wascal Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 I just canvassing a few opinions I come from a shotgun background where the "loaded" shotgun is carried barrel down Last year I took up target shooting and at the range have been moaned at for not carrying the "Empty" rifle barrel up. Is this just historic convention ? My thought is that if i stupidly left my .308 loaded and it went off pointed upwards it could go miles and hit someone. But if it was pointed down it would just make a hole in the ground thoughts please ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingEgg Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 (edited) Pointed up surely on the way back down the round will reach terminal velocity and ruin what/whoever it hits.... Edit:fat finger spelling mistake Edited February 17, 2016 by ShootingEgg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 At both rifle ranges I shoot at, ALL rifles must be inspected as clear by the RCO, and then cased before leaving the firing point (one is a private range, the other is MOD). As such, carrying a rifle 'in the open' barrel up or down is irrelevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 I just canvassing a few opinions I come from a shotgun background where the "loaded" shotgun is carried barrel down Last year I took up target shooting and at the range have been moaned at for not carrying the "Empty" rifle barrel up. Is this just historic convention ? My thought is that if i stupidly left my .308 loaded and it went off pointed upwards it could go miles and hit someone. But if it was pointed down it would just make a hole in the ground thoughts please ! Wot do u mean carry a loaded shotgun barrel down? 1st thing i'd say shouldnae really be carrying a loaded shotgun, depending on circumstances. But on a game shoot say u could either carry it up or down as long as muzzle is always in a safe direction. Never shot targets/ranges with rifle, but while woodland stalking it is not unusual to carry a rilfe loaded with barrel up or down on sling. In the past it was deemed safer to have barrel pointing up for loading/unloading incase it went off as the chance of it hitting anyone are minute. Now seem to favour barrel down but pointing in a safe direction. Thats wot u do for dsc safety assesments I would imagine in a range environment with lot of concrete any discharge with barrel down could result in riccochet or shrapnel everywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Various points have been raised but what's wrong with breech flags? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sha Bu Le Posted February 18, 2016 Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 Pointed up surely on the way back down the round will reach terminal velocity and ruin what/whoever it hits.... Edit:fat finger spelling mistake The Mythbusters programme did a series of tests a few years ago to determine if a bullet fired from gun pointed vertically up over would upon reaching its highest point would develop enough energy during free fall to injure some one. The used a variety of guns and ammo out in a desert somewhere in the US. Long storey short.........they concluded that a falling bullet would not hurt a person but may give you a nasty sting. However if the gun was off vertical it would be a different case, they did not do tests to verify this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted February 18, 2016 Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 (edited) The Mythbusters programme did a series of tests a few years ago to determine if a bullet fired from gun pointed vertically up over would upon reaching its highest point would develop enough energy during free fall to injure some one. The used a variety of guns and ammo out in a desert somewhere in the US. Long storey short.........they concluded that a falling bullet would not hurt a person but may give you a nasty sting. However if the gun was off vertical it would be a different case, they did not do tests to verify this. I have seen one or two Mythbusters in the past that involved guns. The only program I saw where they pointed a rifle vertically they were never able to find the falling bullet, did they have another try sometime??! Edited February 18, 2016 by Dekers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 18, 2016 Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 Most ranges insist guns are checked clear by the ro before leaving the firing point Also guns are slipped when moving to and fro the firing point and club house etc. In use in the field is different and during my level 1 ( quite a long time ago now) someone had introduced an upright carry muzzles to the sky with the rifle infront of you. I have never ever seen anyone carrying that way in the field. So in all its pointless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timps Posted February 18, 2016 Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 Regarding mythbusters if you fire the gun completely vertical then the bullet goes straight up then falls to earth just under gravity and is not considered lethal. However if the gun is shot up in the air but at a slight angle then the bullet is actually on a ballistic trajectory similar to an artillery shell and has the ability to kill. The question is how far off 90 degrees is lethal, people have been killed in the USA from bullets fired in the air during 4th of July celebrations. So according to myth busters it's busted, plausible and confirmed depending on the angle of the gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wascal Posted February 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 At the range rifles are cleared before leaving the firing point , but you have to walk a few yards to were the slips are placed . This is the time I have been moaned at. But If the rifle is cleared it doesn't matter which way you point it . I believe it just a hangup from the RCO courses run by the army . guns pointed up = just going for a walk! guns pointing down = Nasty warmongers . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 18, 2016 Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 The top picture I love those uniforms were can I get one for the Mrs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wascal Posted February 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 The top picture I love those uniforms were can I get one for the Mrs? Where everything comes from now - China Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sha Bu Le Posted February 21, 2016 Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 I have seen one or two Mythbusters in the past that involved guns. The only program I saw where they pointed a rifle vertically they were never able to find the falling bullet, did they have another try sometime??! I guess they must have. The programme I saw was made in a desert which may have been some kind of salt flats which had an unbroken softish surface. When the bullets came down they left a mark in the material. Still took mythbusters a while to find them. Don't think they got them all either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted February 21, 2016 Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 I remember reading in a book about someone in Iraq finding hundreds of 7.62x39 bullets all over the ground that had clearly fallen out the sky. The images in the article showed just a dent to the bullet bases so they had clearly fell base first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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