fluke accident at the range yesterday

[Reptile]

I got hit with a very small piece of metal that ricocheted this past weekend.

15 yards away shooting steel.

At the same time the shooter ahead of me (I was behind the line on the left) was hit someplace and had a cut.
That is what I heard him talk about but I did not actually see it.

It was more than likely Blazer.

As for my "wound" it could have not hit a better spot.

It took it right in the gut and it left a small mark on my shirt and I seem to recall seeing a metallic remnant the size of a caraway seed.

It did not hurt at all but I felt a needle prick.

When I lifted my shirt a while later, I saw a tiny abrasion that was 1cm long and .5cm was a cut that drew less a tiny bit of blood.

The shirt really made the wound less damaging.

It could have done serious damage to an unprotected eye.

Although no worse than a paper cut, it shows how freak accidents can happen.

Also more proof of needed eye protection that wraps around the whole eye.

If this sort of thing happened to John Kerry, he would have 5 Purple Hearts.

 

[mikerossi1976]

Damn, scary stuff! Guess this is why my range only allows paper...

 

[Rancho]

I had a friend get MRSA from a piece of copper jacket that hit his hand.

 

[Supermoto]

When I RO shooters on stages that get a lot of splash back, I cover my throat with my hand, my junk with the other.

 

[Gammon]

Splash back is a problem. Most of the real problems I have witnessed were a result of the target, not the projectile.

 

[Admin]

I'm glad the dude wasn't seriously injured. I've only seen one of what I would call "serious" (requiring medial attention) steel shooting injuries. As others have said good steel set up properly is usually pretty safe.

Not to derail but it's a peeve of mine, Hunters Ed is exactly what you get when non-freedom loving Fudds accept the government encroaching on their rights. You would be hard pressed to find a larger waste of 20 hours on the planet. [/rant]

 

[drgrant]

Pretty sure that the cheap Blazer .45 is steel core. No longer shooting it at my clubs indoor range because of that very issue.

As someone whose probably fired like 6000+ rounds of that stuff, no, its not... unless they changed the jacket recently. It was always just a copper plated bullet.

 

[bigblue]

I need to get me some of this steel penetrator .45 ! They will surely be banning this deadly round soon!

 

[drgrant]

Damn, scary stuff! Guess this is why my range only allows paper...

No, they only allow paper because communism. That and there probably was a time where they allowed things other than paper and had problems, probably with people leaving trash all over the range. It's one of those deals where steel and other things would be fine, but invariably either bad management comes along (hurr-durring fudds) or a few bad members do things that create a "and this why we can't have nice things" kind of situation.

-Mike

 

[drgrant]

I had a friend get MRSA from a piece of copper jacket that hit his hand.

You mean he got MRSA from the wound that happened and bacteria or whatever somehow or another getting inside that wound... unless the bullets themselves are coated with MRSA.

Infections often make me wonder where this stuff originates from, though. I mean, is this stuff all because someone, somewhere, pooped without washing their hands?

-Mike

 

[cekim]

You mean he got MRSA from the wound that happened and bacteria or whatever somehow or another getting inside that wound... unless the bullets themselves are coated with MRSA.

Infections often make me wonder where this stuff originates from, though. I mean, is this stuff all because someone, somewhere, pooped without washing their hands?

-Mike

Doesn't have to be human, but yes, that's the short version...

 

[bigblue]

Infected rat/mouse/squirrel poops in puddle, splash on open wound, and we have a winner.

 

[cekim]

Infected rat/mouse/squirrel poops in puddle, splash on open wound, and we have a winner.

Or you go to a hospital and touch pretty much anything and boom!

 

[bigblue]

Or you go to a hospital and touch pretty much anything and boom!

True, I was just thinking about the range. Hell, there are plenty of mice in your backyard that are infected with one bacteria or another. You never know when or where that stuff can get you.

 

[SubieGuy4]

Yep I'll add to this thread with a recent experience of my own. Took a friend and his girlfriend to the range the other weekend. He's been a gun owner for a while but she'd only had trigger time once in her life prior. I went over the safety rules before we went out on the range, as usual, but lately I've definitely been less forceful lately with my explanation of the safety rules for new shooters.

Later we're on the pistol range and she's shooting my G19 with Federal aluminum 115gr FMJ in it. She'd been shooting a string while I was shooting my G20, and my buddy was watching her. She stopped shooting and lowered the gun from firing position, and just as I looked over (thinking she was empty) the gun goes off. My first thought was that she ND'd but her finger wasn't in the trigger guard. Lo and freaking behold, it was the first hang fire I've witnessed and it happened in a new shooter's hand of all places. Thankfully she did in fact have her muzzle aimed down range but it definitely scared me and was a reminder what can happen if you get complacent. In future I'll be spending more time reinforcing safety for new shooters.

 

[bigblue]

Yep I'll add to this thread with a recent experience of my own. Took a friend and his girlfriend to the range the other weekend. He's been a gun owner for a while but she'd only had trigger time once in her life prior. I went over the safety rules before we went out on the range, as usual, but lately I've definitely been less forceful lately with my explanation of the safety rules for new shooters.

Later we're on the pistol range and she's shooting my G19 with Federal aluminum 115gr FMJ in it. She'd been shooting a string while I was shooting my G20, and my buddy was watching her. She stopped shooting and lowered the gun from firing position, and just as I looked over (thinking she was empty) the gun goes off. My first thought was that she ND'd but her finger wasn't in the trigger guard. Lo and freaking behold, it was the first hang fire I've witnessed and it happened in a new shooter's hand of all places. Thankfully she did in fact have her muzzle aimed down range but it definitely scared me and was a reminder what can happen if you get complacent. In future I'll be spending more time reinforcing safety for new shooters.

Another great reminder of why the firearm safety rules should ALWAYS be followed: Even when you think the gun is unloaded you get one of these.

 

[IvIax]

He survived a deadly case.

 

[maswell]

http://www.alloutdoor.com/2014/03/10/understanding-safety-steel-targets/

I found this very helpful.