Risk of #7 1/2 birdshot bouncing back in 3-gun type shooting?

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NovemberWhiskey870

New member
The local range has a reactive target lane with 1' diameter steel plates that flip back when hit. The rules say not to use birdshot (#4 buck and bigger only) due to concerns that the small shot will bounce back at the shooter. My understanding is that the smaller shot should have LESS chance of bouncing back... does anyone have opinions? A quick search showed that most people in 3-gun competitions use 7 1/2 on reactive targets so I can't imagine it is dangerous. Shooting the reactive targets with $1/round buckshot just doesn't seem practical to me if birdshot is just as safe or safer.
 
I think it may be due to the smaller shot not engaging the reactive target enuff for it to react, thus the shot will bounce back straight. If target reacts and pellet ricochets it should deflect at a sharper angle. Just my guess...
Brent
 
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Anything can happen, check out this link, and/or this link.
Always wear your safety gear! I've lost count of how many times I've been hit by ricochets and target chips on skeet fields, but not with trap.
Brent's correct, the smaller the pellet, the sooner its energy is gone.
 
That does make sense... if you hit the target with a 00 buck its going to knock back just like a 22, while a few pellets from 7.5 birdshot probably wouldn't knock the target down and may then bounce back. Interesting.
 
I was getting hit with shot bouncing back while at the rifle range yesterday. My buddy was patterning his shotguns. The target holders are bordered with steel set at a 45 degree angle to funnel near misses into the short range berms. Distance was 25 yards with light target loads, 7.5 shot. The shot had just enough energy left to be felt, didn't even realize what it was till one landed on my arm after it hit my chest.
 
I'm mostly wondering if it is safe (assuming you are wearing eye protection). If people use 7.5 for 3-gun matches I would assume it is safe, correct?
 
According to a certain lawyer, it isn't fatal from even a direct shot to the face given a decent distance so a ricochet from a 20+ yard target shouldn't be terribly harmful. But safety first and I am no one to be giving anything more than uneducated redneck opinion...
Brent
 
I used to use Winchester AA's for practice and competition on poppers and plates, and if I DID get hit it was so slight that it didn't register.

Always wear eye protection when shooting any steel, though. I've been hit with pieces of bullet that were like shrapnel. I used to hold a large sheet of cardboard up until it was my turn to shoot.
 
I used to shoot skeet with two retired physicians. One had an intermittent flinching problem at Station 6, but continued to enjoy competing. During one tournament he was straight and ready for his Station 6 doubles. He called for the pair, and the flinch was back, but in spades -- a disaster. To our surprise, as he left the station, we noticed blood gushing from the back of his hand. He been so deep in concentration, he hadn't realized what had happened. The other MD attended to him, and removed a ricocheted #9 pellet. Considering the circumstances, the ref ordered a do-over.
 
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