Bullet Rebound When Shooting Steel Target

skrazo

skrazo

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I'm not sure where this should be posted, so here goes (admin's feel free to relocate if there is a more appropriate place).

When shooting a 38 sp +P round at a steel target, what is the minimum safe distance to stand from it? I wear a hat & goggles, but sometimes find flattened bullets on the ground 1 ft or so in front of the target.

Anybody had one rebound back and cause injury?
 
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15 yards is the standard talk, I shoot mine as close as 10 and haven't had a real problem. Closer than that and I start getting fragments back at me more than I'd like. Mostly, I have the worst luck with .22s coming back at me. Big bore stuff splatters and occasionally you'll get fragments that might scrape or stick into you when you are shooting close. Also problematic are hard cast bullets, the lead is harder than the stuff in jacketed bullets, so I tend to get those coming back more often than jacketed stuff. Rifles are another story. You want to be well away from steel targets when shooting rifles.

I've pulled pieces of the cooper jacket out out of my skin. Wear glasses.

I find flattened bullets and jackets as far a ten or fifteen yards from my steel targets, so stuff comes much farther back than just a couple of feet.

Safety rules apply - get good glasses that fit tightly to your face. Wear heavier clothing. Did I say wear glasses yet?

As far as injury goes, I caught an AP .30 cal ricochet with my face at Knob Creek that went through my lower lip before bouncing off my jawbone. I could have lost an eye, so yes, there is an inherent risk. That risk goes up exponentially when using the wrong combination of gun, ammo and steel. Read up on what's safe and what's not.
 
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If the steel is new and "flat" you should be safe at 151-20 ft., but if the steel is older and "cupped" be warned the fragments (especially copper jackets) can and do splatter back to 15 yards and more. A friend had to have a chunk of copper jacket removed from his abdomen (about 1/4" imbedded) when shooting steel plates from 15 yards.
 
It wasn't uncommon at our old 50ft indoor range to catch a rebounding lead pistol bullet in the kisser once in a while.
The backer plates were steel and angled,,all good there and no problems. But they weren't rated for jacketed bullets so the range was limited to 22rf and lead centerfire handgun rounds only. They had a FPS limit for CF too but I can't recall what it was.

But people being what they are and the range being available 24/7 by key-card,,some would come in at odd hours and unload with jacketed and hardball. It caused small dimples in the plates.

Since it was a Bullseye Target type range,,they were all in pretty much the same small area on each backstop plate.
When you were unfortunate enough to land a bullet (especially a 38LSWC it seems) just right it would come right back at you.
They didn't come skipping & rolling back to the line ,they came back at the same level they were shot, so you caught it in the shoulder or head usually.
The plates finally got upgraded and fixed the situation,,but I can imagine what can happen when shooting steel targets in various conditions and positions and with heavier loads. I do know of one individual that shot himself in the thigh,,a rebounding pistol bullet from taking a shot at an old junk car's bumper in a farmers field. He's lucky to be alive.

Just be prepared, don't skimp on the safety equipment.
I'd have lost my right eye if it hadn't been for the glasses (I wear them anyway). The rebounding W/C to the forehead,,well not much you can do to protect against that.
Odd thing,,you can see it coming,,just a blurr,,but you can't get out of the way!
 
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Used to have it happen all the time when we used pepper poppers that were standing straight up.
I'd be pelted all the way back to 25 yards with pieces of the jacket.
Bullets can do some strange things when they ricochet or come apart.
One thing that helps minimalize the threat is to angle the steel to redirect the round/pieces into the ground.
Also, since the bullet only strikes a glancing blow rather than a direct 90 degree hit, it'll not destroy your targets as quick.

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We have to take a welder and angle grinder to our 50ft sloped backstop a couple times a year because of the "dimples" put there by someone not paying any attention to the posted restrictions. (No FMJ, No magnums, no super high velocity.) The maddening part is we have a 25 & 50 yard outdoor range within 50 feet of the indoor range but apparently they don't want to use it if the weather is nasty........
 
When I shot in concealed carry matches, the steel targets were used at 25 yards or greater due to the problem of rebounds and spatter.

We weren't using full power loads, but we were using a lot of cast bullet loads at medium velocities, enough to operate an auto pistol reliably.
 
if you use cast lead you can safely shoot steel at 7 yds, the target is important though it must be flat and free from any significant bumps or angles (like bolt heads) be angled slightly toward ground, and not be ridgid, they must be able to move when bullet impacts. most bullets are flattened and fall at the foot of the target. thats how the cowboys do it! YEEHAW!
ive been hit with a tiny lead fragment once and i swear i thought i was shot, left a welt like a paintball gun. but that was closer than 7 yds, using a target with an angled surface,tsk tsk:)
 
I figure ten yards with handguns and lead bullets. That's with good eye protection and a billed cap. A .357 magnum jsp or jhp will dimple a hardened steel target from 20 yards or less from a 4" handgun. I'm sure a .44 mag would do the same.
 
Interesting thread. Is there any material out there
that will allow you to have a reactive target? I mean,
anything that won't disintegrate after a few rounds?
I guess you could use lead, but not much noise
reponse when shot.
TACC1
 
People mention angling targets/poppers etc. Don't forget, the target must fall over from a solid hit with a standard power 9mm, with a power factor of at least 125. Otherwise, failure to fall is considered a range equipment failure during a match. That being said, people can be hit by bullet fragments at 12-15 yards, or sometimes more.
 
My gun club used to allow steel target that were a minimum 25 yards away. I always used a steel plate on a shepard's hook. The give in the target deflected the bullet down. No problems I thought. In fact I used to pick up the lead at the base of the shepard's hook for remelting. Now steel is banned because club officers caught some people nailing the steel to the 4x4 uprights that hold the target backers. Chance for rebounds is greatly increased and misses were destroying the uprights. As usual idiots ruin it for everyone.
 
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dentkimterry said:
I always used a steel plate on a shepard's hook.
Click to expand...

I hang my targets from above with a hook made from 3/8" rebar. They swing when hit. What is a shepard's hook? Maybe I need to modify my system.
 
A .357 magnum jsp or jhp will dimple a hardened steel target from 20 yards or less from a 4" handgun. I'm sure a .44 mag would do the same.
Click to expand...

I've shot full house .44 mag and .357 mag loads at my hardened steel targets from closer than 20 yards and they left no dimples. My mild steel targets are another story, it beats up on them pretty bad. Really, the only thing that has dimpled the AR500 targets are high velocity, small caliber stuff. 22-250s, 25-06s, and similar type rounds. At a 100 yards, the .223s don't really dimple either.
 
I use 1/4" AR500 steel for all of my handguns (.38spl..357mag..45acp). It's thick enough to handle those calibers but thin enough to deflect when hit minimizing any ricochet. I hang them on a shepherds hook and shoot at a minimum distance of 10yds. The shepherds hooks don't last forever. The occasional miss will mangle the metal and even sever it in two. It's amazing what you'll hit when aiming at something else! You can probably buy a 10ft. 2x4 for the price of one shepherds hook and get more use out of it in the long run.

I'll use 3/8" AR500 steel for my AR-15 at 100yds. or closer with my .22LR rifle. I use angle iron and chains to hang these targets because of the higher caliber but still end up replacing the chains because of the occasional miss or ricochet.

As with anything we do on a range proper eyeglasses and ear protection are first priority.
 
I had a 8mm fmj hit the steel target at 125 yds, return, and bounce off of the front edge of the shooting table hard enough to go about 10 yds back towards the target. It did it so fast, I thought it was something that flew off of the gun. Thats why I went out and found it.
 
skrazo said:
I hang my targets from above with a hook made from 3/8" rebar. They swing when hit. What is a shepard's hook? Maybe I need to modify my system.
Click to expand...

A shepard's hook is a hanging plant basket holder. Usually made of 3/8-1/2" round rod. One end is a hook to hold the plant basket, other end is drove in the ground with your foot. I usually get them at Lowe's or Menard's garden dept. About $5. They hold a steel plate about 4 feet off the ground.
 
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