My 'What the ...?' moment for the day...

H

Hillbilly66

New member
Also known as 'Always...ALWAYS, wear eye protection...'

I was shooting steel at my local range about two weeks ago, when I got beaned just at the upper inside edge of my left brow. Hard. I thought I'd been hit by the entire bullet from the force, and the nice 'thwack!' I felt (heard?)... To say I was relieved that I was wearing glasses is an understatement.

I thought it was the entire bullet. Felt like it, anyway. I was wrong. I know I was wrong because I just used a pair of needle nose tweezers to pull this out of my head!

yjysy4er.jpg


Definitely served to reinforce my belief in protecting my vision. A little lower, sans eyewear, and well...you know. Hello ER, goodbye eye...

Just thought I'd share in case anyone needed a reminder...
 
Gster

Me too. That was a ricochet from 7 yards, off a free swinging torso target with a center mass cutout 'flapper' plate, shooting 9mm FMJ.

I had to have hit the edge of the cutout I suspect, for that fragment to come back at me like that. Hit it just right, I guess...or just wrong depending on your point of view.

If what I felt was even the tiniest fraction of what it must feel like to actually be shot.......oh, man. No thank you. That tiny little sliver carried enough velocity and force to actually stun me for a brief moment. Not to mention I bled like the proverbial stuck pig.

Once again, ever so thankful I wear Eyepro...
 
Note to self: Do not go shooting with Hillbilly66.

I am a ricochet magnet. If there are bullet fragments flying anywhere within 50 miles of me... they'll find a way to hit me. I should probably wear a bomb suit when shooting.

I once had a ruptured steel shell casing curve around and between 2 other people (that I was hiding behind), before slamming into and tearing my wrist open. On that day alone, I was hit by 7 substantial bullet fragments... But no one I was with was doing anything unsafe, and I was hiding behind the truck half the time. :(

It's one of the bigger reasons I avoid public ranges, and try to go shooting in very small groups (2 or 3 people, max). Bullet fragments love me. :rolleyes:
 
Salmoneye,

I had no clue it was there. None. Nada. Zip. I thought the swelling was just from the impact, cut and healing process. There was very little if any pain, other than the initial incident until a couple of days ago. What I think now is that it was deep, just above the bone, and slowly worked out as the wound closed up.

So, this morning I rubbed it and noticed a sharp pain, at which point I got up close in the mirror to take a look. The scab was pushed up, which puzzled me, so I sterilized a needle and removed it, exposing the end of the sliver. Still did not realize what it was, until I took the tweezers and got ahold if it. That's when I got my 'What the ...?' moment, and that 15 watt bulb on a dimmer switch in my head flickered on.

I'm still just a tad freaked out.
 
Thanks for the reminder!

Glad u r OK, and didn't try to fly since it happened...
 

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If you look at the warnings for most companies who sell steel plates for personal use most will say not to shoot within 25yds
 
Thanks for the explanation...

makes sense, and I have had similar experiences with metal fragments working their way out...

Mine were not from shooting, though...
 
Tucker 1371 said:
If you look at the warnings for most companies who sell steel plates for personal use most will say not to shoot within 25yds
Click to expand...

The range I shoot at has an elevated, covered shooting deck. Since we shoot at a downward angle, the likelihood of ricochets coming back up is minimized. Minimized...
 
If you look at the warnings for most companies who sell steel plates for personal use most will say not to shoot within 25yds
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing... 7 yards is really close (too close) for steel. I think I'd want to be wearing a full helmet.
 
I've seen at least two members of my Bullseye team hit hard enough with a ricochet .22LR bullet fragment to draw blood. And that's with the target at 50', the steel backstop at about a 45-degree angle sloping downward some several feet behind that, and with Homasote-type panels in front of it, with only a relatively small hole behind the target. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would have claimed it to be impossible.

I didn't need any more incentive to always wear my shooting glasses, but if I had, that would have done it.
 
That is terrifying. I must admit that I frequently skip over eye protection when shooting, but I think I'll keep my shooting glasses on from now on.
 
SHE3PDOG said:
That is terrifying. I must admit that I frequently skip over eye protection when shooting, but I think I'll keep my shooting glasses on from now on.
Click to expand...

I know that most, if not all of us at some point or another have been complacent about one thing or another at some point in our lives.

It's not worth it to be lax on safety. Not in this sport. I don't step out of the truck at the range without eye or earpro on. Ever. I don't remove it until I get back in my truck to leave. This little incident served only to validate my OCD!
 
What the heck kind of gun are you shooting pennies out of?!?!?!?

Seriously, though, I'm glad you are ok. Sometimes I feel like safety doesn't get enough attention on these message boards.
 
kozak6 said:
What the heck kind of gun are you shooting pennies out of?!?!?!?

Seriously, though, I'm glad you are ok. Sometimes I feel like safety doesn't get enough attention on these message boards.
Click to expand...

Sig Sauer P226...1989 vintage. It has feeding problems with the newer pennies, though. 8-/

Gawds, my sense of humor is lame...
 
Yep-it happens

Two weekends ago I was shooting my 1911 in 10mm at about 40 feet and right after a shot it felt like I got stung by a bee on my left forearm. Yep, nice big piece of steel was dug out by my wife with her fingers. Last summer I was shooting my 45 and she was sitting behind me on the deck at camp and all of the sudden she starts yelling to stop shooting. One had ricocheted off the berm, over the garage and flew 70 yards backwards and to the right and hit the fascia on the house right above her head. She was not happy.
 
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