Comments on: Over-Shooting the Berm — When a Mere 5 Degrees Can Be Deadly

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 14:44:31 +0000

I was involved in the calculation of the safety berm at a local range. the range director wanted to promote F-class shooting and so he asked for permit and calculation had to be made. The truth is that you are better of with a mountain down range than anything else. Where I am the calculation is so that user mistake is considered possible and the range should prevent any round from escaping. The degree rule is 2.5 on left and right and 5 height. Multiple option where considered like pitching the range down 2 or 3 degree to help. But in the end the project was cancelled. The range is now closed. Another range I go is a NO SKY range witch mean that no matter the degree no matter the angle there is no way a round can escape. Wall and baffle where installed. But then…. People complaint about the noise.

By: jon lennon

jon lennon — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 08:00:44 +0000

My buddy had a cow barn and the roof looked like a sieve from bullets coming over 3/4 of a mile from a local range in line with his barn. I was at the range when the state troopers showed up and checked the caliber of each gun. It turned out to be an ak47 bullet and the guy and girl shooting it at this public range were more than likely the culprits.

By: Guy

Guy — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 22:41:49 +0000

Hence the rifle in the shoulder before the bolt is closed rule.

By: queen_stick

queen_stick — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 21:44:19 +0000

A friend of mine got into some BIG trouble, when he he had some friends over at his place shooting an AR. One of the shooters (no experience) was trying to fire as fast as possible, and it walked up to about 45 degrees by the time the mag was empty. Houses were hit a long way out. When my friend told me about it, I asked if he had any idea how capable a 223 round was at distance… he had NO idea. The average Joe, and I’d dare to say the average shooter, has no idea how far small cartridges can launch bullets. Articles like this one should be included in hunting safety courses, and general shooting classes. There are too little people out there that are aware of the facts in this article. It’s not common sense, so it’s probably a bad idea to assume people who are unaware are also stupid.

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 20:25:33 +0000

Our range just spent a little over a million dollars mitigating this possibility with very well engineered baffles. IMO, the risk of injury is not worth the chance.

By: Carole

Carole — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 20:14:57 +0000

About 3 weeks ago I was standing on my back deck and had 4 bullets whiz over my head. They were subsonic but still deadly. These were apparently fired from about 1.5 miles away, across an open field and into a woods. Those bullets made their way through about 300 yards of mature forest. One of them hit an oak tree about 25 feet up in my backyard. The rest kept going towards the front of the neighborhood where children were out playing. Not only were the shooters angling their shots up, but assumed that a bullet cannot make its way through a forested area. NOT SO! ALWAYS have a suitable backstop behind your target and, as the article says, be sure you don’t overshoot it!

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 16:06:47 +0000

Come on guys. Please tell me that I am not the only person who has accidentally “doubled” on a semi-auto rifle!
I know one fellow who emptied the entire magazine of a semi-auto shotgun (12 ga)at one time.

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 14:15:46 +0000

If people would pay attention and KEEP THEIR DAMN FINGERS OFF THE TRIGGER until they have the target in the sights this wouldn’t be a issue. For Full auto you need to make them do it close range with a tall berm or not at all or you will get the climbing shots heading who knows where.

I have been shooting for over 35 years and I can honestly say I have never had a AD thankfully. But I always pay attention and NEVER put my finger on the trigger till the sights are on the target.

By: Harald

Harald — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:54:15 +0000

Ministry of Defence qualified Range Conducting Officers in the UK are informed that the extreme range of a 7.62 x 51 mm NATO is 4000 m at a quadrant elevation of 600 mil (4375 yds at 34 degrees). For .308 long range match ammunition this could be up to 4500 m (almost 5000 yds). Bullets could richochet beyond this.
Hence the instruction to shooters (in the safety brief)”when loading, unloading, proving clear or dealing with a malfunction or missfire the rifle MUST be held horizontal and along your lane (so that any inadvertant shot will hit the butt stop” (berm)).
Loading, etc refers to locking the breech on a chambered live round.
34 degress is close to the angle adopted by Target Rifle Shooters (High Power?) between shots when trussed into a sling (I’ve been there!).

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 03:50:41 +0000

5+ degrees is easy with an autoloader. When I was trying to determine the accuracy of my first autoloading rifle, I placed the rifle on a benchrest (fairly close to its balancing point to minimize upload on the barrel) and held it loosely (not in free recoil). I gently squeezed the trigger. The recoil was enough to raise the barrel, allow the butstock to bounce off my shoulder and “bump fire” a second round.
I am sure that I am not the only one who has had this happen.

Moral: make sure that the muzzle is held down, either manually or by some other means and be prepared for the potential of a recoil-induced bump fire.