Ricochet - Sometimes it hurts.

orkan

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So, every night when I come home from work, I grab the XDM 9 and shoot a couple hundred rounds. I do this with every firearm I get to ensure my familiarity and proficiency with it. I shoot paper, cardboard, and steel. I have been doing this for a couple weeks with the xdm.

Last week, a buddy of mine gave me some targets. They were the "popper" style targets that sit on the ground, and fall over when shot. These particular targets were worked over at close range with an ar15... heavily worked over. They were riddled with holes. A red flag went up. Mistake #1 was ignoring the red flag. I figured I would just stay a "safe distance" away from them when I shot them. I've shot them about 300 times probably, and as with all the steel I shoot, I angle it away from me so ricochet's go somewhere else besides at me.

Tonight, I stepped up to 25yds from the targets, and started in on my practice session. 5rnds into the magazine, *BANG* *ting!* *WHACK* "YEEOWW!"

Sure enough, a piece of that bullet came back and hit me in the leg, just above the ankle. Within a few seconds, I could see I took a good deal of the round, and that it was more than a light abrasion. I could still feel everything, and all my toes, ankle and what not still worked fine. It stung a bit, to be sure, but it appeared that nothing major was going on. No heavy bleeding, and no "numbness." I can walk on it, though I figure it best to put it up and leave it alone for a while.

I scrubbed the wound with peroxide as well as anti bacterial soap and water. Put on some antibacterial cream and a bandage. Hopefully that will take care of it. I figure I'll go to the doctor tomorrow and get a tetanus shot... since I haven't had one for a while. Other than that, I'll keep and eye on it to make sure infection doesn't take hold.

Stupidity hurts sometimes... but I'm not so prideful as to not share the experience in the hopes that someone else may benefit from my stint of temporary retardation. Bottom line is this: If you are going to shoot at steel, it better be HARD (ar500 or better) and it better be angled away from you and not have ANY dimples or imperfections. Certainly no HOLES through it. I did NOT do my duty as a responsible shooter in this case. I got a little too lax in my range setup and did not fully think the situation over. Thankfully nobody was hurt but me, and thankfully it doesn't look too bad. However, a gunshot wound is not that fun... this I can assure you. Use your head boys and girls. This could have been avoided, if I would simply have taken notice to what I already knew.

This sucker penetrated about 2" of my flesh and exited, hitting me in the shin as hard as anything ever has. I shudder to think what the result would have been if taken in the neck, or chest... or anywhere else... for that matter.

Makes me wonder how those guys that do the plate racks in pistol competition at such close range can get away with not catching some lead!

Humble pie, is just a little more bitter than I recall. ;)

Fire away gents... although it appears my skin is nowhere near as thick as I originally thought. hahaha Be that as it may I assure you whatever comments you have, I'll be able to take. The pictures were after it had been cleaned up a bit. It looked very much more "hollywood cool" prior to that. ;)

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Your willingness to field any criticism for the benefit of other's safety says alot about who you are and is admirable. I can't imagine anyone poking fun or critisizing you over an unforetunate situation. IMHO though you may want to get that checked out just to make sure there isn't any lead fragments in there. It looks as though it went in and exited out about 1 1/2 inches over. Glad to hear this wasn't more serious. I think you advice is good and thanks for sharing with the rest of us. Take care.
 
Im with Chas, If you got the stones to say ''see, this is why we were taught dont do it'', I dont see anybody making sideways comments.
Realy makes a guy think twice before smokin' a squirl on a rock huh?
On the lighter side now you can tell everybody youve been shot, and were so tough that you just doctored it up on your own:D. Not everybody can say that.
 
On the lighter side now you can tell everybody youve been shot, and were so tough that you just doctored it up on your own:D. Not everybody can say that.

That is quite true! :)

However, its more of a "don't want to waste money on doctors" than a "I'm so tough I eat nails" type of thing. I simply do not like doctors or the medical sector. I avoid them when at all possible. They treat the symptoms (pain) not the problem. I can take the pain, I just want it fixed correctly. I can do as good a job as they can on something like this.
 
That is quite true! :)

However, its more of a "don't want to waste money on doctors" than a "I'm so tough I eat nails" type of thing. I simply do not like doctors or the medical sector. I avoid them when at all possible. They treat the symptoms (pain) not the problem. I can take the pain, I just want it fixed correctly. I can do as good a job as they can on something like this.

I like doctors, as long as Im not the one theyre workin on. They are helpfull. But I was raised that unless your dying you arent gonna go see a doctor. I grew up on a ranch, and I played hard in later years riding bulls and buckin horses and just doin what boys do. I have 2 1/2 manilla folders of x-rays, but Im FAIRLY CERTAIN that it would be TRIPPLED if I went in everytime I got a concussion, broke, chipped, or dislocated a bone, pulled a muscle or a tendon, fell out of a tree, wrecked a bike, motorcycle or got a pitchfork thru the stomac, lost a battle sortin bulls, or cows, or got my butt handed to me for doin something stupid without thinking it all the way through. Ya I may have had my share of doctor visits when limbs were sideways, or some other thing mom couldnt see without turning her stomach, but I always tried to tough it out and let it heal itself first. Besides unless your in enough pain to FULLY comply with whatever the doctor tells you, then you not gonna listen to him anyway. Hell just say ''no more havin fun'' and ''stay off of it for a while'', and then theres the ''that ones gonna stay with you'', and then theres my favorite, ''did you realy think you could pull this off without injury??!!!??''
Well doc, for the brief second or two that I did think about it, it ended in cheers and applause, not like this.........
Your fine. I aggree stay home.The body heals itself quite well if you let it.
 
The body heals itself...just slower, the older you get...keep that in mind. Heck once you reach a certain age even bending over too long picking weeds or such can actually make the back of your thighs and *** cheeks sore...sounds funny but it's a fact...well at least for me.:)
 
Great pic

Bad legs

Kinda need a bit of a shave.:)

Thanks for the warning. I'm fairly new to the pistol game and will remember your example.

The XD is pretty nifty. Huh?
 
If you do go to the doc, don't tell him it was a bullet. he will have to report it and then the cops will write up a report and you will be one more statistic added to the the Brady centers accidental shooting list.

If it gets infected tell the doc you tripped and kicked a rusty pitch fork
 
If you do go to the doc, don't tell him it was a bullet. he will have to report it and then the cops will write up a report and you will be one more statistic added to the the Brady centers accidental shooting list.

If it gets infected tell the doc you tripped and kicked a rusty pitch fork

++++10000000000 WITH COYBOY!
VERY VERY GOOD POINT!!!!! I dont advocate lying, but withholding information concerning firearms/accidents would be a VERY GOOD IDEA!!!
 
If it even looks like it good be a wound from a bullet there's a reasonable chance they may call LE and there you are on the gurney and all of a sudden your being asked questions by an LE officer. In that instance it's no time to start weighing the consequences of lying. So one might want to check in their particular state what one could be charged with such as obstructing an investigation, lying to a LE official and heck if you file an insurance claim...well that would be insurance fraud...so I'd check that too. And then of coarse there's this wonderful internet/paper trail we've all created. The penalties could range from misdimeanor to possibly a felony....and there's goes gun ownership. So in a nutshell...think ahead of time what will you do and how confident are you that family, friends will sing the same tune. Either way, if LE is called there's going to be a report. IMHO I'm not willing to gamble and take on the risk just to avoid becoming some statistic.

What would anyone stand to lose by telling the truth? I mean really what are the consequences? Just my 2 cents
 
If it even looks like it good be a wound from a bullet there's a reasonable chance they may call LE and there you are on the gurney and all of a sudden your being asked questions by an LE officer. In that instance it's no time to start weighing the consequences of lying. So one might want to check in their particular state what one could be charged with such as obstructing an investigation, lying to a LE official and heck if you file an insurance claim...well that would be insurance fraud...so I'd check that too. And then of coarse there's this wonderful internet/paper trail we've all created. The penalties could range from misdimeanor to possibly a felony....and there's goes gun ownership. So in a nutshell...think ahead of time what will you do and how confident are you that family, friends will sing the same tune. Either way, if LE is called there's going to be a report. IMHO I'm not willing to gamble and take on the risk just to avoid becoming some statistic.

What would anyone stand to lose by telling the truth? I mean really what are the consequences? Just my 2 cents



Chas1, that is a very good point, with that little wound I guess I wouldn't be too concerned with them thinking it was a gunshot wound. But if the LE showed up I would tell the truth. Whats he going to charge you with lying to the Doctor?
I think 50% or more of the population has been quilty of that.

If the pitch fork sounds too cheesy for SD then tell doc it was a kick out from the lawn mower.lightbulb
 
Jim, I agree. A kick out from the mower does sound better:). I'm part of the 50% club...I usually only tell the Doc enough to write the cold RX etc but, not enough to where he's gonna order a battery of tests... probably should stop that now that I'm getting old enough to where what used to be syptoms of a common cold or ache or pain may one day be something more serious. Just not a fan of medical stuff.
 
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