Saturday, October 11, 2008
Why even target shooting can be dangerous
The video clip below demonstrates very graphically how dangerous a ricochet from an improperly erected or inadequate backstop can be to the shooter.
(WARNING - language alert!)
Looking at the video, I can see a couple of potential problems. First, the backstop is very steeply sloped. Ideally a backstop should be more gradually sloped, offering a greater angle to the ground to redirect ricochets. Second, it's very dark soil. I don't know what type of soil was used, but a sandy, softer soil is always better than a thicker, harder soil - and it goes without saying (or it should!) that there should be no stones or rocks in the soil, as these are ricochets looking for a place to happen!
Another factor is to check with the range staff how long it's been since the backstop was sieved for old bullets. I've been on ranges where this hasn't been done for a long time, and the backstops are simply full of old bullets. Guess what? If your bullet hits one of them at just the right angle, it can ricochet off it just as it would off a rock.
You'll notice in the slow-motion replay that there's a puff of dust ahead of the shooter just before the bullet strikes him. Obviously, his shot bounced off the backstop (or something in it), hit the ground, and then ricocheted upwards into his head. He's amazingly fortunate that it didn't hit an inch or two lower. That would almost certainly have killed him.
This is also why you should not shoot at targets, or target frames or posts, made of steel - at least, not with high-power rifle rounds. Handguns, which have much lower energy, can often be safely fired at such targets from a safe distance. However, rifle rounds pack far more energy (typically four to eight times as much, or even more, than a typical handgun round), and all that energy has to go somewhere! In this case, it expended itself in a ricochet that nearly went into the shooter's head!
Sobering stuff.
Peter
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4 comments:
There is another video like this, but it features a similarily lucky southern gentleman with a .50 calibre rifle. A brief youtube search should find it.
I've seen this video before. They've got a YouTube account with it on there somewhere. I believe it was posted to THR a couple of weeks ago.
When I looked at their other videos there were more ricochet shots at this same range with the same people. They're either the unluckiest shooters in the world, or they like staging ricochet videos.
The .50BMG steel plate video reflectscope is talking about was shot and posted by George Hill. That one isn't fake!
Shooting steel targets can be great fun and is good training if done correctly. However, most shooters are unaware of how to do it correctly, and grab any old piece of steel, set it up, and bang away. Before shooting steel, you need to talk to someone about types of steel, safe distances etc. Also, the more damage the steel sustains, the more likely ricochets become. This is because the craters in the surface tend to redirect the bullet back in the direction it came from. Steel that is cratered should never be shot at ranges less than 100 yds, and further is preferable.
Years ago, my Dad and I were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time when an indoor range was closing. The backstop had never been cleaned.
We ended up with about 10 garbage cans full of spent bullets, etc. The only bad part was this was December, and we nearly froze our tails off melting it all down and recasting it into fresh bullets with the garage door wide open. :)
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