Range Report: richochet back at me

[Sir Henry]

I’m out plinking again today shooting Quiet 22 at the pans at 25 yards. The Quiets don’t have enough energy to go through the pans and I got a few back at me. This picture shows what it did to the side of the garage.

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If you look close at the bullet you can see the orange paint.

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[BrokenolMarine]

That's why all my plates angle toward the ground in front of the berm rather the hanging vertical, and I insist on shooting glasses / eye protection.

[Cofisher]

I won’t show this to my son. He is very afraid of this. I like the idea of slanted targets. Glad you’re ok.

[Sir Henry]

That's why all my plates angle toward the ground in front of the berm rather the hanging vertical, and I insist on shooting glasses / eye protection.

Pans hang where they want and swing when you hit them. The secret to shooting them safely is shoot ammo with enough power to go through them. I can get pans for a dollar at the Goodwill and they will take several hundred hits before needing to be retired. I do have a couple fixed plates and angle them down like you say.

[fortyshooter]

If the pans are getting dented or cratered up that will cause ricochets back at you and other directions. A hard plate won't dent and the bullet fragments will splatter outward 90 degree from target as in splatter most of the time. A jacket bullet can send fragments back. Make sure the plate can swing easy. Fixed plates angled downward. One thing I don't shoot with BB or pellet rifles is those self sealing rubber targets. They will send right back at you over your head and you can hear it whizz bye.

[Sir Henry]

If the pans are getting dented or cratered up that will cause ricochets back at you and other directions. A hard plate won't dent and the bullet fragments will splatter outward 90 degree from target as in splatter most of the time. A jacket bullet can send fragments back. Make sure the plate can swing easy. Fixed plates angled downward. One thing I don't shoot with BB or pellet rifles is those self sealing rubber targets. They will send right back at you over your head and you can hear it whizz bye.

I’ve learned the same thing about the self healing. Metal has to been hard and fixed or light enough the bullets will penetrate. Think of the pans as hard paper. Pellets and bb’s bounce back so can’t be shot. What I’m learning is Quiet 22’s are the same as pellets. Even HV shorts will penetrate the pans.

[North Country Gal]

I've had similar experiences shooting homemade targets with both pellets and rimfires. When I shoot rimfire in the backyard, now, I only use rimfire rated bullet traps or heavy metal swingers rated for centerfire use. For pellets, I now stay away from the light flimsy stuff. If the metal can get dimpled or bent with a pellet, I won't use it. Too many close calls.

Some of those soft resealable targets actually come with instructions NOT to use them with pellets.

[markiver54]

I've had similar experiences shooting homemade targets with both pellets and rimfires. When I shoot rimfire in the backyard, now, I only use rimfire rated bullet traps or heavy metal swingers rated for centerfire use. For pellets, I now stay away from the light flimsy stuff. If the metal can get dimpled or bent with a pellet, I won't use it. Too many close calls.

Some of those soft resealable targets actually come with instructions NOT to use them with pellets.

Good info. I did not know that.

[Sir Henry]

I've had similar experiences shooting homemade targets with both pellets and rimfires. When I shoot rimfire in the backyard, now, I only use rimfire rated bullet traps or heavy metal swingers rated for centerfire use. For pellets, I now stay away from the light flimsy stuff. If the metal can get dimpled or bent with a pellet, I won't use it. Too many close calls.

Some of those soft resealable targets actually come with instructions NOT to use them with pellets.

I’m learning the Quiets are more like pellets. I haven’t had problems with SV.

[North Country Gal]

Quiets and the CB 22 Shorts I shoot have the same velocity, about 710 fps. The only difference is the bullet weight, 40 grains versus 29. Even the CBs, though, have more energy than my most powerful air rifle. That's why I only use steel bullet traps and heavy metal swinging targets even when shooting CBs. At 25 yards, getting hit with a CB or Quiet ricochet can still be potentially fatal or at least capable of a serious wound.

One issue with your hanging targets that may be increasing the odds of a ricochet is that they can twist and turn when hit, rather than move only in a single direction when hit. In my experiments with air gun targets, I know that in order to reduce the odds of a ricochet with a pellet, the pellet must flatten completely. It's when the pellet only hits a glancing blow and fails to flatten completely that I've had ricochets. With hanging targets that twist and turn every which way, getting a pellet to flatten is much less likely. Probably a similar thing happening when those Quiets fail to punch through your pans. Even at only 700 fps, a glancing blow could push a Quiet bullet off course. If you secured that pan so that it couldn't twist side to side when hit, I think you'd reduce the number of shots that fail to penetrate. Also from experience, a curved dish at the sides like your pan or any bent out of flat target is a recipe for getting ricochets. The curved side on your pan could have been what sent the bullets right back at you.

Hope I'm not being a nag. Just want to be a good neighbor and share my experience with ricochets. You guys are like family to me. Don't want to see anyone get hurt.