Almost hit my neighbor

[hog45]

It has been a long time since I posted

a few days ago I had a groundhog in my yard, and all I had with me was a pistol, loaded with FMJ. I lined up a shot and pressed the trigger. My nearest neighbors are about 300 yards away from me, up a hill and through a woods. I was aiming at a 90 degree angle away from them. They were to my right, up the hill and through the woods. I was aiming straight ahead.

I missed, and the groundhog ran away.

Next day the neighbor's son came over (he is a grown man, probably in his 40s). He was very polite, but also very firm. Apparently my bullet hit a post and landed 2 feet away from his mom, sitting on their deck. He described the bullet caliber, and the time of day it happened, and there is no doubt it was my bullet. It didn't do any damage and nobody was hurt. They did not call the cops, but had been thinking about it. I apologized profusely, and feel absolutely horrible about it. I don't really even want to shoot anymore, although I hate groundhogs and have 10 acres of woods and a very clear (or so I thought) shooting lane that up until now has always been perfectly safe. I have an embankment behind where I shot, and nobody else behind it for like a mile of woods. I have no idea how my bullet wound up going 90 degrees sideways, but it did. I don't know my neighbors at all, and will probably stop over there soon to apologize in person. I am kind of nervous about this because of how bad of a first impression I have made, but I think it must be the right thing.

I assume it is because it was FMJ, while a soft point would have stopped.

A few years ago at an outdoor range my windshield got hit by a FMJ. I was parked 100 yards directly behind the shooting lane.

I am writing for a few reasons.

1. To remind everyone to be safe, because even a good shooting lane is not a guarantee.
2. FMJ bullets do totally unpredictable things and virtually nothing is totally safe
3. Be good neighbors

[bogey1]

Take it with a grain of salt. I was accused of shooting through someones house from over two mile away.
The bullet supposedly traveled over a backstop about 50'tall, down a mountain side,
and straightened out and went through the back of the house, out the front of the house.
The cops showed me pictures, and even the bullet. It was the same caliber,
but not mine. It didn't even have a mark on it besides the lands and grooves which don't match my barrels.

It scared me enough to call the guy and make arrangements to pay for the damage, then I woke up.
F-off asshole, you know as well as me it wasn't mine, you say you've been out of work for over a year?

Foreign bastard was trying to get over on me. He was probably at the range when I was shooting.

Nothing ever happened, never called the state police back (they called twice) never paid the insurance claim
his insurance co. sent me.

[Krichardson]

Interesting how the caliber of the round was so easily determined in both cases.

[RenoV8]

I would look into it a little more... Seems very strange that a FMJ would travel that far without some deflection and or spalling during the process. I know shit happens, but sometimes it doesn't. Point made by Bogey1 serves as a cause for further investigation. I would still apologize and see where they are on a map as it relates to your property and see if the likelyhood of that bullet truly is yours.

[streaker69]

If all firearms had microstamping implemented then we'd quickly know who the bullet belongs to.

[09polaris]

If all firearms had microstamping implemented then we'd quickly know who the bullet belongs to.

I see what u did there...

[Krichardson]

If all firearms had microstamping implemented then we'd quickly know who the bullet belongs to.

I wasn't aware that they did,Hell,I have never seen a fired bullet slug.

[theunrulychef]

Bullets do funny things when they hit something hard. I've personally recovered bullets that I know were mine in some pretty odd places, in completely different directions from where they would have been shot. My personal experience, anecdotal as it may be, leads me to think it's possible that the bullet glanced off a rock, then bounced off a tree & over to your neighbor's house - or some other series of rube goldberg-esque events that led the bullet to your neighbor's. Whether that bullet would have had enough energy to do more than bruise, who knows.

[bogey1]

Bullets do funny things when they hit something hard. I've personally recovered bullets that I know were mine in some pretty odd places, in completely different directions from where they would have been shot. My personal experience, anecdotal as it may be, leads me to think it's possible that the bullet glanced off a rock, then bounced off a tree & over to your neighbor's house - or some other series of rube goldberg-esque events that led the bullet to your neighbor's. Whether that bullet would have had enough energy to do more than bruise, who knows.

If you really want to know where a bullet travels, use tracers.
You will me amazed.

[DukeConnor]

If you really want to know where a bullet travels, use tracers.
You will me amazed.

I was thinking the same thing.