to say the range master was notified and the guys range membership was suppended until he could demonstrate proper safty practices. "Heres your sign"