Ricochet from a lead pellet all the way back to me?!
- Thread starter jetpopt
- Start date
The main reason I will always shoot with shooting safety glasses, had something similar happen, I like my vision as is...
Upvote 0
This is another reason why I use pellet traps. Also had this happen when shooting at a rat in the back yard, it bounced back 30 plus feet landed in my neighbor’s yard. Freak the crap out of me and been using sub 12 FPE and being really careful with back stop ever since.
Upvote 0
Yes, that must be what happened. The can had many dents, including one at the very rim that looked like the perfect miniscoop to bat that pellet right back at me.
I suspect that golf balls’ numerous dimples on the surface have as much to do with ricochet potential as any other trait of the ball.
I was contemplating hanging up an old saw blade or similar metal disk, with a spoon hung half an inch in front of it to “ring the gong”. Rethinking the safety aspects of that now! Maybe just a long, flat piece of metal instead of a spoon.
Upvote 0
Oooo, another can aficionado!
This driveway is not as long as yours, but there’s a shared private road that runs through part of my property. Runs for miles, and only two of us owners use the northern half. I could play a very long game of chase-the-can when the neighbor is on vacation.I have not a misspent youth so much as an unspent youth and am making up for it now. Heh heh.
Good idea forming allies in LE and airgun supply deliverers! Nice of you to let them try your gun.
Upvote 0
An eighteen year old we knew from church lost his life with a ricochet off of a steel hanging plate. He was shooting a regular longarm, not an airgun. Apparently, somehow his payload hit at a very very unlikely angle/spot. Hit him directly in the heart. He lasted a few minutes. I do not, and will not, shoot at metal objects. Just not worth the "plang!" you hear. A box full of stuffing with a lid, and cardboard face targets is plenty good enough for me. I value my eyes. To each his own.
Upvote 0
Better watch what you shoot at and think about the possibility of ricochet, the closer the target, the dangerous it could be. Not difficult to lose an eye or being hit in a very painful part if you are stand on your feet.
Upvote 0
Golf ball victim as well. Shot it at 25 yards off my elevated deck. It came straight back at my house and hit a window. Bad thing was, my wife was in that room and heard it. Good news was, the window did not break.
Upvote 0
Keep him guessing
It's a DADD thing (dad's against daughters dating)
OMFG!!! That had me rolling!!!!
Upvote 0
I got hit right above my eyebrow by a 30 cal pellet last week. First time that ever happened on my own range. I think it bounced off a previous pellet that was still stuck (flattened) to the target or something. I was wearing safety glasses of course, so all was good. But those 60 grainers hit pretty hard when they bounce back from 15 yards. No bruise, but it did feel tender for a few days.
Upvote 0
There has been few times outta the 20 thousands of crossmans I shot where from my 20 yard target a pellet comes back in my general derection, One time I remember I was shooting this dog bone it was super hard bone like material my dog lost intrest in it months ago an it been laying around an I needed a target so figured id use it as a target, So I shot it first shot an followed up an sounded like tiny ricochets Id hear little impact to the side or it be a bit delayed impact never sounded like it had any real power, But this one shot it was crazy so I shot it an I hear that bullet whizzin sound you hear from a ricochet flying my way an takes about a 1.3 seconds an it hits the fence it didnt sound like it had much force despite soundin like its at high rpm coming back woulda been cool to find it was very surprised that possible as I was just straight back an pellet or a fragment did a whole 180 an whizzed my way it hit few feet away from me but that only happened once I recall outta over 20000 shots total. Weird stuff can happen sometimes at them speeds.
Upvote 0
Id think its a sign of good fortune as the pellet fell in my pocket and just woulda kept on shootin
Upvote 0
Only had this problem with low power guns.
Things never to shoot at
Golf ball
Tennis ball
Baseball
Any hard rubber objects
Things never to shoot at
Golf ball
Tennis ball
Baseball
Any hard rubber objects
Upvote 0
Yea my crossmans going thru the whole tennis ball every time I shot em, Guess all my ricochets must be fragments pellets are definitely breaking apart at the velocity I shoot at, One time I shot the tennis ball with a bb thing bounces back like with half the fps could loose eye easy without eye pro.
Upvote 0
This turned out to be an awesome thread, so many stories to remind us to be safe. With everyone chimes in with their stories which show just how likely this could happen and we should take safety very very serious.
Last edited:
Upvote 0
I’m still surprised at how many close calls people have had. Something to think about, for sure. Every pack of slingshot ammo I ever bought, and every pack of BBs that I’ve seen (I don’t shoot BBs) all warn against firing those at hard targets because of the risk of ricocheting. Yet it’s obvious that lead pellets, soft as they may be, can also ricochet.
As noted above somewhere, I decided to shoot steel cans only at 50’ or more since that ricochet happened. At 33’, three soda cans duct-taped end to end work as targets that also trap the pellets, and I only pump 4 or 5 times per shot. Not as fun a reactive sound at first, but as soon as the pellets accumulate, there’s more sound.
Pellets smacking commercial steel spinners get totally flattened and deflected downward, so I think they’re fairly safe even at 33’.
I assume a balloon would burst upon impact, but I do wonder if an odd one just might bounce a pellet to who knows where.
As noted above somewhere, I decided to shoot steel cans only at 50’ or more since that ricochet happened. At 33’, three soda cans duct-taped end to end work as targets that also trap the pellets, and I only pump 4 or 5 times per shot. Not as fun a reactive sound at first, but as soon as the pellets accumulate, there’s more sound.
Pellets smacking commercial steel spinners get totally flattened and deflected downward, so I think they’re fairly safe even at 33’.
I assume a balloon would burst upon impact, but I do wonder if an odd one just might bounce a pellet to who knows where.
Upvote 0
When i was a teen, me and my mate went shooting. Weather was bad so we hinkerd down in a barn. We decided to take a few pop shots at a lit ciggy. Anyway hit the ciggy and what even it hit behind it (concrete wall) sent it flying back at me and hit me just below the eye. Stung like a pig and bruised all different colours.
Upvote 0