heard a terrible story at the range the other day

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SpeedAKL

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So I was getting in some end-of-semester shooting the other week. I always like to strike up conversations with other people at the range and examine their toys; these two guys had brought along a couple beautiful Lee-Enfields that had been converted into sporter rifles. Anyhow, we got to talking and the guy starts telling me of a bass-fishing trip gone really, really wrong.

They were down on the New River in southwest VA, right by the Radford Army Ammo Plant. It's a pretty decent fishing spot. All of the sudden, a white trash bin gets thrown into the river from the other side and soon bullets start whizzing by. Whoever was shooting at it was apparently a pretty poor shot, because these guys were nowhere near the trash can and were taking lead. They were eventually able to get the shooters' attention by yelling, but not before a rifle round entered one of the fishers' shoulders and exited out the back:barf:

He showed the scar, it wasn't pretty. Thankfully no major arteries got pierced and it was a smaller-caliber round.

I'm not at all opposed to shooting on open land out in the boondocks, but be careful!!!!!! Events like this make us shooters look bad!
 
There's a similar problem in El Paso. Outside the city limits, it's all barren desert, so you think it's a great place to set up targets and shoot, right?



Well, if you're within 5 miles of the main highway, there's a good chance there are dirtbikers and ATV'ers in the area. I haven't heard anything about a dirtbiker getting shot as a result, but it wouldn't surprise me if it has happened in the past.
 
They might have been taking ricochets off the water/rocks jutting out. Unbelievable, that people still do not follow the rules of firearm safety, including do not shoot at anything floating on the water.

-Sans Authoritas
 
I was once walking up a dirt road to get to the shooting area, and some idiot was firing down the road he himself had to walk up to get to where he was.

I don't know if there are any lessons from any of it, other than that some people are pretty stupid.
 
do not shoot at anything floating on the water
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I'm not familiar with this safety rule... With a good backstop behind the water, I find shooting at floating objects to be quite fun, and very safe.

This, of course, wouldn't excuse the idiots who were shooting at someone on the other side... Charges ought to be filed against those idiots. You wouldn't think it'd be _that_ hard to find them, if the police had been informed quickly.

A river with an overhanging cliff on the back side has long been a favorite shooting spot for me. Chunks of wood tossed upstream make very satisfying reactive targets. Sure, bullets are likely to skip off the surface... but they're not going anywhere.

In my opinion, a safe backstop is the rule these idiots ignored... I don't know why the water had anything to do with it.

Chris
 
They might have been taking ricochets off the water/rocks jutting out.
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Given the small caliber round (.22 LR possibly?) would there be enough energy for this after an aqueous ricochet? It perforated his shoulder with an exit wound in his back.
Honestly curious.
 
Unbelievable, that people still do not follow the rules of firearm safety, including do not shoot at anything floating on the water.
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I'm not familiar with this firearm safety rule. I've shot at plenty of things floating on water. If you follow the 4 rules (especially the one about being sure what is beyond your target) you will be fine.

ETA: Obviously the shooters involved in this incident were not aware of what was beyond their target, and it is a scary story.
 
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Shooting at things on the water is just as hazardous as shooting at rocks or other surfaces from which the bullet will ricochet. You have no idea where the bullet is going to go. It has been a rule taught by instructors since there have been instructors, Boy Scouts, NRA, 4H , hunter safety, you name it. The fact that you have always done it and have never had any problem does not make it a safe thing to do.
 
Shooting at things on the water is just as hazardous as shooting at rocks or other surfaces from which the bullet will ricochet. You have no idea where the bullet is going to go. It has been a rule taught by instructors since there have been instructors, Boy Scouts, NRA, 4H , hunter safety, you name it. The fact that you have always done it and have never had any problem does not make it a safe thing to do.
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I am familiar with the concept of bullets skipping off the water. Please explain to me what is unsafe about shooting a .22 off a boat in the middle of the Atlantic with no other vessel visible on the horizon.

Like any other shooting, if you are 100% positive that your bullets will attain zero velocity without hitting anything you don't want them to hit, it is safe shooting. Water has nothing to do with it if you always follow the 4 rules.

Shooting at things on the water is just as hazardous as shooting at rocks or other surfaces from which the bullet will ricochet.
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I especially disagree with this part. When shooting at solid objects (rocks, steel, etc.) there is a chance for bullet fragments (or in some cases the whole projectile) to ricochet back at the shooter. At least when shooting over water the bullet is skipping away from the shooter.

I am not advocating shooting at the turtle on the pond, where people may be standing on the other side. I am merely pointing out that if the 4 rules are followed shooting on the water is a perfectly safe (and enjoyable) experience.
 
I would think there would have been a police report filed. Just making an assumption here, but if they went to a hospital emergency room to get treatment, the hospital would have automatically alerted police.

As said before here, hope Karma comes around.
 
It's weird what stray bullets can do, and only emphasize the importance of following the fundamental safety rules.

Several years ago my dad was driving through a BFE section of South Carolina with no other vehicles nearby, and all of a sudden there was a very loud pop and a large impact crack on the windshield. We can only figure it must have been a stray bullet because there were no other vehicles to kick up rocks, and a bird would've probably left some sort of evidence on the glass.

Sometime back in the mid 80s at an amusement park here (Carowinds) a girl swimming in the water park was killed by a stray bullet that came from a nearby rifle range.

Absolutely be sure of your backstop, always!
 
I am also confused about this rule of not shooting anything floating in the water. I've heard that the Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps routinely train with small arms by shooting over the rail at floating targets. Is there something special that the armed services do to make this practice safe?
 
waterhouse said:
I am familiar with the concept of bullets skipping off the water. Please explain to me what is unsafe about shooting a .22 off a boat in the middle of the Atlantic with no other vessel visible on the horizon.
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Nobody was talking about way out on the ocean - they were talking about rivers, streams, ponds and the like.

waterhouse said:
Quote:Shooting at things on the water is just as hazardous as shooting at rocks or other surfaces from which the bullet will ricochet.

I especially disagree with this part. When shooting at solid objects (rocks, steel, etc.) there is a chance for bullet fragments (or in some cases the whole projectile) to ricochet back at the shooter. At least when shooting over water the bullet is skipping away from the shooter.
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So you're only concerned about your own safety? Nice :rolleyes:
 
So you're only concerned about your own safety? Nice
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Did you even bother reading his whole post???

waterhouse stated, multiple times, that if one follows the 4 Rules, they're in the clear, regardless of water. If the bullet skips away from you AND you are aware of what's behind your target(no people), what exactly is the problem? Follow the 4 Rules, like waterhouse said, and there are no other people whose safety you should be concerned about. How is that idea escaping you?
 
The gene pool needs chlorine. To bad the idiots doing the shooting didn't have a terminal illness. Gotta love all these retards adding fuel to the anti gun fire.
 
Reckless shooters be ware. In situations like that, I SHOOT BACK, and don't care what your intentions are.
I've been shot once by a reckless shooter. I don't intend to let it happen again.
 
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