A friend and I were shooting .22 lr at my range the other day. I have some hanging steel 2"targets. He fired a round and a shaving of lead hit him in the face. Just hard enough to stick and draw blood. Nothing serious BUT it could have been. Firing from about 50 yards. We think what happened is that one of the targets was still swinging from a previous shot and he may have hit the edge while the target was not facing exactly perpendicular to the bullet path. We have been using these targets for several years and this is the first time this happened. This has gotten me a little spooked now.
Steel target safety
- Thread starter Hdonly
- Start date
Jim Watson
New member
50 yards is a long way for spatter but obviously not impossible.
You and he WERE wearing shooting glasses, weren’t you?
I do an a little flying lead off steel is just part of the game.
You and he WERE wearing shooting glasses, weren’t you?
I do an a little flying lead off steel is just part of the game.
OOC: What type of firearm was being used ?
FWIW: just from air resistance to a ragged/flattened/shaved-lead profile, I'm having trouble
with splatter/remnants from a 40gr lead projectile making it 180-back to the firing line with
any kind of energy.
What was the time delay between the shot and apparent facial impact?
(Could be quantum entanglement though . . .
).
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Might also consider how thick your targets are, are you referring to 22 lr, what kind of steel and what condition they are in. If the targets are not specifically designed for 22 lr, or pock marked, you can have bounce back to 50 yds.
Too heavy for 22 lr, and they may not swing back easily. If they are pock marked, a bullet can hit the pock mark and come right back at ya. Same if they are cupped from using with higher power rounds.
Our range uses 500 brinell 1/4 in for 22 lr and on a 22 lr specific range.
You can also get directed fragments from ground richocets, or shooting at an angle to target.
On our high power range, you must be 100 yds back for 223.
Too heavy for 22 lr, and they may not swing back easily. If they are pock marked, a bullet can hit the pock mark and come right back at ya. Same if they are cupped from using with higher power rounds.
Our range uses 500 brinell 1/4 in for 22 lr and on a 22 lr specific range.
You can also get directed fragments from ground richocets, or shooting at an angle to target.
On our high power range, you must be 100 yds back for 223.
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buck460XVR
New member
My steel targets DO NOT hang perpendicular to the bullet path, but instead they hang at a slight (10-15 degrees) angle down. Not only does this angle direct the splatter down towards the ground, but it also reduces the chances when hit while still swinging, for splatter to be directed straight back.
Easy fix ... stop shooting at steel targets .
There are other's on the market now that don't ricochet ... like the ones made by
Throom ... check them out at www.throomtargets.com
Would be worth having for the peace of mind ...
If It happened once it couyld happen again ... that sliver of lead ...
Could Put an Eye Out !
Gary
There are other's on the market now that don't ricochet ... like the ones made by
Throom ... check them out at www.throomtargets.com
Would be worth having for the peace of mind ...
If It happened once it couyld happen again ... that sliver of lead ...
Could Put an Eye Out !
Gary
44caliberkid
New member
It’s a fairly common occurrence in Cowboy Action shooting, especially with 38 Special gamer loads (very reduced), which don’t splatter but bounce right back at the line. I was counting misses and had a flattened 38 slug come back and stick to my cheek. I peeled it off and had a little blood. I have also had them hit my torso and arms. Safety glasses are a must when shooting. Just a few weeks ago a guy to the right of me, shooting a 22 revolver, was hitting me with lead shavings from the barrel/ cylinder gap. Again, glad to have glasses with side shields. There is a YouTube video of a guy shooting a 50 BMG at a 500 yard target. After the shot and about a 3 - 4 second pause, the bullet came back and knocked a hat off the bench. They were shooting in the desert with a rocky backstop. The manufacturer of my 50 warns to not shoot at rocks.
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georgehwbush
New member
i was hit in the leg once by 22lr bounce back off of steel the whole 'booolit' ;/ no blood but a bruse and a blood blister.
They are actually 3" A500 targets. I am going to look at a different way to hang them so they can't swing at all side to side. Yes, shooting glasses were worn. Standard velocity .22 IR rounds. Fired from a Marlin 60 semi-auto rifle. Lead sliver was a little less than 1/2" long and very thin.
Attachments
those are really designed for more powerful rounds. The heavier the target, the harder to get swinging by a hit with 22 lr. Especially at 50 yds. Ime, lower velocity/force softer lead rounds have greater likely hood of coming back at ya. Most 22 lr targets are 1/4 in.
Got more aware of these things when bought inexpensive set of electronic ear muffs. The gunshot itself was subdued, the ricochets (zingers) were amplified
FrankenMauser
New member
Very unlikely to make it back to the shooter. Far more likely to be shaved from the bullet while chambering, and blown back at the shooter during extraction.
Electrod47
New member
I have all types of steel targets on my home range. 22LR is the most notorious for coming back at you. I use 1/4" for the 22's now. The thicker targets for my big bores don't "give" for the 22's and they can ricochet pretty far. Plus if you have any pock marks on steel they can grab a 22 and turn it around pretty quick.