Naughty pigeon Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 The only safe rifle shot is knowing where the round will go. If you have any doubt as to where your round will end up then it's not safe regardless of calibre or ballistics. What happens if someone or something is in-between the target and the houses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team tractor Posted October 4, 2017 Report Share Posted October 4, 2017 I shot a rabbit a few years back with the 22lr and the round bounced back at the tree next to me I filled my pants Perfectly safe shot and the rabbit died instantly but it must of hit a stone behind him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanBettin Posted October 4, 2017 Report Share Posted October 4, 2017 The fact you've asked means you're unsure. That itself answers the question; you shouldn't be using a firearm for something you're not sure is safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted October 4, 2017 Report Share Posted October 4, 2017 The fact you've asked means you're unsure. That itself answers the question; you shouldn't be using a firearm for something you're not sure is safe. Tad harsh, perhaps. The guy wasn't sure so he asked - before, unlike some who shoot first and ask afterwards. If he doesn't ask, how is he going to learn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetter Posted October 4, 2017 Report Share Posted October 4, 2017 As a new ish shooter to rifles myself there is very little guidance on backstops and what constitutes a good/ bad one and a lot of the time advice seems to vary depending on where in the country you are and the terrain you shoot over. Some rules are hard and obvious i.e. no elevated shots, no shots into skylined targets or where you cant see whats behind the target but there is a lot of conflicting advice as can be seen from this thread. Its ok for example if you shoot a lot in the peak district where a lot of fields from the right angle are basically a hill to shoot into, you view would probably be shoot so there is a hill as the backstop. However for those shooter in the Fens or East Anglia where its as flat as a pancake I have seen advice to shoot standing/ off a vehicle using the ground behind the target as a backstop and heavily consider fallout areas behind the target if there is a ricochet. I appreciate a lot of people tend to go our with mates initially and move on from there so get some guidance but there are a fair few people who get ground and graduate from shotguns and air rifles to something to take fox or rabbits at longer ranges so learn as they go as in my case being hyper cautious. Land clearance by Police is to be honest a joke and no guide at all as from experience I have been told on one bit of ground they would only clear it up to .22 CF which has some massive banks on it which is where the deer are but no 243 clearance. Another bit of ground I got permission on I checked as I wanted to use rimfire on it for bunny control only to find as part of an old large estate its cleared up to .243 despite being 1/10 of the site of the previous bit of ground and a hell of a lot flatter. Fair play to the OP for asking the vast knowledge base on here for a bit of guidance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendrix's rifle Posted October 4, 2017 Report Share Posted October 4, 2017 As a new ish shooter to rifles myself there is very little guidance on backstops and what constitutes a good/ bad one and a lot of the time advice seems to vary depending on where in the country you are and the terrain you shoot over. Some rules are hard and obvious i.e. no elevated shots, no shots into skylined targets or where you cant see whats behind the target but there is a lot of conflicting advice as can be seen from this thread. Its ok for example if you shoot a lot in the peak district where a lot of fields from the right angle are basically a hill to shoot into, you view would probably be shoot so there is a hill as the backstop. However for those shooter in the Fens or East Anglia where its as flat as a pancake I have seen advice to shoot standing/ off a vehicle using the ground behind the target as a backstop and heavily consider fallout areas behind the target if there is a ricochet. I appreciate a lot of people tend to go our with mates initially and move on from there so get some guidance but there are a fair few people who get ground and graduate from shotguns and air rifles to something to take fox or rabbits at longer ranges so learn as they go as in my case being hyper cautious. Land clearance by Police is to be honest a joke and no guide at all as from experience I have been told on one bit of ground they would only clear it up to .22 CF which has some massive banks on it which is where the deer are but no 243 clearance. Another bit of ground I got permission on I checked as I wanted to use rimfire on it for bunny control only to find as part of an old large estate its cleared up to .243 despite being 1/10 of the site of the previous bit of ground and a hell of a lot flatter. Fair play to the OP for asking the vast knowledge base on here for a bit of guidance. +1, especially on cleared land. One farm I shoot is cleared to 22cf but you could have a safe backstop a full 180 degrees around you, up to 3 quater mile, for a 50bmg. The peak district is awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasabi Posted October 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 The fact you've asked means you're unsure. That itself answers the question; you shouldn't be using a firearm for something you're not sure is safe. Ah PW at its best! So the reason I asked is because I think it is safe. The know it all in our syndicate said it wasn't. I ballistic calculateed it to similar to someone on this thread. So by my reckoning if I shoot prone off the bipod and don't chamber a round until in position I have zero chance of hitting the houses. I know that because I cannot aim more than about thirty metres above the houses without the butt hitting the ground which my app estimates gives something like an 800 yard range. I drove past the two houses last week and saw a BASC sticker on a car in the driveway. I chapped the door to explain I would be rabbit shooting in the field to avoid any alarm. The bloke nearly cried with laughter when I said our know it all said it was unsafe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 Ah PW at its best! So the reason I asked is because I think it is safe. The know it all in our syndicate said it wasn't. I ballistic calculateed it to similar to someone on this thread. So by my reckoning if I shoot prone off the bipod and don't chamber a round until in position I have zero chance of hitting the houses. I know that because I cannot aim more than about thirty metres above the houses without the butt hitting the ground which my app estimates gives something like an 800 yard range. I drove past the two houses last week and saw a BASC sticker on a car in the driveway. I chapped the door to explain I would be rabbit shooting in the field to avoid any alarm. The bloke nearly cried with laughter when I said our know it all said it was unsafe! Ok! I don't see any particular problem as I have said, but if you were that confident and had already done the maths why did you ask? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasabi Posted October 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 Ok! I don't see any particular problem as I have said, but if you were that confident and had already done the maths why did you ask? Just making sure I wasn't missing something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 Just making sure I wasn't missing something! I very much hope you do! Given the context of your initial question! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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