Steel Case Ammo Warning

[Righteous2u]

I got my new 91/30 laminated from J&G and off to the range I went. I had some surplus sivertip tip FMJ ammo and loaded one shell. I decided to see if I could hit the 12"x12" swinging steel plate at 100 yards before
I ever sighted it in. The sound of the steel plate being smacked was great but at the same time I heard the plate I had the bullet come back and hit me in the knee. Thought I knew pain but my Lord did that hurt. Got a little metal out of
My leg and it's bruised big time. Be careful of whT you shoot with this old ammo as it won't expand. I have shot for years and this first time this has happen and hopefully the last. I start shooting at paper now.

[no4shot]

Our clubs range don't even have metal clangers or allow. Our rule is paper or nothing. Our biggest concern is that town is about a mile in the direction we shoot.

I hope you are alright and you have a speedy recovery.

[Junk Yard Dog]

This would be a good lesson on why we do not shoot steel targets with steel core military surplus ammo. It will spark and cause fires ( yes, I had it happen to me, so it's not bullshit) and it will come back on you, the French have a word for it, it's called a ricochet. It's a particular danger when shooting at the short ranges most of us shoot from like 50-150 yards.

A ricochet (/ˈrɪkəʃeɪ/ RIK-ə-shay) is a rebound, bounce or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. The possibility of ricochet is one of the reasons for the common firearms safety rule "Never shoot at a flat, hard surface

from Wiki.

[BuckeyeSgt]

There is a video of a guy shooting a .50 bmg at a steel target. It came back on him. Got luckier than crap.

We would be out on the M60 range at night and those tracers danced all over the place. You think a bullet would just hit the ground and go in but nope. Gives you a new perspective on knowing what is beyond the target.

[BubbaDX]

There is a video of a guy shooting a .50 bmg at a steel target. It came back on him. Got luckier than crap.

We would be out on the M60 range at night and those tracers danced all over the place. You think a bullet would just hit the ground and go in but nope. Gives you a new perspective on knowing what is beyond the target.

That is exactly what I thought about. Here might be the video you are talking about, you can see his hearing protection get knocked off his head by the ricochet. Steel targets make me nervous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ABGIJwiGBc

[Genetically Swiss]

We would be out on the M60 range at night and those tracers danced all over the place. You think a bullet would just hit the ground and go in but nope. Gives you a new perspective on knowing what is beyond the target.

Been there, done that. You are spot on, it was amazing how many different directions the rounds went. We have had fires at our range to as a result of sparks down range. We had one idiot firing tracers...


GS

[MarksmanTim]

I had a 40 s&w round hit me in the leg. I was shooting reduced recoil loads from my M&P Shield at 10 yards at my back stop made of plywood target mounts with 2 rows of railroad ties behind it (and a dirt pile behind that, but that's not required for the 40sw haha) Hurt a bit but didn't last long. My guess is the load was light enough that they weren't penetrating the railroad ties at all and this one bounced back at me.

[Joeinthehills]

NEVER EVER, SHOOT AT STEEL TARGETS!!!

Unless, they are 150 meters beyond your firing position!

Dumn Shits will do anything regardless of sensible rules of fire arm safety.

[mosinsky]

Wow! That was too close for comfort, especially if you were sitting down at the time! I hope that you recover quickly.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Just luck it had spent most of it's energy, had it not you would be getting out of surgery about now, possibly with a brand new stainless steel plate or rod in your leg holding the bone together, lots of cool stitches, an IV drip, and the hope that the blood transfusions didn't have HepC or worse in them. Or the bullet could have taken a different path, and went into your head, or the head of the guy on the next firing lane. Then the fun really gets going, death if your lucky, brain damage with very long term effects if your not. If it's the other guy dead then the police investigations start, the press wants to make you famous, the guys family, and all 150 members of his bike club are coming to look for you. You could be arrested, you could go to jail, there will be lawyers, huge legal bills, you would be living in interesting times. Playing with steel targets is risky, if you must do it then do it on a private range when you are alone, set something in front of your shooting bench to deflect spent or partly powered rounds that might come back, I have sections of cut up oil tank steel in front of my bench , and sand bags on top of it with as little of me exposed as possible. I shoot a lot of steel core ammo, one could strike a rock in the dirt behind my target stand and come back.

[bunkysdad]

Dang Jim, you forgot the drain tube, so the puss and crap can leak out.

[Darryl]

Small correction. It should read "Steel Core Ammo Warning" and not "Case".

[InOmaha]

You sure it wasn't a German back there returning fire?

Hope you're feeling better and don't set off any metal detectors at the airport from something you missed.

[fawnsworth]

I only shoot at steel with my .22 lr. They completely flatten like a pancake and splatter into the ground below the target.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Dang Jim, you forgot the drain tube, so the puss and crap can leak out.

and the weeks or months of physical therapy, the medications with all their interesting side effects, the possible permanent limp, or the nuclear option of amputation if they can't put the bits back together again. Blood clots, and all the things that happen when they break loose and head for other areas of the body, or just plain bleeding out while waiting for the medics to arrive.

[jones0430]

Geez, you guys are awful optimistic and cheerful.

[Junk Yard Dog]

, see, we can be happy

Geez, you guys are awful optimistic and cheerful.

I didn't even get to the gangrene part yet

[Junk Yard Dog]

We play with firearms, they are as deadly now as they were in 1900, or 1945, they need to be treated with the greatest of respect, and care must be taken when shooting them. Always plan for the worst case scenario, I have never had a round come back on me that I know of, but I am set up to prevent it's hurting me as much as I can be without just not shooting at all. Countless tens of thousands of rounds fired.

[bunkysdad]

Yes the firearms are just as dangerous. Thank God for the real heroes of the heroes that can perform the battle field magic and save the lives of our wounded warriors. The battle field hospitals and quick response time of our most modern Medivac teams is nothing short of a miracle if you ask me.

[soylentblue]

I once found a bullet at ~50 yards when I was shooting from 100 yards that made me pause and think that maybe the railroad ties were getting shot out and it was time to replace them.