Is there any fire hazard to target shooting?

[DMK]

It's been very dry in the southeast and there are a number of large fires going as a result of fall leaves and dry timber.

Does target shooting in the back yard pose any real risk? I just put some new sights on a carry handgun and need to sight it in.

Obviously, care should be taken to clear out any leaves and branches from the shooting area, and paper targets should be used instead of steel.

 

[Omaney]

I think you've covered the bases if you're shooting modern smokeless powder. Black powder, now there's a hazard.

 

[AZAndy]

Probably not so much in the yard where you can see what's going on. My county in Arizona usually has a period every year where outdoor shooting is prohibited due to fire risk, right before the summer rains arrive.

 

[Cannibul]

Stay away from ammo with steel jacketed bullets. They are the main danger since I'd guess you're not shooting tracers.

 

[Merle1]

It's been very dry in the southeast and there are a number of large fires going as a result of fall leaves and dry timber.

Does target shooting in the back yard pose any real risk? I just put some new sights on a carry handgun and need to sight it in.

Obviously, care should be taken to clear out any leaves and branches from the shooting area, and paper targets should be used instead of steel.

It's not all that likely, but sometimes you get sparks from the muzzle of short barreled magnums. Also, some rocks are hard enough to throw sparks. As long as you stay observant, it's not too likely to be a problem.

 

[macgrumpy]

Stay away from ammo with steel jacketed bullets. They are the main danger since I'd guess you're not shooting tracers.

Bull, steel jacketed bullets aren't any more prone to causing fires than any other bullet (under typical shooting circumstances). I've actually started fires with hot cases that were dropped on the ground but never from the bullet.

 

[Jackal]

Quite simply, yes. Steel jackets can start fires. Copper jacketed lead bullets are quite safe, but even they can cause rocks to spark against each other and ignite tinder. Bottom line, if the humidity is low and temps are up, just use common sense when picking a place to shoot. Shoot into dirt, not rocks/wood/grassy underbrush.

 

[DMK]

Thanks for the replies guys.

No magnums, I'm just going to be shooting 9mm copper jacket, Speer Lawman or CCI Blazer. I'll also shoot a few HSTs and Gold Dots to rotate my carry rounds and verify POI=POA with my go-to ammo.

Rocks shouldn't be a problem, but I'll look over the area and see if there are any when I rake it out and clear any leaves and brush.

 

[Ignition Override]

Yes!
A regular commercial fmj commercial round (.303 Brit.) of mine started a large grass fire about two years ago. It was either factory Prvi Partizan or reloaded brass for one of my Enfields.

The landowner knew better, but never stopped us from shooting against Steel Frame target Stands (300 yards).
A buddy with binoculars noticed a little smoke and even when we immed. raced down in a truck and tried to stamp it out, the very dry grass fire spread very quickly. You might not believe how quickly they grow.

About two rural fire depts. required about an hour to control it as about two acres of unused land burned away. The landowner told us that even a tractor hitting a little steel can create enough sparks.
This was that unusually dry September in Hernando MS, two or three years ago. That drought was much shorter than what we now have, just warmer.

 

[jmr40]

While not common, yes, any round can potentially start a fire. I'd recommend shooting into a dirt backstop rather than just into a wooded area. I don't know how well it is being reported in the rest of the country, but large parts of the SE are extremely dry and there are several large fires burning here.

 

[macgrumpy]

Quite simply, yes. Steel jackets can start fires. Copper jacketed lead bullets are quite safe, but even they can cause rocks to spark against each other and ignite tinder. Bottom line, if the humidity is low and temps are up, just use common sense when picking a place to shoot. Shoot into dirt, not rocks/wood/grassy underbrush.

Quite simply you're wrong.

 

[kozak6]

I respectfully disagree. I've had steel jacketed 7.62x25 milsurp create some very impressive sparks on rocks while ordinary FMJ 9mm would not.

If the target area is free of rocks and steel, you should be relatively safe. Not a bad idea to have a hose or fire extinguisher nearby, though.

 

[Malamute]

Bull, steel jacketed bullets aren't any more prone to causing fires than any other bullet (under typical shooting circumstances). I've actually started fires with hot cases that were dropped on the ground but never from the bullet.

So, are you saying that since you havent done it, it cant happen?

Ive shot steel jacketed, steel core 5.45 bullets at rocks (like car size rocks), they look like fireworks at dusk. Steel jackets still spark,

 

[macgrumpy]

So, are you saying that since you havent done it, it cant happen?

Ive shot steel jacketed, steel core 5.45 bullets at rocks (like car size rocks), they look like fireworks at dusk. Steel jackets still spark,

There's a big difference between creating sparks and starting a fire, since you haven't started a fire either what convinces you that it happens?

 

[Malamute]

Because of numerous people that have started fires when shooting, even when shooting US made copper jacketed ammo on .gov ranges. This has come up before, I think here on THR, there were quite a number of instances of it happening. Theres been several fires started in the western US from shooting, its the reason some areas are closed when conditions get really dry.

Baffled at the implied contention that sparks cant start fires. Wow.

Bushcrafters start fires with sparks all the time. Ive done it with flint and steel.

 

[Jackal]

There's a big difference between creating sparks and starting a fire, since you haven't started a fire either what convinces you that it happens?

Are you seriously arguing that sparks cant start fires? If that was the case, the USFS wouldnt require SPARK arrestors on all small engines.

 

[morcey2]

Steel jacketed and steel core bullets can start fires very quickly if they hit the right rocks or other metals. That's how flint and steel works. And that steel isn't moving at 2000+ fps. I've seen bullets from my mosins cause some downright impressive showers of sparks around dusk. It's always been in a controlled environment well away from anything flammable. I do want to try (again, under controlled conditions) to try to start a fire with one.

However, most of the fires started during "shooting activities" are started by something other than simple bullets. In Utah we've had fires started by hot catalytic converters, sparks from motorcycles, cigarette butts, campfires, and fireworks, all while shooting. The biggest fire I know of caused by a "shooting activity" in Utah was caused by a couple of idiots that shot a propane bottle with a road flare strapped to it. But it still resulted in steel core/jacket ammunition being banned on most BLM Land in Utah between May and October every year.

Matt.

 

[Ignition Override]

The bullet from my rifle, which hit the steel target stand, sparking that large fire was probably copper.
It was fmj, whether commercial Prvi from the blue/white box or a reloaded copper .311 bullet.

I also watched a single tracer from an M-1 Garand start a small smoldering fire on the distant rifle berm at the shooting club in Newburgh IN (by Evansville) about three years ago.
It was moist enough (or maybe involved an isolated bit of weeds?) that the shooter raced over in his pickup truck and stamped it out.

 

[DMK]

Nevermind. I thought you said steel targets. You actually were shooting at paper held up on steel stands?

Yes!
A regular commercial fmj commercial round (.303 Brit.) of mine started a large grass fire about two years ago. It was either factory Prvi Partizan or reloaded brass for one of my Enfields.

The landowner knew better, but never stopped us from shooting against Steel Frame target Stands (300 yards).
A buddy with binoculars noticed a little smoke and even when we immed. raced down in a truck and tried to stamp it out, the very dry grass fire spread very quickly. You might not believe how quickly they grow.

About two rural fire depts. required about an hour to control it as about two acres of unused land burned away. The landowner told us that even a tractor hitting a little steel can create enough sparks.
This was that unusually dry September in Hernando MS, two or three years ago. That drought was much shorter than what we now have, just warmer.

 

[Kingcreek]

We had fires twice. Probably steel core surplus ammo hitting steel once and another time we were shooting up some old bowling pins. Discovered the old pins had some sort of magnesium or alloy core that lit up with generic FMJs.
Luckily, good quality Fire Extinguishers are standard equipment in all my vehicles.

 

[243winxb]

Smoke was seen coming from underground at the 50 yard back stop. It started leaves burning. Fire department called to save the woods. No idea how or why it started.

 

[HiTop101]

I respectfully disagree. I've had steel jacketed 7.62x25 milsurp create some very impressive sparks on rocks while ordinary FMJ 9mm would not.

If the target area is free of rocks and steel, you should be relatively safe. Not a bad idea to have a hose or fire extinguisher nearby, though.

I'd use gal. jugs full of water, with peel an stick 3" orange targets? Puts out the fire before it starts!

 

[JohnBiltz]

In the Army we used to start fires all the time in the summer on the ranges. We were not using tracer either and it happened before we had green tip 5.56 as well. The most common way for someone on the prairie to start fires in their homes was to have a piece of steel that looked a lot like a D ring. They would then look around for rocks and experiment to see what would produce the best spark when struck. Rocks would wear out and flint is fairly rare in some areas. If you shoot a boulder you will get a spark pretty much whatever it is made of. A rock is a small boulder. It will spark. I don't see why people find this so hard to believe.

 

[macgrumpy]

Are you seriously arguing that sparks cant start fires? If that was the case, the USFS wouldnt require SPARK arrestors on all small engines.

Are you seriously arguing that sparks ARE fire?

Sparks don't necessary create fire, grind some steel and you'll understand that. Sparks only start a fire if they have enough mass and time to transfer enough heat to a combustable to start it burning. You guys that mention flint and steel should know that, how long do you have strike your fling and steel before you finally get a fire? If you guys analyzed the reality rather than jumping to conclusions you'd recognize that spark MIGHT cause a fire IF the circumstances are right, but sparks wont always create a fire.

 

[Tirod]

22 years USAR and shooting on dry summer ranges will start fires. In the military it's common. Depending on the circumstances and that range's protocol for the time period it would either be allowed to burn out, or we'd have to put it out, up to and including calling the post fire department.

Being aware of that fact is part of owning guns and ethical marksmanship. I would put "can't start a fire" in the same class of remarks as "racking a shotgun makes them wet their pants."