The flight path of a bullet at the range.

[brxbrad]

Ask them, How is it that all those people pulling targets are still alive?????

 

[SheepDog]

They're really fast?

 

[scubohuntr]

This is an interesting subject. I was at forum shoot today. We were shooting at targets at 200 yds away. Plus some people were shooting handguns. Some of the people were shooting steel hanging on chain at 200 yds next to the berm.

The berm dividing the lanes is over15 ft high at least. R.O.s comes over to us and tells us that we had a round come over the berm and go through someones jacket sleeve. Ricochet he thought from the steel maybe who knows. So we relocate all steel to opposite side of range.

So let me get this straight. Rd hit hanging steel went over a berm at least 15 high travel at least 40 yards comes down and backward and goes through a jacket sleeve.

The R.O.s harrassed us on the range after that till I just loaded up and left. They kept coming back every 20 mins looking for something a reason to evict the forum off the range.

From my understanding when this happened they were up close to targets shooting steel. If that is true. I this the ricochet might have come from there own range. R.Os was wanting our R.O.s insurance info to. Just in case.

That got me thinking they were trying to cover their butts. By blaming someone else for a ricochet that actually happen on their range. We've been shoot there for years and never had this problem with range before. At least 4 events a year. But its under new mangement.

Shooting hanging steel produces ricochets, if at all, that go into the dirt a few feet uprange of the targets. The target starts to swing, starting presumably at vertical, the bullet ricochets at a downward angle, the swing completes. Now, if the target is swinging forward when it is hit, it could have different effects. However, the reason shooting steel is so satisfying is that a bullet dumps a whole lot of energy when it hits the target. The noise and the motion are all due to transfer of energy from the bullet to the steel. If someone is shooting AP or really good solids, there may be enough left of the bullet to ricochet a significant distance under really freakish conditions (I mean two crossfired bullets colliding in flight and still hitting the appropriate ten-rings odds). I've fired many thousands of rounds of rifle, pistol, and smallbore at metallic silhouettes and never seen a real ricochet with potential to harm shooters or bystanders. Very occasionally, a small piece of jacket will make it back to the firing line from the handgun chickens, usually when someone is shooting hot rifle-caliber loads with varmint bullets. I've seen pieces of staple come back from paper targets too.

But that's logic and science. Neither is invited to the party when some moron wants to shut down a range, or part of it. Back in the seventies there used to be a rifle range on top of Table Mountain between Denver and Golden. People living down below decided they didn't like it and sued. Evidence was presented that bullets- shiny undeformed softnose bullets, with no rifling engraved- had been found in backyards, which MUST have come from the range, and therefore the kids were all in mortal danger. The range was closed.

 

[4xforfun]

Well, the 2013 IBS 600 Nationals were held in St Louis. It sits next to a a pistol range where they run around and shoot at targets all over the place.....not sure what they call it...action pistol, maybe? I am not sure weather of not they shoot steel or into the berms on the pistol range, but i do know for sure that we shot steel sighters on the 600 yard line. Big, thick, heavy, non swinging steel targets. They shot all weekend, all day, right next to us. Never heard a peep about safety by ANYBODY!! It never even entered my mind.

 

[Nature Boy]

I've been shot at before and it always makes me nervous to be inside the range fan when the range is hot.

Our 500 yard lane is behind the pistol berms and you have to walk behind it to hang your targets. I do it.......... but I don't like it.