Smellydog
Well-Known Member
Oh **** no....
Limiting ricochets
- Thread starter Griffo13
- Start date
After a while you just stop worrying about the ones that go zing.
The only ones you really need to worry about are the ones you don't hear, but because you don't hear them you don't worry.
The interesting thing is that it’s actually the ricochet you don’t hear that is the most dangerous - “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another.” - when we hear a deflection it is the sound of a projectile cartwheeling and losing energy rapidly, and we know that the greater the angle of deflection the more the energy of the projectile is lost… so it’s the projectile that suffers a quiet and slight deflection that heads off into the distance with the most energy.
People are often concerned by .22lr CCI segmented ammo as they hear ricochets often - however this is just the sound of the petals rapidly losing energy.
There are similar physics when you look at solid copper projectiles in centrefire rifles - the long solid bullet loses stability and the sound of it cartwheeling sounds awful, but in reality it’s putting up huge air resistance and losing energy very quickly.
Of course we should always be very mindful of backstops and ricochets, but in the very rare horror stories we hear in the trade the shooter is always completely unaware of the ricochet occurring until they get a knock on the door.
People are often concerned by .22lr CCI segmented ammo as they hear ricochets often - however this is just the sound of the petals rapidly losing energy.
There are similar physics when you look at solid copper projectiles in centrefire rifles - the long solid bullet loses stability and the sound of it cartwheeling sounds awful, but in reality it’s putting up huge air resistance and losing energy very quickly.
Of course we should always be very mindful of backstops and ricochets, but in the very rare horror stories we hear in the trade the shooter is always completely unaware of the ricochet occurring until they get a knock on the door.
Andydorset
Well-Known Member
I only use a 22lr on soft undulating land, seem to use the 17hmr for more compacted, flint area, using the 15.5gn Hornadays.
Common misconception... Thing is a supersonic ricochet will frequently heard because -its below the speed of sound! A hmr will need to drop a lot of velocity to be audible . ! Same with a .416 toy wont hear the ricochet but nobody wants to catch one for sure ! big difference between fair farts and a copper jacketed lead projectile
most Safe rf ammo is a 22 short at lower levels most practical 22rf with high levels of safety and accuraccy is likely the CCI quiet
Range safety is assessed by its kinetic energy and a HMR carries more than the 22 lr so its classed as the more dangerous on ranges . with higher ricochet risk only 22 mag would be worse in the regulary used RF section .
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Here is one - this child was very nearly killed and suffered life-changing injuries because a 73 year old idiot didn’t appear to care that half a mile from him shooting his .22 there was a primary school - with a playground full of children! An extract from the local paper…Indeed ^^^^ . Are there many instances of completely innocent parties being wounded by stray bullets of any kind
“Two months after being hit and left critically ill on a life support machine, Darragh, aged five, returned home to Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. He was taken out in a wheelchair by his parents who once feared he might not pull through.
Outside the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, his father Gerald said: “He‘s baffled everyone - the surgeons, the doctors, the nurses, his mum and dad, everyone. At the start we thought he might not make it, but there was another force at work. I cannot understand it. It’s beyond my comprehension.”
Darragh was accidentally shot in the head by a stray bullet as he played outside his school on April 22.
But even though police carried out ballistic tests on over 50 weapons which they seized from owners in the area, they have be unable to identify the hunter who pulled the trigger while shooting vermin on adjoining fields.”.
Eventually (several months later) the utter idiot came forward - not only was he on the very school’s board of governors but the scumbag had even signed the poor lad’s Get Well card!
As always - you cannot be careful enough with a rifle - .22 or heavier.
Do you remember that poor kid who was shot in the hart by an air pistol found in a domestic garage ? sub 6 ft lb ! ALL FIREARMS HOLD THE POTENTIAL TO KILL if they can break the skin and can still destroy and eye at far less. Its not the tools that should be vilified but the fool who let them get into the wrong handsHere is one - this child was very nearly killed and suffered life-changing injuries because a 73 year old idiot didn’t appear to care that half a mile from him shooting his .22 there was a primary school - with a playground full of children! An extract from the local paper…
“Two months after being hit and left critically ill on a life support machine, Darragh, aged five, returned home to Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. He was taken out in a wheelchair by his parents who once feared he might not pull through.
Outside the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, his father Gerald said: “He‘s baffled everyone - the surgeons, the doctors, the nurses, his mum and dad, everyone. At the start we thought he might not make it, but there was another force at work. I cannot understand it. It’s beyond my comprehension.”
Darragh was accidentally shot in the head by a stray bullet as he played outside his school on April 22.
But even though police carried out ballistic tests on over 50 weapons which they seized from owners in the area, they have be unable to identify the hunter who pulled the trigger while shooting vermin on adjoining fields.”.
Eventually (several months later) the utter idiot came forward - not only was he on the very school’s board of governors but the scumbag had even signed the poor lad’s Get Well card!
As always - you cannot be careful enough with a rifle - .22 or heavier.
Interesting… I have used my 243 for rabbits ( I know it’s a bit overkill ) but I feel like the chances are near on non existent with the 243 due to it having so much velocity that rounds just explode on impact, even on flat, hard ground.
Maybe i need a fac air rifle. Nothing crazy, but maybe a .177 running 20ftlbs. Surely that covers “almost” anything the 22lr would be doing but without the risks of ricocheting.
Anything else I’ll pull out the 300 win mag
The centre fires also ricochet - no doubt
100% they can and will and its darn near impossible to bring any home for eating - just too much energy unless you shoot none tox you need to be gathering up the mangled carcasses
Not sure I quite understood that.
I do remember a story from Scotland many years ago about a chap shooting at a floating target with a .270, and getting complaints from an island a mile away. (My old boss told me, it was his employee).
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
I remember that FB but was it a ricochet?Here is one - this child was very nearly killed and suffered life-changing injuries because a 73 year old idiot didn’t appear to care that half a mile from him shooting his .22 there was a primary school - with a playground full of children! An extract from the local paper…
“Two months after being hit and left critically ill on a life support machine, Darragh, aged five, returned home to Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. He was taken out in a wheelchair by his parents who once feared he might not pull through.
Outside the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, his father Gerald said: “He‘s baffled everyone - the surgeons, the doctors, the nurses, his mum and dad, everyone. At the start we thought he might not make it, but there was another force at work. I cannot understand it. It’s beyond my comprehension.”
Darragh was accidentally shot in the head by a stray bullet as he played outside his school on April 22.
But even though police carried out ballistic tests on over 50 weapons which they seized from owners in the area, they have be unable to identify the hunter who pulled the trigger while shooting vermin on adjoining fields.”.
Eventually (several months later) the utter idiot came forward - not only was he on the very school’s board of governors but the scumbag had even signed the poor lad’s Get Well card!
As always - you cannot be careful enough with a rifle - .22 or heavier.
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
HmmmAllegedly of a branch if memory serves.
Triggermortis
Well-Known Member
So if it’s the sound of the projectile cartwheeling why do we only hear one sound?
Does the bullet hitting and ricocheting of something hard in the first place not make a different sound?
An FAC shooting slugs is pretty much the same thing as a .22 shooting slugs. You’re right on .177 though, pointless at FAC as you can make a .22 as flat or flatter due to the higher BC of the heavier pellet.
It’s the ones you don’t hear that are the ones to worry about but ironically you don’t as you’re unaware of them!
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
Ricochet - make sure you hit the rabbit - most of the energy dumped into the rabbit.
Make sure of backdrop - hard sunbacked stony ground not good. Soft damp turf much better.
Make sure you are very aware of what is down range of where you are shooting.
think about angles of impact. Using a standing shot off sticks rather than prone off a bipod.
Make sure of backdrop - hard sunbacked stony ground not good. Soft damp turf much better.
Make sure you are very aware of what is down range of where you are shooting.
think about angles of impact. Using a standing shot off sticks rather than prone off a bipod.
I cannot attest to the accuracy of the report, but on my Pre DSC1 day, an example was provided of someone killed by a .22 round (cant recall the specific details). Long and the short of it was the shooter shot at a crow in a tree, missed and the bullet travel over a hill, hitting the unfortunate chap on the other side fatally wounding him.Indeed ^^^^ . Are there many instances of completely innocent parties being wounded by stray bullets of any kind
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