Steel targets and ricochets

2 cents...

And yes I am aware that there is a whole sport involved with firing at metal targets again in my eyes absolutely foolish . Just my two cents............
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Do you shoot? That's dangerous too. And walking out of your home... is dangerous... do you drive... etc, etc.

Man, sorry but that is such a bunch of... (insert word of choice) But that is your choice.


Steel targets can be made less prone... but as many have commented it does not eliminate the possible ricochet.

One must also determine what type of steel (AR quality), how thick, shape and placement/support and very importantly what distance.


*AR is not AR rifle but Abrasion Resistant... typically 300-500

Tired of shooting at a stagnet paper target? Try some Steel Plates... It may just change how you look at shooting...

For those in the Seattle area www.shootonthemove.org/calendar to find a range near you.
 
No matter how they are made, or placed, you will get some richochets. You might be able to minimize them but not prevent them and just one may be the one that gets you. If you take them for granted, they will bite you. ..
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I use the Evil Roy portable steel targets that flatten and fragment the bullet and direct it straight down to the ground. If the fragments hit the front support, small pieces can come back. I shoot at an angle at closer ranges for that reason. If a bullet hits the edge of the target, it can richochet off into the wild blue yonder. I shoot on public land with a safe backstop (like a bank or a mountain).

There are no richochets that can come back at the shooter other than small fragments.


When sweeping up my brass at a local shooting range, some years ago, I noticed all the small pieces of bullet jacket on the floor--all around the shooting stations. Testimony to the importance of eye protection.

In Farnum's course we used steel rotating targets. I got a tiny piece of fragment on the cheek below my glasses. Not a major event, but could have been serious if it hit the eye. We shot at 8 yds. If I wiped it with my finger and looked real close, I could barely make out the tiniest speck of blood. Class had worse injuries drawing, running, shooting, reloading and clearing malfunctions. The biggest danger may be when turned away exposing the eye from the side. We used side shields that could be attached to our glasses for that reason.

Considering the thousands of steel targets in use, I've heard more criticism on this board than from all other sources put together. They have their place, but aren't appropriate everywhere.:cool:
 
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"sort of on topic, not pistols, but there's a video out there of a guy shooting the .50cal Browning at a steel target at what looks to be at least a couple hundred yards away, possibly more. He's at a portable shooting bench.
When he shoots, there is perhaps a second or so delay, and you can hear a whistling sound, and see the bullet skip off the ground about 20 feet in front of him, and then it takes his ear muffs off his head. Looks like it hits the left side of the muff. He jumps up, finds he's pretty much unhurt, and says "we're not doing THAT anymore" .. or something to that effect.
Another couple inches to the right, and they could have buried his safety glasses with him. I hope he went and bought a handful of lottery tickets that afternoon, cause his luck isn't going to EVER be quite that good again, I'm sure.
Shooting steel is fun, for the "ring", but is HIGHLY unpredictable/dangerous. "

I saw that video. Scared the crap out of me and I wasnt even there. Man your right he needed to go play lotto that day. Seriously that might have turned me off to shooting period let alone steel.
 
With some thought and math put into the design of steel targets, the direction of the deflected bullet fragments can be controlled somewhat. A steel target that is perpendicular to the shooter will allow bullet fragments to come straight back at the shooter. A steel target that is tilted slightly back from top to bottom, or tips back when struck will deflect the fragments back at the shooter, but slightly upward. A steel target the is tilted slightly forward from top to bottom, or is hinged and bottom swings away from the shooter will deflect the bullet fragments back at the shooter, but down-ward toward the ground. Mathematicians often quote that, "...the angle of approach equals the angle of departure...", or something like that. Before someone jumps on this, the angle of departure is only approximately the angle of approach due to other factors, like the relative hardness of the steel and how much it is deformed (cratered), by the bullet impact.
 
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I had a ricochet from a steel target whiz by my left side missing my arm by a few inches. It may not have done much damage there but it sure got me thinking about what would of happened if it would have hit me in the glasses (I was just wearing sun glasses) or in the neck.

My cousin gave up shooting a few years ago after a .40 cal ricochet from a steel target severed the top 1/2 of his ear.

Personally I always wear shooting glasses now and don't shoot steel anymore.
 
I had a buddy of mine, fellow IHMSA handgun shooter and
we were in Ft. Stockton, Texas at state championship match
and he was taking "sighters" on chickens, at 50 meters. They
had the chickens welded to some car coil springs, and they
didnt give very much. The guy next to him was shootin a
.44 mag and the bullet came back and hit my buddy in the
testicles! Whoa! :) Well, by the end of the day, everyone
there knew his name. He was really embarrassed by it and
took alot of good natured ribbing! :)
 
Steel targets at any range need to be just slightly tilted towards the shooter. If you do shoot steel with a high velocity jacketed bullet you will put pock marks on the target surface and they will cause a bullet to come back at the firing line, it's just a matter of time. In Cowboy Action Shooting we only use lead bullets and the velocities are really slow compared to what ya'll shoot.
 
not sure what kind of steel target the OP was shooting, but the club i shoot at has regulations reguarding what steel targets are allowed.

the biggest rule (aside from using the proper steel vs projectile) is all teagets must have a 10 degeree minimum forward cant (top edge leads the bottom). i have a ar500 steel idpa target from Arntzen it has such an angle built into the design. all my spawl goes down and to the sides .... after a while there is a huge line cut in the ground paralle to the target face. i have never had one comback at me yet.

that being said, i would still wear proper eye and ear protection. the club also recommends wearling long sleves and long pants when shooting steel.
 
26' is the USPSA minimum distance to steel targets. Steel Challenge is the same.

Many shooters get "fragged" by bullet fragments that can easily bounce back to the shooter or spectators "behind" the shooter. This is a good post and reminds or teaches steel shooters the risks and need for proper eye-wear for "everyone" present. I've been hit watching a shooter.

I once shot a paper target (A-Zone ;) ), and one bullet went about another 5-6yds to the corner of the range and hit a piece of steel hidden in some grass. My target had two hits from the front and another jagged hole coming from the backside. True story (except for the A-Zone--I really don't remember).

Wear safety glasses.
 
I shoot steel all the time, as I own sets of falling plates. We never had a problem at 50 feet with lead splatter except certain bullets. The worst was 45 acp 230 grain lead round nose. Probably 80% came back to splatter us. Switched to smaller, faster 200 grain swc. Did this after listening to advice on this forum. Thank you. It worked fine with no splatter to speak of. In case nobody told you before....wear eye protection.
 
Here is one, while shooting an IDPA match last month a bullet entered the side of one of the plastic barrels we use, spun around on the inside about a 100 times before it exited at a right angle to us and hit the barrier wall between stages. Could have exited any direction! Man that thing made a crazy sound!
 
I got hit with a fragment from the pistol pit next to us one day. That fragment had to travel 25+ yards to get to me. Hit me in the shoulder, had a sweatshirt on, thought someone had lightly punched me but I was standing alone. Picked the piece up and looked at it, weighed about the same as a dime. Was suprised how much energy it still had. I always wear my glasses whether shooting or not.
 
This is a copy/paste of part of one of my posts in another thread from a few months ago.

When I was shooting the match I had a 180 grain .40 bullet come right back at me after I shot a bowling pin. It hit a very sensitive area. I managed to finish the course of fire but I spent a good 20 seconds doubled over and swearing loudly. Ricochets can hit the best of us in the worst of places.
 
I had a frag slice open my chin. Didn't know it till someone saw it and I felt the blood. Out came the first aid kit.

Also, I once was beyond the line and a kind of lead little snowflake landed on my tongue when I was talking. :eek:
 
My story was a piece of .45ACP jacketing from a plate rack hitting my shin (lightly, but I felt it).
I've never had a problem with swinging targets over 25yds and lead bullets. It's the hits on flat surfaces under 25yds that run the odds up against you.
 
I used to live near the desert in Nevada where you could target practice just about anywhere. At an especially popular spot there was a profusion of of old TV's, refrigerators etc. that people like to shoot at. Stupidly, I took a 357 magnum and shot at some of the junk--until one of the rounds came whizzing right back at me passing by my head. Junkyard shooting days were over right then and there.
 
Last week, a friend caught quite whack in the forehead. He was not the shooter. We abandoned that stage. Not worth trying to figure it out on the fly.
 
I shoot pistols at 12" diameter gong targets at 25 and 50 yards. The plates are 1/2" thick.

You can see the impact marks, magnum JHP leave donut shaped craters.

32rds230LRN46W23125ydsLesBaur.jpg


Cast lead bullets disintegrate down to discs, jacketed with their pure lead cores disintegrate down to smaller discs and the jacket falls as a mushroom object.

I will see these discs flying in all directions out to 20 feet or more from the gong. I think rebound direction is heavily influenced by those pock marks.

Jacketed rifle bullets will go right through these gongs, cast rifle bullets will create craters. I only shoot cast rifle bullets or 44 Magnum rifles at 100 yards, and even then, the shock will bust the welds in time.

Might have been 303 Brit cast bullets that sent the gong back to reweld.

ReducedDSCN7162BustedupGongTarget.jpg


The thing that most bothers people at the range is lead splatter. When bullets disintegrate the heavy chunks fall close to the target, but tin foil thin splatter goes way up in the air and falls down. Goes pitter-patter on the tin roof and annoys shooters. The spall will carry over 50 yards on windy days. I have learned to quit shooting when there are high winds as spall gets carried and hits people. The hit is has no more impact than a flea bounce, but it upsets people. I have found, regardless of right and wrong and lack of danger, if you are considered a nuisance by enough of the gun club, steel targets will be banned.

Our club minimum space is 15 yards with lead projectiles and pistols.
 
Whats the safest type of ammo to shoot at steel? I see people on youtube shooting FMJ but I read that is the last thing to use. I really wanna shoot my 9mm at some swinging steel
 
I've been shooting nothing but FMJ at my AR500 1/2" thick steel. Mine are swingers attached to a bar, so all rounds push back on the targets and get splattered straight down. Never any splash back.
 
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