Bloody Day at the Range

[pdog06]

Happened to me one time when I was about 19-20.
Was shooting my 30-30 and decided to shoot prone. Pulled the trigger before realizing my head was tilted and was closer to the scope. Gave me the half moon on my eyebrow.

 

[Keith Glasscock]

Short eye relief scopes and Cessna flaps. BTDT.

Diamonds on the forehead. Gotta love Cessna.

 

[rwj]

Doing stupid things is supposed to hurt!

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

I always chalk this kinda injury up to very poor shooting position. People get really lax and don't prepare for the recoil. They put their face close but also never have the butt set firmly in their shoulder. Especially when it starts getting cold and people are wearing more layers.

Saw that sort of thing many times while working hunters sight in. The most ridiculous time was the police "snipers". I saw he was too close before he fired and said something about it, he said it was fine, he was a sniper and knows what he was doing. Bang, scope ring above his eye. I offered to let him use my tools to readjust his scope and he declined, saying he knows what he is doing. Bang, nice gash in the same place and blood dripping all over. Think he needed stitches for that one! Just can't help some "snipers".

I have been pretty lucky. I snug up tight as I can with as much eye relief as possible. I also don't usually shoot heavy bulllets. I do have some heavy recoil 7.5 Swiss, but no scope. So what are the best ways to protect from assault by your own scope?

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

Short eye relief scopes and Cessna flaps. BTDT.

Cessna flaps?

 

[snert]

I offered to have a host farmer shoot one of his groundhogs with my 17 pound 220 Swift which was sitting on a rest. Somehow he managed to get his eye against the Weaver steel T10 without me seein ghim doing it. Even that little recoil split his nose ridge. I felt aweful for that oversight.

 

[SSL]

I have been pretty lucky. I snug up tight as I can with as much eye relief as possible. I also don't usually shoot heavy bulllets. I do have some heavy recoil 7.5 Swiss, but no scope. So what are the best ways to protect from assault by your own scope?

Proper eye relief with your scope setup and consistent head position. Generally, staying aware of the possibility is enough to keep you safe...usually!

 

[K22]

I have been pretty lucky. I snug up tight as I can with as much eye relief as possible. I also don't usually shoot heavy bulllets. I do have some heavy recoil 7.5 Swiss, but no scope. So what are the best ways to protect from assault by your own scope?

Assuming the scope was mount with the proper eye relief, two things can significantly reduce the chances of getting punched in the nose or eye.

1. With light weight heavy recoiling rifles, do not shoot in free recoil mode. Hold the forearm while resting on the front rest. This is the way you're going to shoot the rifle in a hunting situation so sight in that way. It's not about shooting tiny groups; it's sighting in to hit the vital area of the game you are going to hunt. Using a shock absorbing shoulder harness also helps to keep the rifle from pushing excessively back on the shoulder.

2. Use sufficient front rest height so you don't have to excessively tilt your head down which leads to creeping up on the scope.

 

[jimmymac]

If you've been shooting for any length of time and say you've never had a scope touch your face, I'm calling bullshit.

 

[sandwarrior]

About 10 years ago just after my girlfriends 1st pig hunt she says she has a headache, I look over and she has a black eye coming on. She didn't notice it until all the excitement wore off. Still my fault LOLView attachment 1489927

There ya go. Just put a cold beer on it and it'll be better. At this point it is better to medicate from the inside as well as the outside.

As an aside to this, I took my then five year old daughter out shooting gophers in Montana. I was shooting my .222 Rem and let my kid get behind this. She wanted to. As I'm getting her to see through the scope, she gets her finger on the trigger. BAM! Scope eye. She was a champ though, and wanted to get back on the gun. Good thing I didn't have her on the .243 or .257. Very little blood, and the scope had a rubber 'bumper' ring on it.

 

[BobT]

I've been lightly bumped a few times, not enough to bring blood or even a bruise but I had a pretty light weight .405 Winchester that had a propensity to whack the bill of my cap hard enough to really ring my bell!

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

Proper eye relief with your scope setup and consistent head position. Generally, staying aware of the possibility is enough to keep you safe...usually!

Proper eye relief with your scope setup and consistent head position. Generally, staying aware of the possibility is enough to keep you safe...usually!

I think you are right. Most of my light firearms are pretty low recoil.

 

[pilot]

I bet you could have bought that rifle cheap had you made an offer.

 

[hogpatrol]

Cessna flaps?

If you are around small aircraft long enough, you WILL walk in to these and get a nice diamond shape cut in your forehead. BTDT.

 

[Rick300]

Short eye relief scopes and Cessna flaps. BTDT.

I'm 6'3" and and I've had a perfect imprint of Cessna flaps on my forehead more than once!

 

[DeerHunter82]

First buck I ever shot was accompanied by a solid scope to the face. Only had to do it once to learn my lesson. The pictures are indeed great though. Me and dad kneeling next to the buck. Biggest smile on my face. Blood pouring from my eyebrow. Good memories.

 

[Minshooter]

I'm 6'3" and and I've had a perfect imprint of Cessna flaps on my forehead more than once!

I'm the same height; learned to duck several decades ago. And to run the flaps up before shutting down.
Other than for inspections, never understood why others would leave the flaps down on a parked aircraft.
All that can do is give a strong wind gust a little more purchase.

 

[pilot]

Yep, flaps up once you hit taxi speed. I solved the problem by getting an Ercoupe.

 

[DGP4]

If the injury was to the bridge on his nose, he probably pulled the trigger before his cheek was on the stock. I see people at the range all the time with a finger on the trigger before they have adjusted their head on the stock. Very bad habit!

 

[painter]

Quite a few years back I brought a friend to the range to sight in his Win 100 in 308, he had never shot off of sandbags before he was having trouble getting on target someone spoke to me and I looked away when I looked back he had the butt stock under his arm and pulled the trigger, his nose was split with a half moon that was deep, jumped up and hollered it doesn't hurt that changed to several curse words shortly, then blamed me all the way home.