.50 Caliber Bullet Bounces Back Hitting Shooter In Head - video

[BountyHunter]

It can happen with almost any caliber and type bullet unless using frangible. Rounds will richocet and can come back. How far depends on the energy and deformation of the tip normally.

I took a 45 round back in the chest years ago testing bullet resistant wood/kevlar/fiberglass door panels at 10 yards, so not just 50 cals and 750 grain slugs. I was knocked off my feet and big bruise. that s--t hurt!

We just had a Marine hit in the back with a bullet fragment from an adjoining range. We think the bullet originally hit a metal target frame, fragmented and a small fragment went at least a couple hundred hards right at more than 150 degrees. Military FMJ in many cases are nothing more than bullets with the copper jacket on backwards with the open end at the bottom. Most AP rounds have tungsten penetrators inside and they will not deform much.

Close proximity (compared to bullet KE/velocity) to steel targets is always an unknown and risk factor, so duck!

PA legislature sponsored an interesting study in '07 that showed the new shotgun slugs and muzzleloading bullets go as far on a ricochet as a 30'06 150 gr SP. Tip deformation and angle of impact with the ground were the key factors. Hard tips and impact angles less than 10 degrees, will give you more and longer ricochets with any type bullet.

BH

[Bigcat_hunter]

That happened to me with a 22 long rifle!

[ddgo]

To quote Elmer Keith " Anyone shooting a heavy metal object with any highpowered rifle at less than 200yds is asking for trouble". He knew of 3 people that were killed by returned bullets.
This happened to me shooting a 338 win mag at a 1"thick steel gong at 135yds. The bullet came back and went thru both sides of a army wall tent, and then just missing a friend, and went screaming off into the sage brush.
We had taken the gong to hang from a tree near camp to check the zero's on our guns. We had shot it several times until we had the return bullet. After that, no more close steel for me.
ddgo

[maxF]

I watched this on youtube awhile back and noted the 50 cal. was shooting steel at 100 yards??? I thought to myself that was WAY too much gun for that close and should have been at least 300+ yards. I think 200 yards is close for anything that uses 40grains of powder or less and magnums would be better off at 300+ and as said already haveing the plate hanging so it is slightly angled and not perpendicular is a safety requirement.

[fenceline]

never shoot at solid steel unless it is far away 500 yds. It is better to shoot at a suspended gong that moves thus deflecting bullet in to ground. works for us .

[dbhostler]

Kinda suprised these good old boys didn't try it again.
db