Guy at the range took some shrapnel

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A few years ago, I was shooting a percussion revolver when a piece of the spent percussion cap hit my cheek, close to my eye. Immediately I thought "Yeah, that's why you wear eye protection"
Even just sunglasses are suitable, so if the thick 'ugly' glasses don't suit you.. but still, Safety over looks, at all times.

This is a plug for folks to get and wear ANSI standard safety glasses and not just regular sunglasses.

ANSI is the American National Standards Institute which sets and holds standards for safety for a good many industries. It sets standards for different types of safety glasses as well. Those used as protection against small bits of flying metal and grit (worn by machinists, woodworkers, etc.) are particularly appropriate for shooting.

The prices range from a dollar a set to more expensive if you care what they look like. You can pick them up cheap at most hardware stores. They can be used where ever drills, grinders, etc. are used.

You can also get your regular glasses made of ANSI approved material and simply wear those at the range.

Eye protection is critical.

https://www.fullsource.com/safety-g...MI-aSw0a-H4wIVA8NkCh2aNQsOEAAYAyAAEgJ5VPD_BwE

https://safetygearpro.com/product-c...sses/?product_orderby=price&product_order=asc
 
When at the range it takes years of shooting to go deaf but you can go blind right now.

I have bled multiple times due to fragments of jacket or bullets hitting me at USPSA matches. If I am at the range I have glasses on.
 
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I shoot indoors and for the most part feel reasonably safe with the way each lane is set-up. The box is basically enclosed up to about waist level where the front has 1/2" plywood with the typical steel frame composite plastic dividers between lanes. The bottom has just enough clearance ~6" so that they can push a broom under to push brass out. I've been to other indoor range where it is only the front shelf at the lane so there is complete pass through for any bounce back.

Paper targets are supposed to be suspended down from a 12" piece of cardboard from the 6'3" hanger. Range prefers that most targets are at chest level. Obviously they don't want shooters aiming up. Regardless there are those shooters that have a difficult time hitting the target so it is pretty startling to hear the sound of lead hitting the steel hanger.

I've had several encounters with those shooting #8 12 ga when they hit the hanger and the shot bounces all over. Have had some jacket fragmentation too but those have come back to the plywood or I find them behind the firing line. Seeing shooters in other lanes hit the ceiling or wall is SMH. Some of these are at less than 5 yards so how they have the gun at that angle of trajectory is very scary.

That's another reason why I choose to shoot at off hour, low usage times. Do my drills then get out.
 
I've gotten hit countless time by splatter from steel targets at USPSA matches, and have had blood drawn a couple of times.

Not only do I always wear eye protection, if there's steel being shot it's going to be wraparound.

Never look sideways when someone is shooting steel. Either look uprange or downrange. You don't want a piece of frag finding the gap between your cheek and the glasses and getting your eye from the side.
 
I do a lot of handgun shooting at close steel, both rimfire and centerfire. I've been hit with little bits, never enough to break the skin though. Having targets angled downward or hanging from a high pivot-point helps quite a bit.

I am leery, however, of shooting a center-fire rifle at steel at any range under about 75-100 yards. If you want an awakening, find about 10 or so rounds of tracer ammo in your rifle caliber and let them fly at a dirt bank or berm, and watch what they do after impact. All. Over. The. Place.
 
At a 25yd indoor range a .44mag slug hit the backstop (chopped rubber?) just right and bounced back and hit me in the chest hard enough to leave a welt. I'm glad it was my chest and not my face.

So even the well engineered "safe" indoor ranges can have issues.
 
I thought that jackets tend to fragment and become small, sharp projectiles.

No jacket=less sharp pieces from splatter? Just an idea.

I actually do think there's a little to this. Stuff with hard jackets does tend to "zing" me more often than coated or plated bullets. It's rarely the lead that comes back uprange with any zip to it.
 
After reading this thread, couldn't help but post this oldie:


I had that happen test firing a Zoli O/U. It doubled and the barrels backed out of the the test tube's rubber grommet under recoil from the first shot, and the second's shot column hit the steel rim of the test tube and took my earmuffs off. Should have bought a lottery ticket that day.
 
These folks give some very detailed recommendations regarding shooting steel targets. They're worth studying.

https://shootingtargets7.com/selection

I've been hit with bullet fragments and have seen others hit also.

The frequency of projectiles coming back at shooters on the public section of the range I RO at went way down when we implemented a rule that no steel could be closer than 50 yards from the firing line.
 
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Avoid steel plates that have pock marks.
Yep, I have a "neat" small scar on my neck from a bullet/jacket fragment that came back at when a buddy and I were shooting pock marked steel at 5-7 yards. Piece embedded itself in my neck. I feel the impact of being hit. Realize it's ricochet or splatter, reach up, there's shrapnel in my neck. Pull out part of it, holster my gun. Walk back to bench area. Bleeding pretty well by then. My buddy helps pull out the remaining jacket piece. Apply pressure, get the bleeding to stop. Clean it out as best we can at the range. Clean it some more when I get home. Wife is wondering why my Tshirt is a bloody mess.
Next day I went to Urgent Care to ensure it was all out, and get it disinfected.

At the indoor range I frequent, we have some jacket pieces coming back from the 25 yard backstop/baffles sometimes. Sometimes the pieces can sting or cut. I think it happens more when the opening in the baffles gets clogged up with lead smears.
 
It's rarely the lead that comes back uprange with any zip to it

Had a blue bullet whack me in the belly, good thing I have a little, well a lot of padding. Swelled up like a golf ball for a few days, leaving a nasty bruise for a week or so. no blood though
 
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Put a target on end of 20" log. Fired 4 rounds 44 mag 240gn jsp at 20ft. 5th one came back hit my belt dead center.
Paper with dirt bern only target for me.
 
This is a good video of bullet impacts on soft and hard plate steel.



Hard plate video of centerfire rounds starts around 7:00 in and you can see how much more stuff just goes radially vs backwards.
 
I do not have a shrapnel story to tell. However, my wife and I just joined a gun club; eye and ear protection are mandatory on all of the ranges (no exceptions). Also, it was highly recommended that long pants are always worn to the steel handgun range. It all made sense to us - very good advice.
Long pants and shoes, not sandals, our range didn't specify shoes, as opposed to sandals. One very warm summer day I was shooting one of my semi-autos and had hot brass bounce onto the top of my foot, instant education, also no v necks especially with semi autos, nothing like hot brass down the front of your shirt to make you forget basic range rules....
 
If you ever have a case land between your safety glasses and head, you’ll add a ball cap to your list.

The Browning SA-22 is best with short sleeves only as I will never forget it dumping hot brass down the cuff of my shirt and that was decades ago.
 
Even indoor bullet traps can be honeycombed with lead, hit one and it’s not uncommon to see a projectile coming back.
 
I've seen and endured:

1. A fragment coming off a steel plate that sliced my chin open. Didn't know it until folks said my beard was turning red. Direct pressure stopped this.
2. Watched someone shoot a version of the the Texas star and a small flake of lead gently landed on my tongue as I was talking.
3. We had a tire holding up a target stand. A guy hit the tire and the 45 ACP bounced back, you could see it coming. Hit a guy in the chest for a bruise.
4. A fragment of copper from a round, at an IDPA match, hit a friend in the chest and gave him a bleeding set of small cuts through his t-shirt.
5. A rifle round from one lane bounced off something and hit a guy next to me in the head with a real whack. I would have gone to the hospital myself but he didn't want to cause a stir. I know too much about head whacks to ignore one of this impact but that's his call. Another round then came in and bounced off the metal roof of the range table. Folks went to that lane and talked to the folks there.
6. Another ricochet like that (wasn't there) truly shot a guy. Ambulances, the law, etc. showed. The shooter tried to sneak off but was stopped. They were shooting at something off the target for stupid grins.
 
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