Remember to wear your eye protection!

[magic man]

I went shooting at an indoor range for the first time today and was hit in the chest by a ricochet. I was shooting my G23 with Winchester Ranger FMJ. It stung like hell wouldn't have been good if it was a foot higher. Just a friendly reminder!

 

[KillStick]

Wow, glad you are ok. I bet that made you have a new change of underwear lol.

 

[loony1]

wow haven't seen that from an indoor range before, usually the walls are banked to trap the bullets.

 

[UncleMike]

wow haven't seen that from an indoor range before, usually the walls are banked to trap the bullets.

My Department stopped using the indoor range when a .357 slug came back to the firing line and hit me.

 

[jblomenberg16]

Another great reminder! I had a slightly different experience a few weeks ago that I posted about as well. I had a 9mm empty case eject from my G19 and bounce off my shooting glasses.


Glad you were not injured!

 

[sloughfoot]

There are never any guarantees when using projectile launching devices.

I am glad you are OK.

I was thumped in the chest one time by a lead 45 slug at a steel plate match. Logically, the bullet should never have come in my direction. I saw it coming, but couldn't get out of the way..

 

[Amishman44]

I was at a shooting range in Fort Wayne, several years ago, (no names mentioned...H&H) when a lady using the far left-hand shooting lane (there's 5 to a bay) was struck in the mouth by a ricochet'd .45 round, cutting her lip. We got everyone to shut down their shooting and looked around...come to find out, both 'outside' lanes had 45-degree angled coverings for the steel beam uprights that hold the ceiling up. The guy on the right-side outside shooting lane was the only guy there shooting a .45 at the time. The nearest we could figure was that his bullet struck the 45-degree angled part, deflecting it 90-degrees to the left, across the entire 5 lane bay, hitting the other 45-degree angled part, which caused the bullet to make another 90-degree turn, which brought it straight back to the opposite outside shooting lane, striking her in the mouth. I sounds crazy, but I was in the lane next to the lady who was struck and heard her cry out. I saw her cut lip and saw the slug myself. I don't know if she got any stitches, but it sure bled pretty good.

Since then I have refused to shoot in an outside lane at that particular indoor shooting range. I've been to several different indoor shooting ranges and I have yet to see another with the 45-degree angled portions along any sides in a shooting bay.

I would probably chalk that one up to an engineering design flaw, except that if one is hitting their target with every round, there's no way a bullet would strike either angled portion along side the bay walls and ricochet back like that.

 

[esrice]

Always a good reminder.

 

[JetGirl]

Yup. I've had the bottom corner edge of my "shatterproof polycarb" glasses chipped by brass from somebody else's gun. Thank God my cheek was there to keep further damage from my glasses.

 

[sidewinder27]

Thats one of the many reasons I dont shoot at Dons anymore. My final straw was when my own lead came back at me and hit the window behind me. Got everybodies attention in the shop though. Also had people hit the post at Pops. So I basically stick to friends property. As long as I don't hit the house or the dogs they don't care where it goes.

 

[Gabriel]

I've been hit a few times with ricochets, but never indoors.

 

[Dick]

I was at a shooting range in Fort Wayne, several years ago, (no names mentioned...H&H) when a lady using the far left-hand shooting lane (there's 5 to a bay) was struck in the mouth by a ricochet'd .45 round, cutting her lip. We got everyone to shut down their shooting and looked around...come to find out, both 'outside' lanes had 45-degree angled coverings for the steel beam uprights that hold the ceiling up. The guy on the right-side outside shooting lane was the only guy there shooting a .45 at the time. The nearest we could figure was that his bullet struck the 45-degree angled part, deflecting it 90-degrees to the left, across the entire 5 lane bay, hitting the other 45-degree angled part, which caused the bullet to make another 90-degree turn, which brought it straight back to the opposite outside shooting lane, striking her in the mouth. I sounds crazy, but I was in the lane next to the lady who was struck and heard her cry out. I saw her cut lip and saw the slug myself. I don't know if she got any stitches, but it sure bled pretty good.

Since then I have refused to shoot in an outside lane at that particular indoor shooting range. I've been to several different indoor shooting ranges and I have yet to see another with the 45-degree angled portions along any sides in a shooting bay.

I would probably chalk that one up to an engineering design flaw, except that if one is hitting their target with every round, there's no way a bullet would strike either angled portion along side the bay walls and ricochet back like that.

Ill have to keep that in mind. Me and a buddy were planning on going there this weekend

 

[Dwight D]

I was testing a Mini-14 just for function one day with some 55gr FMJ. Shot a steel plate at 35 yds. Next thing I know I felt a hit on my knee ( was wearing shorts) and had a nice round blood spot about 22 cal on my knee cap. I thought I had punched the old knee cap for sure. But after my Doc buddy who was with me, wiped off the blood turned out it was just a cut from the bullet jacket. Apparently it separated from the bullet and came back and hit me like a mini-cookie cutter at a few hundred FPS. Needless to say, I don't shoot rifles at steel at close range anymore.

 

[glock2010]

Thanks for the heads up

 

[Wild Deuce]

The range wasn't in Hammond, was it?

 

[magic man]

The range wasn't in Hammond, was it?

No, it was at Blythe's in Valpo.

 

[trnsplntfrmohio]

I was at a shooting range in Fort Wayne, several years ago, (no names mentioned...H&H) when a lady using the far left-hand shooting lane (there's 5 to a bay) was struck in the mouth by a ricochet'd .45 round, cutting her lip. We got everyone to shut down their shooting and looked around...come to find out, both 'outside' lanes had 45-degree angled coverings for the steel beam uprights that hold the ceiling up. The guy on the right-side outside shooting lane was the only guy there shooting a .45 at the time. The nearest we could figure was that his bullet struck the 45-degree angled part, deflecting it 90-degrees to the left, across the entire 5 lane bay, hitting the other 45-degree angled part, which caused the bullet to make another 90-degree turn, which brought it straight back to the opposite outside shooting lane, striking her in the mouth. I sounds crazy, but I was in the lane next to the lady who was struck and heard her cry out. I saw her cut lip and saw the slug myself. I don't know if she got any stitches, but it sure bled pretty good.

Since then I have refused to shoot in an outside lane at that particular indoor shooting range. I've been to several different indoor shooting ranges and I have yet to see another with the 45-degree angled portions along any sides in a shooting bay.

I would probably chalk that one up to an engineering design flaw, except that if one is hitting their target with every round, there's no way a bullet would strike either angled portion along side the bay walls and ricochet back like that.

I was there and the wall caught on fire. As much as Thomas is a great guy, I couldn't help but laugh watching him run for a fire extinguisher

 

[Mad Man]

I had a .40 come back and hit my shooting partner in the upper arm at an indoor range. Left a nasty welt on his arm and I was feeling bad about it. Needless to say I was done for the day and we packed up and left. Mentioned it the counter person who shrugged it off as no big deal.

 

[railbug]

I was hit by my own .40 in a indoor range up north, lucky it was winter and had several layers on. I just chalked it up as a hazard of the range.

 

[railbug]

maybe we can get Myth Busters or Top Shot to try and recreate the double ricochet shot under controlled circumstance