Sparks and AR500?

[Snowbird]

are copper bullets really that bad at throwing sparks? i'm setting a few targets behind my cabin at 450, 800 and 1200 yards up a 20-25* avg slope. the area is in the national forest and comprised of timber, scrub oak and sage. i'm aware of fuel moisture content, RH and flash points. should i be concerned about my barnes ttsx at those distances?

 

[Escopeta]

are copper bullets really that bad at throwing sparks?

When you consider that research report I linked to and combine it with my anecdotal personal experience with witnessing solid copper bullets and steel targets, the answer is yes - they are that bad.

Up close, in broad daylight you can see sparks fly off targets and spray the surrounding area.

For many years, the majority of times you heard about a fire getting started by a recreational shooter, it was almost always someone shooting old steel ball ammo at rocks. Nowadays, most of the times its some idiot shooting tannerite on a hot day among material that looks like a forest fire waiting to happen.

But I think we are going to see this more and more with solid copper bullets starting to come into favor and states like the PRK mandating them. If it hasn't happened already, I fear we will see a rise in shooting-related fire starts and copper bullets.

 

[BallisticsGuy]

Snowbird: At long ranges the heat energy being created by the impact is substantially less and much less likely to generate much in the way of sparks. It'll still generate extremely hot fragments of copper, some of which may be large enough to retain sufficient heat to start a smolder. Regardless of the distance, do the right thing: Take a little effort and clean the area around your targets for 6ft or so of brush all the way down to the dirt. Don't use any unhardened steel (stick with AR500) and occasionally take a weed whacker to the area outside that to keep the fuel content low. In dry months it's just a little walk to go out and pour some water around the area while you inspect impact zones for excess brush.

I don't recall what distance they were shooting from in the study I linked but using the above protocols for a number of years has kept our range from burning and we have matches there all the time with 2500 rounds going downrange against steel targets in a very dry and grassy area.

 

[Snowbird]

Here's a photo of the area currently. I'll see if I can dig up a summer photo. One hundred yards is about where the scub oak is. 450 is just inside the evergreen and 800 is just below the ridge. Longer shots are out of view on the right across a drainage. I plan to hang them off a tree by a single tree stand screw step. Looking to keep it loose. It will likely be 10 or 15' off the ground. The understory is 10hr fuels with Duff underneath. I'll clean out as best I can and only shoot when fuels aren't ripe for a burn.