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I'm making light of the situation, but I was hit in the head by a ricochet. It's a great gun range with an over emphasis on safety, and because of that I won't name them as I don't feel they're at fault. It's just one of those things that happens.

The best I can tell somebody was shooting the tree (5 steel plates that you shoot from side to side) and a round went across the range and hit me.

I'm glad to hear that the hit was minor. Make sure the range knows that it happened. If they really promote safety, they'll want to know so they can analyze what may have happened and see about mitigating similar risk for the future. As you point out sometimes things happen, but even so we need to do our part to keep occurrences (even minor ones) to a minimum.

Middle Age Russ wrote:I'm glad to hear that the hit was minor. Make sure the range knows that it happened. If they really promote safety, they'll want to know so they can analyze what may have happened and see about mitigating similar risk for the future. As you point out sometimes things happen, but even so we need to do our part to keep occurrences (even minor ones) to a minimum.

The owner was standing right next to me. I was receiving instruction he made sure I was alright and he shut the tree down. He felt bad and wanted to make it right. I shook his hand and told him I was fine.

Glad you are okay. Not sure what caliber of round hit you but that is why I am not a big fan of .22 caliber rounds that other folks seem to love.

The close sound of a whining ricochet will pucker you another one.

dlh

I've never been hit by a ricochet, but I've had one land next to me. It is a rather un-nerving event.
Hopefully I'll have my range finished soon . I'll be getting swinging steel targets, but I have seen a method where they hang with a slightly downward angle (the face angels toward the ground a tiny bit.) Since the target swings some of the energy is absorbed, and if there is any ricochet it goes into the ground.
Glad you're okay.

Richbirdhunter,

Yikes!

I hope it just left only a very minor knot and with no skin broken, no blood spilled?

I think I'd be rather shaken.

Just out of curiosity were you wearing eye protection?

I was struck twice the same night by pieces of bullet jacket from a guy in the next lane rapid firing. His target hanger was about 5 yards down range an I saw the metal hanger being struck as the whole thing was jumping around. The first hit was on my leg ( I was wearing shorts) and drew some blood. I showed him the piece of shrapnel and informed him rapid fire was not allowed for the very reason of ricochets. He said he didn't know that it wasn't allowed. He was fine for a while, but did it again hitting me in the left cheek. I then reported him to management. Before they could get there he packed up and left.

Abraham wrote:Richbirdhunter,

Yikes!

I hope it just left only a very minor knot and with no skin broken, no blood spilled?

I think I'd be rather shaken.

Just out of curiosity were you wearing eye protection?

Yes, eyes and ears. The range is very strict about it

I have been pelted with shrapnel many times, at next range or even 2 ranges over from steel plate ranges at PSC.
Sometimes they are shooting 22's, other times, higher caliber

Never been hit by a 'full round' though.
As others have said above, 'eyes and ears' and I always wear both... never know!

I was helping a friend of my daughter shoot a .22 handgun at steel plates. She was a first time shooter. My plates are angled down to ricochet into the ground. I was standing right next to the shooter, probably closer to the plates than we should have been. She fired a shot and it felt like somebody threw a rock and hit me in the nose - a fast, heavy rock.

I immediately assumed the gun had failed and I got hit by a piece of metal from the gun. but the gun was fine. I now assume I was hit by a ricochet because I can't think of anything else that it could have been. Maybe the steel plate was swinging and not angled down at the moment of impact. I'm not sure how it maintained enough energy to even ricochet since .22's usually just come apart and leave a grey smudge on the steel. For a little piece of lead only 1/4" across, it hit much harder than I would have imagined. I've tried to think of other possibilities but I can't come up with anything so I'm going with ricochet.

No damage other than a scraped nose.

I stand further back now.

maintenanceguy wrote:I was helping a friend of my daughter shoot a .22 handgun at steel plates. She was a first time shooter. My plates are angled down to ricochet into the ground. I was standing right next to the shooter, probably closer to the plates than we should have been. She fired a shot and it felt like somebody threw a rock and hit me in the nose - a fast, heavy rock.

I immediately assumed the gun had failed and I got hit by a piece of metal from the gun. but the gun was fine. I now assume I was hit by a ricochet because I can't think of anything else that it could have been. Maybe the steel plate was swinging and not angled down at the moment of impact. I'm not sure how it maintained enough energy to even ricochet since .22's usually just come apart and leave a grey smudge on the steel. For a little piece of lead only 1/4" across, it hit much harder than I would have imagined. I've tried to think of other possibilities but I can't come up with anything so I'm going with ricochet.

No damage other than a scraped nose.

I stand further back now.

Outdoor range with gravel? Might have been a rock, I mean it seems highly unlikely, but ya never know. I've seen some weird unlikely events before.

maintenanceguy wrote:I was helping a friend of my daughter shoot a .22 handgun at steel plates. She was a first time shooter. My plates are angled down to ricochet into the ground. I was standing right next to the shooter, probably closer to the plates than we should have been. She fired a shot and it felt like somebody threw a rock and hit me in the nose - a fast, heavy rock.

I immediately assumed the gun had failed and I got hit by a piece of metal from the gun. but the gun was fine. I now assume I was hit by a ricochet because I can't think of anything else that it could have been. Maybe the steel plate was swinging and not angled down at the moment of impact. I'm not sure how it maintained enough energy to even ricochet since .22's usually just come apart and leave a grey smudge on the steel. For a little piece of lead only 1/4" across, it hit much harder than I would have imagined. I've tried to think of other possibilities but I can't come up with anything so I'm going with ricochet.

No damage other than a scraped nose.

I stand further back now.

That's exactly what it felt like, a rock thrown pretty hard. I have a ding on top of my bald head but it doesn't hurt much

For IDPA competitions all steel targets are placed 10 yards or more away from the shooter. In more than 2 years of IDPA competitions I have never been hit by ricochet.

However, one day while out at the range to practice I was watching someone shoot at the plate rack I was hit in the chest by a ricochet that felt like someone threw a large heavy rock at me. I was standing more than 10 yards away with eye and hearing protection on when it happened. The ricochet did not come from the bullet hitting the plate but came from the steel frame below the plates. This has been the one and only time I've ever had something come back and hit me at a range.

Always a good idea to wear eye protection at the range whether you are shooting or not.

I am glad you were not seriously hurt. Sometimes things do bounce in the wrong direction.

Here's another with a good outcome:

I have never understood shooting steel plates, except maybe if they are a couple of hundred yards downrange. I ain't no scientist, but ricochets seem inevitable.