Had a scare today

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Just a reminder for everyone to look out for themselves and others at the range. I was at the range today shooting my new to me Mosin Nagant. I decided to move from paper to a steel plate that was sitting at the 100 yard line. On the 2nd shot I heard a ricochet and immediately after the guy at the far end of the range swearing. It turns out the round bounced off the steel plate and hit him in the leg! Luckily it was just a scratch and didn't penetrate, but it was scary for all of us.

I didn't know it at the time, but upon further investigation I found out the 1953 Russian surplus ammo I was shooting was steel tipped (which explains why it ricocheted off the steel target). Make sure your ammo is safe to use on steel targets! I'm grateful he was not seriously hurt and he and I continued shooting after the incident.
 
Was with a friend plinking a brand-new spring-loaded steel popper once at the range. After 15-20 shots we walked out to set up new paper and there are HOLES in the steel popper.

Steel Cored ammo. Unfortunately the popper was pretty well trashed
 
there was a post here on NES im trying to find where a guy called a ceasefire after the shooter a few rows over bad multiple ricochets and he kept firing... ended up drawing on the guy... im having trouble finding the post...

anyway, luckily the other guy didnt pull a "that guy"

Get out..................that would be a sight to see,,,,if your under cover and or concealment hahaha
 
Another thing in general is before shooting rifles at steel be sure of the steel target and the rifle ammunition involved is up to the task. IIRC a magnet should pick out steel core ammo pretty easy.

If a steel target is weak it can cause jacket ricochets even with lead cored ammunition, because the bullet will not "explode" in nice vectors when it hits the steel.

-Mike
 
Now that's a way to make friends and influence people, two guys in the wrong, but only one guaranteed intent to kill.
Also, this is exactly what I mean when I talk about the "Me Firsties".
 
Now that's a way to make friends and influence people, two guys in the wrong, but only one guaranteed intent to kill.

We're all assuming, of course, that lumber200 or whoever he is, was actually telling the truth and not taking everyone for a ride. [rofl]

-Mike
 
Yeah, hey man, it's the internet, everyone is 9", 6'4", 250# and 4% body fat with black belts in every system known to man.

That said, If I was on a range line and saw one shooter put a pistol to another one's head, I'm pretty sure I'd shoot, being under the belief that I was about to witness a murder. (and probably go to jail in MA for not calling the PD to come in and protect me.)
 
Yeah, hey man, it's the internet, everyone is 9", 6'4", 250# and 4% body fat with black belts in every system known to man.

That said, If I was on a range line and saw one shooter put a pistol to another one's head, I'm pretty sure I'd shoot, being under the belief that I was about to witness a murder. (and probably go to jail in MA for not calling the PD to come in and protect me.)

That's an interesting scenario. Would make a good thread. Shoot or no shoot?

I think I'd try to actually assess the situation, perhaps while exiting backwards... I think I'd have a hard time justifying a shoot to myself if I wasn't 100% sure what was going on... 100% sure that person A was intending to commit violence upon person B. It could just be a couple of morons for all I know of this situation, goofing around and pointing empty guns at each other. Good reason to leave the club, not a good reason to open fire.
 
I'm gonna go ahead and assume the plates you're shooting at were vertical rather than slightly angled forward to direct ricochets into the ground rather than back at you. I still don't understand why anyone builds targets this way because even FMJ ammo will bounce back.
 
That's an interesting scenario. Would make a good thread. Shoot or no shoot?

I think I'd try to actually assess the situation, perhaps while exiting backwards... I think I'd have a hard time justifying a shoot to myself if I wasn't 100% sure what was going on... 100% sure that person A was intending to commit violence upon person B. It could just be a couple of morons for all I know of this situation, goofing around and pointing empty guns at each other. Good reason to leave the club, not a good reason to open fire.

Sometimes you don't have time to assess the situation, sometimes you do, I'd definitely be looking for an exit, but when all is said and done, a slug moves faster than I do. My worry would be that once he's done with victim #1, he's going after anyone else that's there. I just can't imagine anyone screwing around like that, and I hope I'd act if it came to self defense.

Would be an interesting thread though, see how many stone cold killer types we have. ;)
 
Sometimes you don't have time to assess the situation,


In this particular scenario, the gun is not pointed at me, which means I have time to assess the situation. It may end up in me not saving someone else's life, but it would also mean I didn't take a life needlessly.
 
Anyone else have 1st hand bounce-back from 100 yards?

I've shot 100's of regular FMJ, and steel-jacketed, lead core milsurp ammo at 100 yard steel w/o issues.
 
Would be an interesting thread though, see how many stone cold killer types we have. ;)

I wouldn't think of it as a measure of how "stone-cold" you are; just an exerise in manifestation of your personal "mission statement". Speaking for myself, I wouldn't draw on that pair unless I knew I or my family was in immediate danger. If I thought that dude was probably gonna waste the first guy and then turn on me, probably would qualify; but if it was an altercation between two gents that came to a fight, I'm not raising my son from prison on account of a couple of D-bags wanting to kill each other.
 
Mexican Standoff. Awesome.

mexican-standoff-photo.jpg

....who invited Nicholas Cage?
 
Anyone else have 1st hand bounce-back from 100 yards?

I've shot 100's of regular FMJ, and steel-jacketed, lead core milsurp ammo at 100 yard steel w/o issues.


I got hit with a lead bullet that bounced back across a range at the Woodsman's club in Athol years ago during a cowboy match Got hit by a cross range bounce off of a rifle target that probably traveled 135 + yds total distance .
 
That's an interesting scenario. Would make a good thread. Shoot or no shoot?

I think I'd try to actually assess the situation, perhaps while exiting backwards... I think I'd have a hard time justifying a shoot to myself if I wasn't 100% sure what was going on... 100% sure that person A was intending to commit violence upon person B. It could just be a couple of morons for all I know of this situation, goofing around and pointing empty guns at each other. Good reason to leave the club, not a good reason to open fire.

Rack the slide and aim for the leg
 
Anyone else have 1st hand bounce-back from 100 yards?

I've shot 100's of regular FMJ, and steel-jacketed, lead core milsurp ammo at 100 yard steel w/o issues.

Yes: If I was not wearing safety glasses it would have been a real bad day. Amazing how sobering it is when you are hit with a ricochet: You learn really quick not to shoot at steel that is standing straight up. Noobie that I was a LONG time ago, assuming the energy would "splatter" the round, I have not made that same mistake twice.
 
Anyone else have 1st hand bounce-back from 100 yards?

I've shot 100's of regular FMJ, and steel-jacketed, lead core milsurp ammo at 100 yard steel w/o issues.

I took part of a jacket in the cheek at my club a couple years back, guy was shooting at steel at 100 yds and I was sitting at my table on the line and felt a sting and blood, guy was nice about it and apologized. It was only us 2 there so it was easy to figure out. He was shooting 308 150gr FMJ and it was just a freakish thing. Quick band aid and back to shooting.
 
I took part of a jacket in the cheek at my club a couple years back, guy was shooting at steel at 100 yds and I was sitting at my table on the line and felt a sting and blood, guy was nice about it and apologized. It was only us 2 there so it was easy to figure out. He was shooting 308 150gr FMJ and it was just a freakish thing. Quick band aid and back to shooting.

I've been showered with jacket shrapnel on multiple occasions. Taking pictures of the shooters at MRA pistol plate events. I've been hit in the face multiple times, and everywhere else.
 
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