sitsinhedges Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 Can't make my mind up on this one. Been shooting a lot of bunnies at distance lately on dry old ground with my 12g and am not really sure of the potential for shot to ricochet for any distance. There may be a road 1 or 2 hundred metres away or a field hedge with who knows what behind etc and safety is always a concern. Any thoughts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cookoff013 Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 i think if the shot is hard enough like steel, it will ricochet if shot at a hard surface. but if you are shooting soft lead, then the lead flattens / deforms, reducing ricky effect. i thought faster the lead the less likely it will ricky, and slow stuff is prone to it anyway. then i`m talking about hard, i mean metal. i`d have no concerns over shooting at the ground, the shot will bury itself even in hard ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 they can do if you use large shot but generally the risk is low. If it happens they will have very little energy after a few yards and probably travel 50 yards or so absolute max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 As the answer is yes, you only need to remember two words: The first being Murphy and the second is Sod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 They do bounce sometimes but don't worry about it. They wont go far and are too small to do any damage, not they will do 200 yards once they've hit something anyway. More than once I've been hit by #6 pellets whilst Squirrel shooting. If I stand the other side of a tree to my mate to get the Squizzer to show itself to the gun pellets often ricochet off of the branches and hit me. It stings a little if it hits bare skin but doesn't leave a mark. You wouldn't want one in the eye (I always look down at the floor when I know he's going to fire) but anywhere else is fine. That's with me standing maybe 20 yards from the pellet strike and him being 20 yards max from the tree. AAA on the other hand - I wouldn't want to stand in the way of one of those when they bounce. That said, you take the necessary care with whatever you're using at the time. Large shotgun pellets I tend to treat like a low powered rifle to be on the safe side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 large pellets and trees are a bad combination. I once apparently shot a landrover that was 90 degrees from the muntjac I was shooting at. No damage but the driver heard it hit and was very surprised as he'd seen me drop the muntjac with the gun pointed the other way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vampire Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 Have had steel ricochet whilst lamping rabbits,like mini tracer rounds,be careful.Talking of ricochet am having to be very wary of where i am shooting the .22lr in this weather as the ground is so hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted May 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 Slightly OT, I had a rabbit standing next to a couple of old tyres recently and was wondering if I shot whether half the pellets would come back and hit me. I waited until he moved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.