4-9-2001
 THERE IS NO COMMERCIAL CONTENT IN THIS MESSAGE!

Since a significant number of people have ordered steel targets from
me, it's probably a wise idea to discuss safety and shooting steel.

This morning, I took a fragment in the forehead, about 1/4" above my
eyebrow. Got a nice goose egg and a small puncture wound and an
excellent thump to the head when my wife shot some of my very old
steel targets.

The odd part is that just as she was shooting (four rounds), I was
looking at these plates and thinking "This stuff is reaching the
danger point, and I'd better turn them around," when WHAP.

The key issue is that the plates had several craters shot into them
and that is where the danger lies. "Safe" distance to plates is
(overall) largely unimportant. We've fired on various types and
brands of plates as close as 3 yards without significant problems.
With FLAT steel, in good shape, both lead and jacketed bullets smash
flat mostly disintegrating. You'll often find large round lead
pancakes, and if measured, you'll find that they've lost the majority
of the original weight.

Over the years, I've been hit several times, and have observed
numerous other incidents of 180 degree return of slugs hitting
cratered steel. My friend Ron took a jacket in the fore arm that went
at least 250 yards out and STRAIGHT back. It hit with sufficient
force that I didn't feel I could safely remove the fragment in the
field. We took him in and the doc's excised a portion of flesh around
the wound to remove the jacket. I've been hit several times, but this
is the first time I've had skin broken, or significant impact force.

As mentioned, the gongs at the ranch are older "pistol" gongs (i.e.
not armor), so over the years, they've accumulated a number of real
craters (not dimpling) and a number of through and through shots as
well. The craters that today caused the problem apparently came from
a rifle (meaning that some guest at the ranch probably wasn't
instructed properly by my Dad or sibs) and were on the order of 3/16"
to 1/2" deep. While there were slight "humps" on the back of the
plates, the humps do not create a problem as the craters do.

I would define anything approaching 1/8" or deeper, with a rounded
bottom as a "crater." To understand what's happening, think of
various cartoons where the character holds up a "U" shaped pipe that
the bullet enters, then returns in the direction of the shooter. This
is exactly what happens when a slug hits an existing crater. The
bullet is basically extruded back toward the shooter with significant
force.

While we haven't yet managed to crater any of the armor gongs I'm
hustling, I'm sure it can, and will, eventually happen. The key is,
that no matter what kind of steel, or who's product you buy (even
mine) if the plates develop craters, STOP USING THEM. Losing an eye
isn't worth the cost of replacing a target!
--
Geoff Beneze
Tempe, AZ

BEAST Enterprises
Gunsmithing, target stands
http://www.beast-enterprises.com

NRA life Member
IDPA A00981