Loaded Ammo as targets?

[Vermont]

Has anybody ever used loaded ammunition as a target or is that just a horrible, dangerous idea? I would think it is OK because unless the cartridge is chambered, the bullet won't go too far, but before I even thought about doing it I figured I'd ask.

If you have shot at loaded rounds before what caliber did you shoot at, from how far, and was there a satisfying explosion?

 

[Dksimon]

I guess i have never done it but i dont think i would reccomend it. Even if the slug doesnt go very far whos to say it doesn't come back at you?
If you are going to do it make sure theres no one else around.

 

[marksman13]

I've plinked a few shotgun shells with a 22LR before. I'm not saying it's the safest practice in the world, but it didn't seem espescially dangerous.

I do think that you will be dissapointed in the meager "pppffffffftttttt" sound that they make when they explode. Nothing exceptionally spectacular about it.

 

[inherentical]

Strikes me as a bad idea.

 

[Floppy_D]

The bullet won't really go far, the much lighter brass will come back towards you. The ammo needs a barrel to be dangerous. That said, probably not a good idea.

 

[Mr White]

Have to agree with marksman13. I've shot 12 ga shells with a .22. I can hit a primer fairly reliably at 30 yds. The result is a little flare of fire and not very much noise.

I don't think I'd try it with a rifle cartridge.

 

[Funderb]

if you watch mythbusters or understand physics, or both,
you will learn that the shell, not enclosed in a firearm, uses the bullet as a platform, because force follows the path of least resistance, and the thing you need to worry about is brass-through-the-head.
but from 100 yards you're prolly good.

 

[frankcostanza]

i can think of lots of things that are fun to shoot that are cheaper

 

[BammaYankee]

This is the sort of crap that gets people hurt and shooting areas/ ranges shut down. Being able to show others that we are responsible gun owners is our best defense against the gun grabbers... Use your head!

Sorry to be so blunt, but it is what it is.

 

[jdc1244]

just a horrible, dangerous idea?

Yes.

 

[Funderb]

I'm sure every range in america has a rule against shooting at live ammo.

But for your own personal injurification i'm sure it'd be fine.

 

[blackcash88]

Complete waste of money.

 

[shdwfx]

With common ammo retailing for .20 to 1.00+ per round, why would you want to double your cost of shooting like that?

 

[Dravur]

or...

You could just shoot money...
Much faster way of doing something silly.

 

[WayneConrad]

I wouldn't. The brass (it's the brass that's the biggest hazard) can still come back at you with enough oomf to break skin or poke an eye if you're "too close." I don't know how close you have to be to be "too close." Do you want to find out by experimenting?

 

[Flintlock Tom]

What? You're all out of pumpkins?

 

[Sharpshooter223]

I've shot all kinds of rounds at 25 meters with my .22 shooting the primer. Never have had any bad luck but then again... it's kinda gay and really expensive. Like they said, just a small poof with a shotgun shell, hardly anything with a rifle/pistol cartridge. Something I really enjoyed shooting was the small co2 cartridges like you would put in a co2 powered pellet gun or something. A .22 would usually just dent the side but if you shoot directly into the top like it was a primer then it will shoot off (usually away from you) probably 5-20 meters. Pretty interesting, they haul ass too! And sometimes if u had a perfect hit then you can shake it and hear some lead from the round bouncing around inside it.

 

[Hokkmike]

Sounds patently unsafe. There should be enough excitment in just shooting guns.

 

[NG VI]

Nothing really happens. I've torn up shotgun shells I've found lying out at the shooting clearing just about every time I find them with my .22, and it's always really boring, but gives me something small to practice shooting at.

Incredibly anticlimactic, nothing happens.

 

[kingpin008]

Once again, I have to agree on all fronts. Sure, it's probably not the most dangerous thing to shoot at, but why risk it? There's not going to be some great explosion - the only part of a cartridge that's even remotely pressure-sensitive detonation wise is the primer, and that's not gonna give you much satisfaction.

And why waste the money? As expensive as ammo is, I'm damn sure not gonna spend my time shooting at the stuff.

 

[Inspector3711]

We used to shoot coleman propane canisters with .38 special tracers back in the 80's.... Very satisfying 20 foot fireball with a mushroom cloud. Just don't shoot one in the water. We did once and it shot across the river and flattened itself against a tree! Scary.... On flat ground they always stayed put. We stood back about 50 yards when we did this for safety.

 

[Vermont]

This is the sort of crap that gets people hurt and shooting areas/ ranges shut down. Being able to show others that we are responsible gun owners is our best defense against the gun grabbers... Use your head!

Sorry to be so blunt, but it is what it is.

No need to be sorry. This is why I asked. I think I can forget forget about that idea.

It's too expensive, it may or may not be safe and to top it off, the result would be nothing special. Clearly not a worthwhile venture.

Thanks for your knowledgeable input everybody.

 

[Walkalong]

Get some of those exploding targets instead.

 

[MudPuppy]

I put a emptied 12 gauge shell in a knothole and shot it with a bb gun as youngster. The primer chunk flew out and hit my forehead and sunk in and traveled between the skull and skin, coming to a stop over my ear, with a big visible lump just under the skin. Blood spurted like a Monty Python movie and my friend turned pale when he saw it.

As bad as it was, my reaction was to fish it out and clean up before my mom got home and I'd really be in for a hurtin'.

Now, I was about 11 at the time--what's your excuse?

 

[gym]

There is a video on utube of a guy in a quarry of some kind, he's and his bud shooting a 50, his bud spotting. He lets one go an you hear the round ricochet off a few rocks and hit's the guy in the head. He's ok, but if that could happen, why would you tak a chance on firing at live ammo, please don't do that, we don't need an accident like that to happen to anyone, especially one of our guys.