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Steel bullet bounce question

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Gil P. View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gil P. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Steel bullet bounce question
    Posted: February/03/2013 at 18:47
I was shooting some steel at my local rifle range today at about 700 yards. Ive never shot that far before and I was shooting uphill. I could hear the bullet pinging the target but I would also see some dust kick up in front of it.
 
I was shooting a 308. Could the bullet have been bouncing off the target and kicking dirt up? Or maybe I was bouncing the bullet off the dirt and it was hitting the target after the bounce.
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338LAPUASLAP View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 338LAPUASLAP Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/03/2013 at 19:58
What angle was the target to you or your POA?  What plane was it in reference to?

Bullet Splash???

How were your groups???

If you were bouncing them in I would give up shooting and do some investigation as to why you couldn't hit the steel first.  This is most likely not the case.  I am thinking that the target is slightly angled or at least I am hoping the target is slightly angled, if swinging the same result.

Skipping bullets is not very safe and is considered a foul.
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billyburl2 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote billyburl2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/03/2013 at 22:53
My guess it was the "spall" of the bullet breaking up when the bullet hit the steel. This usually more apparent when the steel is one of harder AR series.
If it is tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
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Gil P. View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gil P. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/03/2013 at 23:25
Originally posted by 338LAPUASLAP 338LAPUASLAP wrote:

What angle was the target to you or your POA?  What plane was it in reference to?

Bullet Splash???

How were your groups???

If you were bouncing them in I would give up shooting and do some investigation as to why you couldn't hit the steel first.  This is most likely not the case.  I am thinking that the target is slightly angled or at least I am hoping the target is slightly angled, if swinging the same result.

Skipping bullets is not very safe and is considered a foul.
 
I couldnt check my groups since the shooting range I was at would not let me walk to to the target. The range I was at has a flat space about 125 yards long where you can place your own targets and at the end of that distance there is a burm. After the burm there is a small mountain where all the steel targets are placed at different ranges.
 
So yes, I was angled to the target since I was shooting uphill and I couldnt tell of the steel target was angled.
 
It seems highly unlikely that I could skip a bullet since it travels in a steep arc anyway. But, you all probably know more than me so feel free to correct me if im wrong.
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Stevey Ducks View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stevey Ducks Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/03/2013 at 23:26
Long range shooting is fun!
 
If you heard the bullet hit the steel target you hit it.
 
Common lead core bullets will break upon impact and bullet fragment will blow out in 360 degrees and you will see dust fly up under the target. In addition to bullet fragments an impact crater on the steel will be seen, steel fragments of the impact will also be blown out. Shoot on a rainy day and this will be not so evident. Shooting at 9/16 inch thick mild steel at 400 yds using 75 gr .224 and 105 gr .243 bullets will show up to a 5/16 inch deep crater and a slightly bulged area on the back side of the steel.
 
If you have the chance shoot some solid copper bullets at steel, instead of a "ping" or "splat" sound you will hear a "click" sound and somewhat greater penetration.
 
I do almost all my target shooting on steel targets.
 
  
 
 
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Gil P. View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gil P. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/03/2013 at 23:35
Billyburl,
I think the targets were probably a harder series AR steel since it was at a range and is shot at a lot.
 
Stevey,
So I was hitting it! 
And, ill remember never to buy solid copper bullets and use them when I buy my own steel targets. Im not shooting a fast cartridge so hopefully it will last a long time.
 
I was looking at JC steel targets, they have pretty attractive prices.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stevey Ducks Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/04/2013 at 00:22
I buy my targets at my local steel fabrication shop, by the pound. They have 3.5 to 5 inch diameter 1.5 to 3 inch thick and 4 to 8 inch diameter 7/16 inch thick disks. I drill and tap 1/4 inch holes and use common eye bolts from the local hardware store or drill 1/8 inch holes diagonally through the top corners and use soft steel wire to hang to target. WalMart $.98 flat black spray paint goes onto the targets at each session.
 
You gotta be able to walk or drive down range to set them up and during the dry summer months quit shooting them to avoid sparks that could set off a grass/brush fire.
 
Tagging a steel target at over 500 yds with long pointy rifle bullet and seeing the sparks fly just at the end of legal shooting light is fun. You can sort of imagine the target rolling over and sinking to the bottom.
 
 
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Stevey Ducks View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stevey Ducks Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/04/2013 at 00:35
Try 9/16 vs 7/16. Another measure of the momentum of the hit is how far the target will move, sometimes they will make more than one revolution around the horizontal support. A 200 gr. plus solid copper bullet even when fired from a moderate velocity .338-06 can easily flip one of the thinner targets over on a 400 yd hit leaving a deep crater.
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trigger29 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote trigger29 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/04/2013 at 16:03
Stevey, you should try some hard AR targets once. They make much more of a ring, and there will be no crater left in them. I bought some AR 400 (still considered to be substandard, compared to AR 500 that professional targets are made from) from a local manufacturer that uses it for wear plates in rock crushers. A scrap piece cost me $11, and I cut 4 12" gongs out of it. At 300 yards and out, a 208 A-Max from a 300 wby at 3000 fps doesn't even leave a mark in it. I'm sure that one of these gongs would last me a lifetime.

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