Bullets can do weird things

[devon deer stalker]

Having just watched a video on here it could be seen that after the bullet passed through the deer some foliage collapsed to the rear at an angle that appeared to indicate the trajectory of the bullet went off at an angle, the shot appeared to be totally safe with a good back stop.
It just got me thinking how often does this happen?, without an indicator to the rear maybe more than we think.

Where I zero my rifle I noticed a bullet head sticking out of a tree guard, well behind the target, it hadn't expanded at all but instead of burying itself in the soil had gone off at an angle and kind of skidded through the top of the grass/soil and reappeared, what made it do that is still a mystery to me.

So we all make sure we have a good back stop but there is always, as the NHS describe it, 'a never event' it should never happen but on a very rare occasion it can, worrying eh?

Cheers
Richard

 

[Munty1]

This is very true, I have seen deer shot perfectly (heart shot) and have known bullets to travel up the spine or even exit out of the rear end.

 

[bewsher500]

zeroed off a 8ft wall out to 50 yds and 100 yds on a slope
targets were behind each other but one was approx 2-3ft higher than the other

I shot the 50yd one and keyholed the 100yd one 3ft higher!!
behind the first target was the furrow you describe

​(my backstop was not the ground in this case but a 20ft hillside covered in trees

 

[Lcass88]

What munty1 has just said happened to me a perfect hart shot and the bullet hit the ribs on the other side of the deer and ran along its side exiting out the back leg

 

[dlz90]

Shot a red stag on friday night past H/L shot, the stag ran approx 8oyds yds into some rushes and then went down. I had my son with me who watched the shot through binos he said he saw the swish/path of the bullet exiting at a right angle though some long grass so because contact deforms the bullet be it bone/tissue there's just no telling where it will go, all we can (must) do on our part is to ensure a safe backstop not just behind the target animal but the entire area behind and to either side.

 

[davidm]

These 2 videos certainly made me think.


Blaser in motion - Dangers of ricochets - YouTube

Blaser in motion - Fragmentations when shooting - YouTube

 

[Mr. Gain]

[Edited: DavidM - great minds evidently do think alike!]


These videos are quite interesting:

Fragmentation when shooting

and

Dangers of ricochets

(especially from 1':40" on)

 

[Jelendeer]

Some years ago - using a .308 and 150gr round nose bullets - I shot a Roe buck in Scotland, perfectly broadside from about 40m. The bullet entered on the left side of the animal hitting one rib on the way in. On hitting the opposite side in exactly the right place, the bullet turned 90 degrees and cut off every rearward rib as if we'd used a bone saw to cut them off. The bullet then exited just grazing the outside of the right haunch.

I worked at Sennybridge military range many years ago, and as we were on our way out in the evening we could see in the distance live firing using tracer rounds. On hitting the targets, tracers were going everywhere including 90% upwards and occasionally straight back towards the firer!!! (However, they were FMJ so some ricochet could be expected)

Strange indeed! and it does illustrate the importance of good backstops!

Regs

​M.

 

[Pirate hunter]

Some years ago - using a .308 and 150gr round nose bullets - I shot a Roe buck in Scotland, perfectly broadside from about 40m. The bullet entered on the left side of the animal hitting one rib on the way in. On hitting the opposite side in exactly the right place, the bullet turned 90 degrees and cut off every rearward rib as if we'd used a bone saw to cut them off. The bullet then exited just grazing the outside of the right haunch.

I worked at Sennybridge military range many years ago, and as we were on our way out in the evening we could see in the distance live firing using tracer rounds. On hitting the targets, tracers were going everywhere including 90% upwards and occasionally straight back towards the firer!!! (However, they were FMJ so some ricochet could be expected)

Strange indeed! and it does illustrate the importance of good backstops!

Regs

​M.

Had a similar thing happen to me a few months ago with a buck,bullet entered perfect in the heart and did a complete u turn and exited 3 inch from entry. Also had a few weird ones,in threw the H-L and exited straight up threw the spine.

PH

 

[finnbear270]

Shot a bunny (head )& around ten yards away from the strike, another fell dead same as his buddy, also in head/neck by frags from a frangible round, Fireball .17

 

[paul o']

+1 first and only time i used factory with sst bullets, i was gutted and forgive the punn so was the roe buck, i hit him tex book h&l at 150 bullet came off a rib and fragged the rest came out the rear left and sliced all on its way down he was unfit for food so the dogs had it
never again now use pro hunters .

This is very true, I have seen deer shot perfectly (heart shot) and have known bullets to travel up the spine or even exit out of the rear end.

 

[BearStalker]

When I read about the problem with richochets(sp), I am thankful that I only use a 180 grain bullet in, at least, a 30 claiber bullet. When I shoot an animal, there is no internal richochet (thus far). I feel, and I may get some sharp critisisum(sp) over this, the faster the bullet, the easier it is to richochet. Agreed, there are exceptions to anything, and if a bullet hits, just right, most anything can happen, but, in general, if a (say) 150 grain bullet is being pushed by the same power a 180 grain bullet is being pushed, a small twig can change its course.

I, also, very, strongly agree, we ALL, MUST be sure of our backstop BEFORE we squeeze the trigger. One can never be to safe with firearms.

 

[Sosso]

It never happends to me with the 45/70, and before i was using a 12gauge so my experience in small caliber...
But i have noticed the point on some wounded beasts i have tracked. In my mind, if a fast bullet doesnt expand correctly **** happens! Maybe some ammo do not produce enought velocity due to factory defects.

 

[Crosshair243]

When I read about the problem with richochets(sp), I am thankful that I only use a 180 grain bullet in, at least, a 30 claiber bullet. When I shoot an animal, there is no internal richochet (thus far). I feel, and I may get some sharp critisisum(sp) over this, the faster the bullet, the easier it is to richochet. Agreed, there are exceptions to anything, and if a bullet hits, just right, most anything can happen, but, in general, if a (say) 150 grain bullet is being pushed by the same power a 180 grain bullet is being pushed, a small twig can change its course.

I, also, very, strongly agree, we ALL, MUST be sure of our backstop BEFORE we squeeze the trigger. One can never be to safe with firearms.

Surely fast and frangible = least likely to ricochet and slow and solid = most likely to ricochet???

 

[unicorn71]

Surely fast and frangible = least likely to ricochet and slow and solid = most likely to ricochet???

+ 1 as anyone who owns a .22rf will testify .

 

[alberta boy]

What munty1 has just said happened to me a perfect hart shot and the bullet hit the ribs on the other side of the deer and ran along its side exiting out the back leg

I had the same thing happen to me on a smallish white-tail buck

AB

 

[Klenchblaize]

Many years ago I shot regularly at a charming range in Shoreham, Kent. The club in question was made up of a membership with quite the most diverse interest in type and calibre of rifle/pistol. The same might be said of our approach to engaging targets.

Range standing orders required no less than 3 Lookouts at key points on the woodland footpaths behind a substantial backstop. In reality the fallout area for anything going over the top.
If drawing the short straw that was the furthest and highest point, I never radioed the FP with the proceed signal until my back was against the LARGEST tree in the wood such was the regular disturbance of undergrowth and leaf canopy! This was not a result of shooting "over the top".

The range is no more.

K

 

[tusker]

Last Oct. on a stag in Scotland high heart shot with 270 130 grn bullet. Stag ran 50 yrds right to left past me with its jaw shattered. I was mortified as I would never have attemted a head shot. The stalker fortunatly saw the bullet strike high heart so we worked out that obviously the bullet traveled up its neck and exited out the jaw.
Tusker

 

[RickoShay]

Surely fast and frangible = least likely to ricochet and slow and solid = most likely to ricochet???

Partly true but bit of a myth too. We often notice .22rf simply because we are close to it and hear the whine of the subsonic bullet. HV ammunition ricochets can be hidden by the louder sonic crack that accompanies centre fire; it happens we just don't hear it because it is obscured acoustically and occurs much further away from the muzzle.

As JelenDeer alludes to, military ranges provide clear evidence of ricochets occurring at distances well in excess of 500m (know Sennybridge as a field firing SRCO), where predominant calibres are .223Rem and .308Win - although by far the greatest change in direction ricochets I have seen were 12.7mm, but maybe that's because it was green tracer at night and they were lit up for longer being heavier calibre.

Think we all agree, no backstop can be taken for granted and we should expect heavy criticism if we post videos of deer we have shot because we know our land 'so well' it's ok for us to shoot through hedges - for example..

 

[john.d.m]

On a very small Herefordshire range at a practical pistol shoot many years ago; myself and a good friend were both leaning against opposite sides of a 4 inch post,of the shooting roof over the shooting points, and someone was shooting a 9mm down by the butts (20/30 yards away)
We never heard anything ricochet, but a 9mm round stuck in the post between us at head height, so we moved.