Ricochet from a lead pellet all the way back to me?!

[jetpopt]

I was shooting at cans placed 33’ away. After I heard a pellet TING the steel can, something then flew back towards my right, hit a chair or other object there, and fell. I found a pellet head on the porch floor.

Didn’t think a lead pellet could zing all the way back that far, even when hitting steel. The only reason I could think why it might have happened is that the pellet smacked the lip of the can obliquely (I put cans so that their circular end faces me), so that it bounced back at an angle. I never thought it could come back all the way. I was using 6 pumps for the steel cans, but for one shot I inadvertently pumped 9 times. It still seems odd.

Any ideas why this happened?

 

[SpiralGroove]

A coincidence which could happen again.

- Hence, don't repeat actions leading to negative outcomes - this is called experience/wisdom gained.

 

[beerthief]

I have had pellets zoom past me after hitting plywood @ 15 yards <12 FPE
Now all backstops are at a slant down.

 

[jarmstrong]

that is why we HANG steel , so it can swing and defect towards the ground.

had a steel tray lean' against a tree 15 yds away and broke the porch light next to my head, that is when I went to hanging steel,
just a swinging

 

[MDiver]

Had a pellet hit my big toe shooting on mdf with low power airgun. Exactly the same happened a few minutes again, same spot

 

[rayroz]

Last winter 25f outside . Im shooting my prod through a cracked open window opened 6 in , i was shooting cphp at stock speeds .
Backstop was a 2by12at 20 yrds , must have hit a knot , the damn thing came back through the cracked open window hit me right above the shirt pocket and fell in it.
To close for comfort i called it a day .

 

[ba49]

It seem to happen more with low powered guns than high powered. Also steel bbs almost always come back if the backstop is hard and not angled down because they don't flatten out and expend all their energy upon impact like a lead pellet.

 

[JDR]

I had a RWS 350 nearly hit my daughters boyfriend. Shot at a piece of pine a few feet away thinking the pellet would embed in the wood. The pellet flew past his head. He came up from the basement and told my daughter "Your dad almost shot me". Heard the same story when I visited his parents.

 

[Jasonmc]

Learn my lesson shooting golf balls.. had the bright idea to mount it on a spring so when shot it would wobble and swing around.. yep it worked great until it didn't.. had a 177 8.4gr shot from my R9 fly all the way back to me hitting me in the chest... dropping in my lap. It didn't hurt or anything but sure gets your attention. Only steel knock down targets, hanging cow bells stuff like that get shot at now. (Small game and pest also)

 

[.20calguy]

It happens pretty regular for me. They have landed on the porch roof and then roll off. They've landed in the pool. They've hit the house, and hit the glass wibdows, and doors, but never breaking one.
My targets are primarily plastic medicine bottles hanging on strings.
I like shooting cans from bottom view myself.

 

[iAMzehTOASTY1]

Things happen; yes
Key word: angle

 

[.20calguy]

I got a perfect hit on a tennis ball at about 100 feet, with the HW75.
How do I know it was perfect?
The ricochet hit me dead center in the chest.

 

[thomasair]

I got hit in the forehead at a ft match when someone else was shooting. Stung a little. Target was about 45y away.

Mike

 

[JDR]

I use a cardboard box stuffed with blue jeans. Works good even with my RWS 350 and after serveral hundred shots, no pass thru. I do locate the bullseye on different areas of the box and turn it backside. I guess you could add a piece of plywood in the back as a safeguard.

 

[Geezerhood]

I had a 177 going about 650 fps hit a dead pinon pine trunk with no bark on it and bounce back about 20 yards into my house. The speed was about that of a fast hornet and the pellet was easily seen as it rolled by.

 

[Smitty911]

Hence the Line from a Famous Movie:

"You'll shoot your eye out kid."

Hang it or angle it, down and slightly off axis and you should be good to go.

Smitty

 

[Simplemann]

Yeah lead hitting an object like a can I wouldn't think could "bounce" back at you The only time I had one come back at me was shooting at plastic. The plastic was tougher than I thought and threw it back at me But thanks for sharing your experience it reinforces that EYE PROTECTION should always be worn while shooting.

 

[SpiralGroove]

A coincidence which could happen again.

- Hence, don't repeat actions leading to negative outcomes - this is called experience/wisdom gained.

I mention this because at age of about 9, pointed my Sheridan at the ground with no shoes on. Thinking the safety was on as I always kept the safety on before shooting - I pulled the trigger. Pellet shot in the ground between my big toe and next one down. " I thought to myself - You dumb azz - don't ever do that again - whew ...... .

Next, at age about 12, was shooting BB's in the basement with my Crosman 760 - shooting the eyeballs out of baseball cards at 15 feet.
Anyway, got a ricochet on my forehead - right between my eyes. Good lessen -> Never again .

Leaning from ones mistakes is critical to survival .............

 

[Firewalker]

Shoot old pots, they said...

It'll be fun, they said...

2 quart pan, swung around after hitting it, looked to be facing away from me, nope! Pellet hit just inside the rim, made a full 180° off that slippery teflon and smacked the shooting bench hard enough to bury the pellet in the wood. Like the rest, I angle all metal down now.

 

[srtmat]

Shot at a golf ball 20 yds away with a .25 cal Diana 52 through this service door on my garage.
25.4gr @ 650fps came back at me and right through the corner of my siding and hit my Harbor Freight trailer with enough force to take paint off. I found the mangled pellet in the driveway.
I’ve been prone to some terrible decision making over the years. Here’s a another fine example.
Drive fast, take chances!