Utah is on fire and target shooters are getting the blame... Is this that common?

[firesky101]

Did they happen to see someone with a mosin carbine leaving the area?

 

[HoosierQ]

There seems to be a theme here that somehow fires which may or may not have been caused by gunfire are some kind of anti-gun theme.

Let's face it folks, it can and does happen. How many times have we corrected each other that gun powder burns, it does not explode? How many times have we revelled at the incredible fireball produced by a carbine length Mosin Nagant?

So I will stipulate that the antis will cite shooting as the cause of this or that wildfire and attempt to make their brand of hay with it.

However, we need to understand that with this drought gripping a pretty good part of the US right now, we have to be careful. It hasn't rained a drop here in Indiana since probably March...at least that I can remember. There isn't even any dew on the grass in the morning. Those who bushcraft and make fire with flint steel and tinder are probably having a real good year...everything is tinder.

So be careful out there and let's not give anybody any cause to criticize us. Shoot you .22lr instead if your carbine length Mosin Nagant. Maybe give the old smokepole a couple weeks off...etc.

 

[Steve H]

Over the years I have always been skeptical about shooting causing fires. I am in charge of 4 fire departments and have been involved in fire fighting in the western U.S. since 1970. This year I have been on a few of the Utah fires that were started by accident by shooting in areas that are prone to wildfires. I spoke to the shooters and saw their ammo, I learned something. Shooting can cause fires a lot more easily than I ever thought.

Be safe and careful everybody when you are out in the brush areas and please don't help the anti's give shooters a bad name.

 

[checkmyswag]

Homeless people get blamed for the wildfires by me....often appropriately so.

Our M249 ranges used to catch on fire so I know its possible but I am skeptical about recrdatuonL shooters doing the same.

Then again, johnny cash started a wildfire with his RV. Don't think it was a ring of fire though.

 

[X-Rap]

I think the new exploding targets are partly to blame as well as steel core and incendiary bullets.
Those things create quite a flash and I would suspect there will be some heavy regulations coming pretty soon.
Better those than bullets IMO.

 

[B!ngo]

I have shot in that specific area before and rounds hitting the rocks there will cause sparks. I've seen it first hand. There is a lot of dry grass too.

The fire is right in an area that lots of people use for shooting and the last news report I heard was that it was the shooters themselves that called it in and claimed to have started it.

I'm all for not jumping to conclusions or spreading BS but lets use that standard both ways.

Agreed. As I stated, I hadn't found it via search. But as noted, it WOULD be useful if it had been reported that the shooters had, quite responsibly, called in the fire.

 

[Iggy]

I heard Bush was seen leaving the area....

 

[powell&hyde]

The owner of Huntingnut.com lives 10 miles of that fire which was started by 2 idiots with no common sense using tracer rounds. They did report it to authority but it got out of control before anything could be done.

Not to give a leg up for the anti's, but dang it, have to use common sense out there. If you read the news, there has been 20 fires started by target shooters in Utah alone this year!!

 

[Dr.Rob]

Not to be a downer but until our fire danger improves I don't plan on doing ANY shooting outside of a range. Colorado is having a heck of a time with fires right now.

 

[JohnM]

Almost the entire state of Wyoming is under a Red Flag warning too and nothing but hot dry wind!
Not a time to be doing anything having to do with hot stuff.

 

[psyopspec]

I spoke to the shooters and saw their ammo, I learned something.

Tracers, incendiary, steel core, or something else? Are there any other details you can pass along that could help other shooters prevent this from happening? Also, thanks for your service.

 

[finnwolf64]

I'm 48 & have been around guns & farms most of those years. I was always sceptical regarding firearms causing bushfires, however about 2 years ago I was out with a mate shooting foxes with a .223 on a hot summers afternoon. A fox was shot at around 100 yards & we noticed a small amount of smoke in the dry grass directly behind the fox. We quickly extinguished the fire & both of us have now changed our minds. Fires can be caused by firearms, although it is rare.

 

[chasclifton]

The Springer Fire in central Colorado (1,145 acres) is being investigated as being caused by shooters. Some people said they heard booms in the area, possible from reactive targets (tannerite).

My gun club here in Colorado has a flat year-around ban on tracers at its outdoor range.

Yes, this will give the public-lands agencies more reasons to crack down on target shooting.