[G21.45]

I very much doubt a piece that size came from a revolver's forcing cone. If something that big came off a revolver then you would have probably heard someone nearby swearing; or else he would have dropped the revolver; and you would have instantly recognized the culprit. I think your first guess is correct: Someone hit a target frame (again!)

You were lucky, man!

[robocop10mm]

13 times and counting. As a firearms instructor and IPSC competitor I have been something of a bullet magnet. 12 times stopped by body armor, once hit in left bicep. Small cut and tee shirt ruined by blood but not bad.

I joke to my co-workers that they should not stand near me in a firefight due to my apparent attractiveness to projectiles.

[RL357Mag]

Originally Posted by gorknoids

No, it was about 1/2 the size of my pinky fingernail and made a cut about 3/4 of an inch long. Copper with some lead on it, and about as thick as a light guitar pick. It was still hot enough to burn my finger when I pulled it out. It looked like a shaving more than anything.

Was this an indoor range, and if so, what type of target holder and back-stop do they have? The range I used to shoot at had mechanized target holders that run on cables with very large rubber sheets in many layers as backstops - very little in terms of exposed metal that a bullet could strike and fragment off of. The size of the fragment you described does not sound like it was shaved off a revolver forcing cone - like G21 said, if it was, there would probably have been more damage done to the shooter than you.

[rickrem700]

I used to go to a small indoor range with about 8-10 shooting lanes, the wall behind you once you entered the room minus the door was covered with a material that seemed alot like the old school blue gym matts, and it was just covered with small and larg pieces of copper jacketing, it would always remind me to where my shooting glasses, some of the pieces were imbedded so deep there is little doubt that it would take out an eyeball, this range was for pistoles only, now that I think about it I have never really noticed this happening at an indoor rifle range, so it must be more of a pistol round thing.

[gorknoids]

The target frame is square iron bent at the ends to support clips which hold the target, with the clips protected by angle iron wedges. The backstop is a 45 degree wall angled away at the top, much as you'd find at any indoor range. I'm thinking it came back off another frame, hit the back side of the adjacent partition and then into my mug, probably from the far lane. I always prefer the first lane on the left because of the brass issue.

[RL357Mag]

Originally Posted by gorknoids

The target frame is square iron bent at the ends to support clips which hold the target, with the clips protected by angle iron wedges. The backstop is a 45 degree wall angled away at the top, much as you'd find at any indoor range. I'm thinking it came back off another frame, hit the back side of the adjacent partition and then into my mug, probably from the far lane. I always prefer the first lane on the left because of the brass issue.

Whatever happened it's scary and really drives home the importance of eye protection!

[hydrashok]

Originally Posted by rickrem700

I used to go to a small indoor range with about 8-10 shooting lanes, the wall behind you once you entered the room minus the door was covered with a material that seemed alot like the old school blue gym matts, and it was just covered with small and larg pieces of copper jacketing...

I don't make a habit of bad-mouthing ranges, but I once shot at The Shooter's Club (http://www.theshootersclub.com/) in Fort Worth for a qualification course I was taking. I'll never go back. I don't remember the range, but I think it was 12 or 15 yds. They used angled steel plates, which I'm all for, but their maintenance left much to be desired. If you're going to have plates that close to the firing line, then you need to oil them regularly.

I'm glad I was wearing eye pros, because I was getting splashed quite a bit.

[gorknoids]

Here it is:

[dirtysouth]

it sounds to me like somebody hit a target frame.

[G21.45]

Holy smokes, is that range clean! (You should see, 'the hole' where I shoot!)

See those angled steel wedges protecting the target clips on each side of the frame? That's what I suspect got ya! And, yup, except for the percussion coming off the wall, the far left lane is always the best place to be.





(There is one other possibility, though: Have you ever seen those bullet holes in and around the individual shooting bays? I've yet to meet someone who admits to putting one of those holes (or scraps) into the dividers and table frames.)