Are they dangerous

[joeyj]

Hi fellows, I recently purchased a ALLEN orange swinging target. One of the two clubs are belong to only allows punching holes in paper. I was told I have to set it up at the rifle range. They made a vague reference those targets are known to have ricochets. I use a walker and to get to the rifle range is a real chore for me. My question is "has anybody had any experience with those targets".

[imashooter2]

Steel targets have ricochets. It gets substantially more dangerous if the targets are pocked from using jacketed ammo above their rating. Most competitions have rules that don*t allow steel to be set closer than 10 yards. Targets can be mounted on an angle towards the earth to help mitigate problems.

[imashooter2]

Check out Throom (formerly Newbold) targets for self healing plastic.

[Grizz2720]

I was at a cowboy shoot and was hit in the gut with a ricochet from a steel target. I ended up with a quarter size bruise and one small drop of blood from it.
The ricochet dropped to ground right in front of my feet. It was 2/3 of a .45 lc. I have the bullet sitting in my gun safe.

[TDIfan]

We were shooting at some steel plates once. They were regular 3/8" steel not AR500. The plates were pretty beat up, with holes and some craters. I was on the firing line and took a shot at 45 yds with fmj . 223. I took one shot and heard someone behind me shout "ow". My father in law was standing about 10 feet behind me and got hit in the belly by the jacket from my bullet. Just a small bruise and a little blood, but dangerous none the less. I must have hit a crater and the bullet turned itself inside out and the jacket came back 180 degrees right back at us. We matched right up there and took down the plates. We've used AR500 targets since with no issues.

[Xringshooter]

I shoot steel plates (AR500) a pretty fair amount. Always either top angled towards the shooter to deflect to the ground, swinging or falling plate. For handguns we never allow closer than 10 yards, for rifles never closer than 50 yds and typically shooters just want them at 75 or 100 yds (other than for .22s) Have never had any problems with ricochets. That said, that doesn't mean that one could never happen, you're shooting firearms and live ammo for heavens sake - you can never predict what might or might not occur.

[joeyj]

Thank you, I checked out Throom's targets and gathered a wealth of information from them. Joe

[imashooter2]

I was at a cowboy shoot and was hit in the gut with a ricochet from a steel target. I ended up with a quarter size bruise and one small drop of blood from it.
The ricochet dropped to ground right in front of my feet. It was 2/3 of a .45 lc. I have the bullet sitting in my gun safe.

Mine was a .45 ACP from the PA Steel League. Hit me in the crotch right where my right leg joins the body. Missed my junk, thank you! It was a disk the size of a quarter. It stuck to my jeans and was hot. Burn your fingers hot. Big bruise. After that, whenever I RO a stage with steel, I hold my left hand over my throat. People may think it*s crazy, but taking a ricochet in the throat would suck.

[JoshIronshaft]

Here is a piece of 9mm jacket stuck in my arm from a steel target frag. Got it last summer.



I shoot steel all the time. Shit happens.

Im not a fan of swinging or free hanging steel. I like my steel to be angled and fixed so frag goes down into the ground consistently.

I know a guy who was shooting a big swinging steel gong and a round came back as a thin disk, it went into his groin and he had to be life flighted from the range, almost killed him.

Last year I met a guy who caught a ricochet off a plastic barrel! The bullet entered the rim edge, traveled around the circumference about 180 degrees, came out of the barrel and the intact 9mm round went into his left bicep and stopped in his tricep, just missing the bone.

I have also seen bullets bounce off trees, water, and rocks and do weird things.

Regardless of what the target is I always have an IFAK close at hand with tourniquet, hemostatic agent gauze, pressure bandage, and chest seal. The bigger med kit is in the car with more items.

[arandy]

I was like 15 shooting a 30.06 100 yard steal plate, jacket came back and hit my Dad in the thigh . He was standing behind me to the right , hole in his pants and drew a little blood .