Ricochet

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bluethunder1962

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Has anybody ever been hit by a ricochet> I got hit yesterday. I was shooting a steel plate on a downward pivot so when it hits it will go into the gorund. I shoot big cal handguns most of the time so it is bent pretty bad in the middle. I was shooting a 357mag at the time. I don't know if it was the small cal or what but when I shot it came back and bounced off the top of my head. Just wondering if this was normal.
 
I've been hit by a ricochet, but I've been hit by jacket fragment splash-back more frequently.


Doesn't hurt much, just stings a little.
 
animator That was the first thing I thought but I did not see any scratches on my gun.
How does a 45 bounce off a bowling pin. I would think that would be the safest thing to shoot.
Mine left a knot on the top of my head but I already have plenty of them.
 
Yep. Was walking behind the firing line at the indoor range and one came back and smacked me on the inner thigh as I stepped forward. Glad I didn't get hit in the nuts...it really stung.
 
Couple years ago I got smacked in the shin by a nicely mushroomed 45acp JHP at an indoor range. I think a guy hit one of the concrete pillars at about 15 yards and it came back at me, but not positive where it came from as there were about 4 or 5 45's on the range at the time. Started bleeding pretty good, left a nice big knot on it too.
One of the reasons I carry a trauma/first aid kit in my range bag.
 
splashback

I believe if you shoot steel, you will eventually get hit with bullet frags (evidently other material as well).

The probability will increase if you shoot at mild steel and the target face is not angled forward and/or the target does not "move" when hit.

I always preach to wear a ball cap with the bill forward so spatter does not fall between the glasses and your eye.

I have been hit multiple times. I shoot steel as close as 7 yds with pistol and about 50 yds with rifle although the steel used for rifle should be something like AR500, 550 or armor plate.
Suppliers of target material suggest further distances for liability reasons.

I've never been cut badly but have seen a pretty severe face cut (stitches) when rifle fire frags came back and cut a guys cheek from about 35 yds or so.
 
I have been thumped a time or two. Hardly even a red spot. However, a good friend wears a nice scar on his cheek from a rifle bullit. Got hit when he shot a washing machine at a dump.

Lets all wear our shooting glasses. We like our sport too much to loose an eye!

Mark
 
Wow, I never thought backsplash and ricochets were that common (I mean ricochets straight back).

Heard of both and seen vids, but never had it happen to me. :what:
 
caught a .38sp in the center of my chest, it thumped me pretty good. Felt like a bony finger poked me in the chest. With how much came back I was glad it was not something heavier.
 
When I was ten, I shot a an anodized aluminum cup with my Red Ryder.

It was maybe twelve feet away? The ricochet hit me right between the eyes.

I've been a lot more careful since, but if you shoot steel you will occasionally catch fragments of lead and jacket material. Always wear eyepro. :cool:
 
In the stupid old days of my youth, I was out camping in the woods with a friend during the winter. He decided to pop off at a tree with his pistol. I felt stinging sensations on my leg. I looked down at the ground and saw a collection of spent, flattened bullets.

In general, do not use trees as targets...But in particular, do not use frozen trees.


.
 
been hit many a time, all while shooting, or watching someone shoot steel. never too bad though.
 
One time. Shooting at dumps used to be pretty common and legal. I was once shooting at some cans with a 357 revolver. There were some concrete blocks several yards beyond my targets that I could not see because vegetation had grown over them. One of my bullets struck the blocks and came back. It hit the ground about 3 feet in front of me, bounced up and struck my shin. Stung me pretty good, but no real injury. At first I thought it was a rock or a piece of the block until I picked it up.
 
bluethunder1962 said:
How does a 45 bounce off a bowling pin. I would think that would be the safest thing to shoot.
Click to expand...
Bowling pins are made like plywood, from hard Maple, and can have a trampoline effect.
A friend was shooting some pins using some factory new Hornady 44 mag. JSP at 20 yards.
All but one burned right through the pins, it hit me on the upper thigh.
No one believed me until I showed them the still warm slug.
Had a good sting to it, kept the slug as a souvenir.
 
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Took a .22 in the shin, we were shooting at some scrap I-beams about 20 yards away. Broke the skin and hurt like hell but not too bad.

Been hit with birdshot ricocheting off a angled steel target backer at an indoor range. Stung my hand and left welts, thankfully I was wearing eye pro. Dumb*** was unloading a super shorty 12 ga at the target about 3 yards away in the next lane over from me. And he was a range employee! Needless to say I haven't been back in a long time.

Another time I was shooting with friends at an ancient hardwood stump. One of my buddies was shooting one of my 1911s when a .45 slug bounced back and wacked another friend in the head. He was fine and we stopped shooting .45 at that particular stump. It was interesting because .22, .17, .380, and 9mm didn't ricochet, but the .45 FMJs would bounce off every time, the ground between us and the stump was literally littered with .45 slugs that looked like they could be picked up and reloaded.
 
A ricochet from an NVA AK hit me in the head in 68. Bled a lot. Hurt like heck. Scared me enough to seek better cover.
 
bluethunder1962 said:
Has anybody ever been hit by a ricochet> I got hit yesterday. I was shooting a steel plate on a downward pivot so when it hits it will go into the gorund. I shoot big cal handguns most of the time so it is bent pretty bad in the middle. I was shooting a 357mag at the time. I don't know if it was the small cal or what but when I shot it came back and bounced off the top of my head. Just wondering if this was normal.
Click to expand...
Get rid of that steel target NOW and replace it with something of harder steel (AR500). If your steel target gets dished out in the middle or even dimpled from target strikes your target is way too soft. You are asking for trouble (or injury!). Hardened steel targets cost more, but what is your safety worth?
 
Sunday I was shooting some 45 ACP and one bounced back and landed at my feet. I was shooting at an old space heater. It must of hit it just right.
 
When I was younger (30 years ago) , a 22 bounced off a pc of R.R. rail and hit me it the arm. All it did was leave a welt. When we shoot steel knock down plates at the club we have been hit with splatter.
 
I was shooting at a quarter coin stuck in the bark of a tree, when I hit it I saw it flashiing as it was spinning back toward me, I swatted at it with my left hand and caught it, it was HOT soI dropped it, when I looked down and picked it up it was the 45 FMJ BULLET and not the coin !
 
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