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.50 Caliber Bullet Bounces Back Hitting Shooter In Head - video
- Thread starter Len Backus
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Captn C
Well-Known Member
If it's the one I think it is...I can't see any of the videos, they are blocked by our net nazi's...any way that was pretty crazy!
I wonder how far they were shooting?
I wonder how far they were shooting?
Slopeshunter
Well-Known Member
Another candidate for the darwin awards.
??? What did he do wrong????
Please excuse my lack of knowledge... by what was he doing wrong? I've never shot a gun like that but I've sat next to guy at the range who did. He was shooting iron chickens. Does this happen often with a 50 cal?
Please excuse my lack of knowledge... by what was he doing wrong? I've never shot a gun like that but I've sat next to guy at the range who did. He was shooting iron chickens. Does this happen often with a 50 cal?
rocky_lange
Well-Known Member
I don't think he did anything wrong
Normal calibers when shot against steel exhaust most of their energy into the steel. The big 50 has SOOOO much more energy, that the steel can't absorb the greater part and you have a ricochet, in this case a bounce back. With almost any caliber against steel that is somewhat solidly mounted, you will find lead cores and jackets bounced back to some degree. Want to make things worse, try AP steel core bullets against thick steel. If it doesn't penetrate, it comes back at you as the steel core doesn't mushroom and transfer energy like a lead core.
I have shot the new fragmentation type pistol bullets at steel at 7 yards and you can occasionaly feel some of the core materials bounce back against your face and or hands. However, the material is pretty must dust at that point and can't (or at least I should say is designed not to) hurt you.
Normal calibers when shot against steel exhaust most of their energy into the steel. The big 50 has SOOOO much more energy, that the steel can't absorb the greater part and you have a ricochet, in this case a bounce back. With almost any caliber against steel that is somewhat solidly mounted, you will find lead cores and jackets bounced back to some degree. Want to make things worse, try AP steel core bullets against thick steel. If it doesn't penetrate, it comes back at you as the steel core doesn't mushroom and transfer energy like a lead core.
I have shot the new fragmentation type pistol bullets at steel at 7 yards and you can occasionaly feel some of the core materials bounce back against your face and or hands. However, the material is pretty must dust at that point and can't (or at least I should say is designed not to) hurt you.
blygy
Well-Known Member
Plates should not be perpendicular to the line of fire.. I shoot plates quite often but mine are mounted on a bar so they can swing. Also they are angled towards the ground somewhat.
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
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
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2006
- Messages
- 432
That happened to me with a 22 long rifle!
Asking for it!!!
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
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
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.
