Anybody Hit with Shrapnel?

[BGbasbhat]

Shooting in the desert yesterday, eyes and ears on of course. Waiting for my rifle to cool, I was shooting my 9mm at one of those steel spinning targets at about 15 yards. Couple magazines and was shooting well and a sharp sting in my forearm and stomach. Finished the magazine and figured a bee stung me or something.

Looked down and my forearm was bleeding pretty good and a couple spots on my stomach were starting to bleed a bit too. Thought for a minute, and decided it wasn't a bee/wasp and maybe a ricochet/shrapnel?!?!?!

Nothing of alarm on my stomach, but I can definitely feel something in my arm a little below the skin, probably the size of a BB, so not big.

This happen to anybody? I should have angled the steel down a bit at that range I suppose.
You think it's the lead portion or a piece of the jacket? Leave it in for a cool story (haha) or worry about lead poisoning? Was shooting 115gr FMJs.

Weird stuff. Be safe out there!

 

[Zeke]

I have not had exactly that happen to me but about 55 years ago I fired a Benjamin pellet pistol at the metal ID tab on a power pole. The tab must have oil-canned and the pellet bounced back and hit my nut!!! I never did that again!

Zeke

 

[BGbasbhat]

Hahahahaha! Wow, Zeke, that's impressive aim!

I talked to a couple ER NPs and seems best practice is to keep superficial shrapnel in, unless infection or it is painful. Which it's neither.....
Makes sense since I know a buddy from high school with at least 2 BBs still in his butt cheek......and he's fine!

now I just have to think of a better story....lol

**oh, i'm not a medical professional, so should not be held liable from the above recommendation...just sayin!

 

[EVILNR]

Worked with a guy that had a brace on the bottom half of his leg.
Was target practicing with a .44 mag, shooting at a steel something.
Ricocheted and dang near took his leg off.
Y'all be careful what you shoot at.

 

[RELH]

When shooting at steel targets, you should be 25 yards or more. Also steel should be angled down or free swinging that will allow the bullet to travel downward at a angle to hit the ground or berm.
They make bullets that will blow up to almost dust for shooting steel at a distance shorter then 25 yards. My five steel targets at my home pistol range are free swinging and the bullet or fragments impact the ground just below and slightly in front of the steel target.
RELH

 

[BGbasbhat]

Thanks RELH, I found out the relatively hard way. Being spinny, I supposed I figured it would give a bit and deflect downward. Found a couple fragments around the target after I shot, so seems most did what they were supposed to do. I don't recall if on the shot, maybe I hit the axis or frame of the target causing it not to travel downward.

In the drills/competitions I've watched (i.e. steel challenge), I assume the targets were angled down I suppose? Seems many of them are shooting fixed steel at 10-15 yards.......?

 

[RELH]

They may be using frangible bullets that disintegrate into powder upon impact with the steel.

RELH

 

[Zeke]

I shot a TON of those timed, pop-up steel plate in a local competition with my 9mm and the top tipped back when hit. This was indoors so the backstop was behind and above the plates to capture the fragments. There were zero issues that I was aware of but no part of the frame was visible as it was behind the front backstop. Ya, maybe the frame was your issue???

Y'all are correct that outdoors a deflection down is the only acceptable type and frangible bullets are called for for close stuff.

Crazy things happen and we're glad you're okay!

Zeke

 

[Blank]

Couple of times, always self inflicted. Like mentioned above, always stay 25 yards or beyond for steel and angled or swinging preferable.

Couple of life lessons:
Lead muzzleloader bullets too close will ball up and come back with a vengeance! Left a knot the size of a golf ball and huge bruise in his thigh.
When I was 10-12 yrs old, I was out back shooting the 12 ga with no supervision. I decided to see just how powerful a round was, so shot a power pole at about 6 feet. Most of the shot came straight back and hit me in the forehead above the safety glasses, knocking me flat on my azz and getting a trip to the ER.
The Ram-Set power hammers (either 22 or 25 cal.) used to shoot nails into concrete will fire with the chamber partially open and brass shrapnel will imbed in your bicep!!!

 

[bigshotca]

 

[Zeke]

Oh crap! That's scary.

Zeke

 

[Snoopdogg]

Ouch! Hahaha-- damn Blank.

 

[Blank]

Wasn't always the brightest lite bulb in the box, growing up. Surprised myself (and my parents) living thru childhood.

 

[BGbasbhat]

Geesh Blank, gotta test the limits somehow!

 

[Blank]

You want to test limits (and your parents patience and temper) when you’re 6 years old?? Practice science projects in the garage.

Balance a 12ga shell on your BB gun barrel, and shoot the primer! Wow!

Put a tube in the vise, and load a stolen 22LR in it, and hit with a hammer, to see how a rim fire differs from a primer cartridge. Your Dad can patch the siding in yours AND the neighbors house when he gets home!

Learn to make iodine crystal contact explosive, and stir with your Mom’s pencil. Blows a page out of her cook book!!!

Need I go on???

 

[BGbasbhat]

...so you're saying I SHOULDN'T let my oldest son read this thread?

 

[Captain_coues]

It happened to my best friend. When we were young, at the age parents let you go hunting away from them or with a friend, I don’t remember our age. We were dropped off at the rail road tracks and one of our parents would pick us up at dark. I had a lever action 30-30 and he had a mini 30. We Varmint called and just messed around for the day walking in a dry wash. We met back up with the tracks and found some steel that the rails sit on on the ties. It’s pretty dense stuff. We set it up about 20’ away and I only got off one shot. As soon as I shot, my friend reacted like he was hit bad. A piece of the bullet hit him in the ass check and drew a little blood. It did not penetrate, but left a scar. He says he still ha the scar 30+ years later.

 

[Trix4me]

Camping with friends probably 12 years old. One decided that I should wake up so he started shooting my sleeping bag with his BB gun. To demonstrate my displeasure, I gave him the 1 finger salute! He was a good shot and hit the nail on my middle finger. It grew back but always was a little different.

 

[RELH]

Lets face it, if our kids or grandkids pulled half the stunts we did as kids, we would whip the tar out of them.
RELH

 

[bigshotca]

They would probably be in jail if they did half of those dumb things now? Times are different, I wouldn’t want to be a kid in todays society

 

[Zeke]

The longer I'm around this site, the more I realize that only by the Grace of God that most of you (us) are still vertical! LOL

I had a charmed childhood and one I don't want my grand kids to replicate... for their own safety!

Zeke

 

[BGbasbhat]

Like my Ma always told me, "if it doesn't kill you, it builds character"....... Sounds like we all have character coming out of our ears from our past activities! Haha

 

[Gator]

That will leave a bruise.

 

[Hunt_the_West]

The longer I'm around this site, the more I realize that only by the Grace of God that most of you (us) are still vertical! LOL

I had a charmed childhood and one I don't want my grand kids to replicate... for their own safety!

Zeke

Lawn darts..... then advanced level lawn Darts where you fire an arrow straight up in the sky. Not than anyone here ever done such a thing.

 

[bigshotca]

Only the cool kids?, good luck even finding lawn darts to buy anymore in this damn communist country! Them little rings they came with for the target made into a hell of a whip too, damn they’d hurt across the back side!!

 

[Ropinfool]

my buddies and I were teenagers out shooting rabbits with our .22's when one bounced and a piece of the bullet hit my buddy in the back. he took off screaming down the hill. we caught up to him and took him home. his poor mother about had a heart attack and threw him in the car and took off to the hospital. we just went home and I never told my parents. he was ok and I still tease him about it to this day. now adays we'd have went to jail and been on the national news.

 

[feddoc]

Yup. This was the exit wound where the doc pulled it out. It went in about the same spot nearly 30 years prior. I figured it would just stay forever. Nope. I was watching TV and it started hurting real bad. Went to the ER and it was gone in about an hour or so. I have it sitting in a specimen cup.

Here it is, next to the pliers.

https://imgur.com/nwCbFMn

 

[feddoc]

 

[BGbasbhat]

eeeesh man, that doesn't look pleasant. Wound is healing, but I can still see the chunk under the skin. Figure it will push out after while.

 

[12pointer]

I once had the bright idea I was going to split a small locust tree(about 1 1/4 inch in diameter) with my .22. Bent down with both elbows on my thighs and held the barrel about 8 inches away from trunk where it came out of the ground. Pulled the trigger and the bullet came back and hit me in the forehead above between the eyes. Didn't bleed but made quite a welt on my forehead.