Bad ammo, big bang??

[machinegunjohn]

hey guys, so Im at the range yesterday, I bought one box(50) of 240gr winchester cowboy action loads in 44 special and one box(50)fiochii 240gr JHP in 44mag. I was letting the girlfriend shoot the specials, and I was shooting the mags, I was down to 5 loads left, all 44mag, shoot one, ok, shoot 2 , bang, something hits me in the ear, the face(which split me open)and the nose, thought my gun exploded(model 629-4 5"). Inspected gun, ok, timing ok, cylinder to forcing cone 004", no visible damage or marks on the gun atall. The brass looked ok, primer looked ok, could not find anything at all. I just dont understand what could come back at my face that large to split me wide open and no damage to speak of? I am fairly new to handgun shooting, could anyone enlighten me of what could have possibly happen(i was shooting out of a range building with swing in windows, I believe the muzzle was well outside the window)?? I am worried about shooting it now...

 

[neiljrosen]

Sometimes the bullet or fragments bounce back.
Are you wearing eye protection?
If you're not sure the 629 is OK have a gunsmith inspect it.

 

[machinegunjohn]

ya i wear glasses, i thought possibly a piece of the jacket peeled off coming out of the barrel, and possible hit the window frame, I dont know though, do jacketed bullets ever break apart coming out of the barrel?we were shooting 25yards at targets on plywood frames,can you get riccochets off of plywood? Is fiocchi good ammo?

 

[Troystat]

Maybe somebody else shot something at the same time and it ricochet? Glad you did not loose an eye. Check the gun out again to be sure.

Troy

 

[Skip Sackett]

Never, let me say this again, never shoot jacketed ammo after shooting lead without cleaning your firearm.

Sometimes on the front of the cylinder with lead bullets there is a buildup. Sometimes it is by the forcing cone/frame junction. When shooting the jacketed loads it is possible that some of that lead came back and hit you. This is just a possibility.

That isn't the reason for not shooting lead first followed by jacketed though. If there is any leading in the barrel, you just "ironed" it into all of the pores of the metal making it virtually impossible to remove by most cleaning methods. If it happens enough, and I have a friend that has seen it in a 1911, it can split the barrel.

Shoot lead all you want just clean the firearm before you shoot jacketed through it.

As for being shot while shooting. What were you shooting at?

Here a while back I was shooting in a steel plate match. We were all using lead bullets. One of the fellows I was shooting against hit a support and the ricochet hit me just under the nose, right where you would wear a mustache. Bled like a stuck mule and hurt like the dickens. Got home and looked it over good, didn't think too much more about it until a week or so later when I was shaving. There in the mirror was this bright metal shiny object where I would normally wear a mustache! Had to call the wife in with a pair of tweesers to get it out!

If that would have been just 3" higher it might have taken out an eye, glasses or no glasses!

Be safe, have fun!

 

[oldRoger]

I think we have all had hits from bits ricocheting from whatever down range. Usually they are not serious, perhaps only a sting, obviously the potential is there for it to be serious. Don't fool with the vision protection; get something rated to protect your eyes.
I think the mostly likely culprit is the soil; a round which hits a rock perhaps? I have seen people shooting at low targets and heard ricochets from the ground behind the target. But with ear protection you usually don't hear the whine.
There was a video going the rounds of some damm fools shooting a 50BMG rifle at steel about 100yards away when a jacket ricochet took the shooters hat off.

 

[neiljrosen]

oldRoger has the probable explanation, bounceback off of a rock in the backstop.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Is there any possibility that the gun was not completely outside the window and muzzle blast blew away a loose piece of the shutter or window frame? or something lying around?

 

[flagman1776]

My guess would be bounce back from the backstop.

 

[oldRoger]

I used to shoot into a steel bullet trap. The back plate was at a 45 degree angle. Now in theory the bullet should either deflect down or skid down along the plate. In practice bullet traps tend to "spit", frequently the target is sprayed in the back with small particles of lead. If you are close enough you will get hit with the "spit".
I cannot imagine any way that a particle could hit the shooter directly from his own barrel, the physics elude me, I can very easily imagine a ricochet.
There are often a lot of bullet fragments in front of the backstop sometimes at a considerable distance in front, evidence that ricochets/bounces are happening.