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Spinner Targets plus steel bullet trap

If if is not AR500 steel that is part of the problem. If the steel has cratering on the surface it will cause bullet splatter to deflect off of it. Weld up the craters and smooth the surface with a grinder. I shoot pistols on steel for 20 plus years and have had it happen.
 
I posted a serious question, hoping to get intelligent, well thought out answers from the technically knowledgeable. I did eventually get what I desired. Mostly, I got criticism and advice based on poor reading comprehension. The 'babies' are approaching middle-age. I'm an old geezer. The nephew is a Full Colonel in the USAF and my daughter is a Professor/teacher/guidance counselor. The nephew makes world class competition 1911's starting with kits of unfinished parts. He holds three President's One Hundred Brassards in Bullseye shooting and one for rifle. As I said and it was completely ignored, the first ricochet was incorrectly believed to be from an oddly ejected casing due to the perfectly circular skin breakage it caused. It looked just as a hit from the open end of a casing would. The second one made us realize the error in our initial conclusion. We're not a bunch of drunks out spraying the country with lead. Yes, we're rednecks, but we're also educated professionals. Even intelligent people can do unwise things sometimes. To those who answered the question I asked, many thanks and to all Happy New Year!
 
.284 welcome to forum life. Every bumble that can think will stick his 2¢ in. Even after a few toddy's when they become Einstein ! Lmbo!
Happy New Year !
 
Thanks JMayo. One of my 'Hot Buttons' is people telling me what they think I need to know without bothering to actually answer the questions I ask at all, much less first. I've become a bit cranky as I've gotten to be an old geezer. :cool:
 
Is it possible the bullets are deflecting downward as they hit the spinner, then upward back into the now angled back spinner and back to the shooter? This only happens when the bullet strike is in just the right position on the spinner?

Where are the Slo-Mo guys when you need them?
 
I was thinking downward off the spinner, striking the floor of the trap and up and out off the trap. Or if the trap as a flat metal frame around it, off the spinner into frame and back at shooting position.
 
Bullet splatter comes off a target in a 15-20 degree cone back up range. If your spinner is inside the trap and the bullet splatter hits the sides of the trap it is going to head back toward the firing line. If there is any part of the spinner that is not flush with the other target surface you will get splatter hitting that surface and heading back up-range. I use 3/8" mild steel for lead bullets and have the targets angled forward so that the energy and spray heads toward the ground. Hardened steel targets should be set up the same way so as to re-direct the energy toward the ground and not simply have a vertical surface to make a complete cone of splatter. I am often amazed at the straight hang gongs that are used by clubs and the broken skin that comes from it and dueling trees.

If there are multiple targets in the trap or shooting bay then set them up like geese flying toward you or the spray from the center target will hit the target next to it and your safety glasses will get a test.
 
Texas10 said:
Is it possible the bullets are deflecting downward as they hit the spinner, then upward back into the now angled back spinner and back to the shooter? This only happens when the bullet strike is in just the right position on the spinner?

Where are the Slo-Mo guys when you need them?
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I'm not positive, but I think the bottom is just dirt. I hope the weather will allow me to inspect it Saturday when I'm there.
 
Coyotefurharvester said:
I was thinking downward off the spinner, striking the floor of the trap and up and out off the trap. Or if the trap as a flat metal frame around it, off the spinner into frame and back at shooting position.
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I don't believe that a ricochet off the floor is a possibility. There's weeds growing there. With the spinner made to spin, glancing off to the side isn't likely.
 
.284 shooter said:
................ For that to happen by hitting a hanging spinner, the spinner would have had to come around and slap it upward. I believe that a small spinner hit at high velocity could do this. The Marines don't.
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Now 'AT'S some funny logics right there!!! I don' care WHO y'are!

E'body be Kung Fu Spin-nin', them spins as fast as light-nin'.....



.284 shooter said:
The Marines don't.
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AND, (whewww, I never pictured myself defending Marines' logic) :eek:

The Marines are right.......
 
As steve above mentioned I have lots of scars from shooting steel, We had a similar incident years ago at a pin match. Someone shooting jacketed 230 gr 45acp hit a pin. the pin spun around and the bullet came straight back and hit the shooter right between the eyes just above the the nose piece of his shooting glasses. Shooter was knocked out. wonder it did not kill him.
Our local club assists Glock with matches. There was a indecent at the Glock match just before ours one year where someone at a Glock match shot a 50bmg after match fun shoot and the target stand was a car rim . As I remember the shooter was standing and missed the target low at 100 yds,the bullet hit rim and it impacted the car rim followed it around and came back and hit shooter severing his aorta.
 
I've been hit and cut by jacket pieces.
Several have on my pistol team ...

Just an idea ...
 
bigstick6017555 said:
when ever you shoot at a target that is not constructed like an approved range berm,or bullet trap strange and dangerous things can and will happen.
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We shoot steel, everyday, all day. The issue with steel is often the angle of the target if it's a close pistol target, but it is always dangerous to shoot soft steel. It will crater from the bullet and send it back at you. AR500 (3/8 or 1/2) does not do this. Nothing will be 100% safe.
 
I would get rid of the spinners and get a dueling tree. Just as reactive as the spinner and that would eliminate the question of the spinner. Plus, the dueling tree can be a lot of fun with 2 shooters.

I agree that all metal targets should be AR500.

You could get rid of the steel "trap" and build a ballistic wall as I am doing. Build two walls (my front wall is made of plywood, rear wall is riprap that is used to build retaining walls for docks) about 3 feet apart and fill the area between them with sand (clean sand will "self heal" as sand leaks out the front from holes/breaks in the plywood). My wall is 6' x 6'. Neither pass through or ricochet should be a problem.

Another option would be to stack some sand bags in front of your "bullet trap". Any bullets that penetrated the sand bags would be going much slower so ricochet should not be an issue. My first "berm" was a sand bags stacked 3 deep and about 3' x 3'. Shot this with my 6.5x47 during load development with no issues.

I like something that will absorb the impact rather than relying on the bullet to splatter on impact.
 
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