Speed Steel

[trackmagic]

I'm shooting a speed steel match this weekend. I know people do these all the time, but just for my own benefit...How dangerous is it to shoot steel up close? I have always been under the impression steel targets were for rifle ranges. I never put much thought into it before, but isn't there a pretty good chance of ricochet with speed steel?

Is it common to wear body armor during these matches or is it basically considered "safe"?

[montrala]

I shoot lot of steel with pistol. We usually do not shoot closer than 10m (11yrd), but even 7m (8yrd) is reasonably safe. But keep quality eye protection on at all time - pieces of bullet jackets do fly back. Eyes do not grow back.

[trackmagic]

I shoot lot of steel with pistol. We usually do not shoot closer than 10m (11yrd), but even 7m (8yrd) is reasonably safe. But keep quality eye protection on at all time - pieces of bullet jackets do fly back. Eyes do not grow back.

Thanks, hopefully i dont get any jackets coming back.

[GitmoSmoke]

I shoot speed regularly, and can't agree more with montrala. Good glasses with side protection is a must have. Even with a good set of glasses wear a hat with a bill. I got a piece of jacket that didn't get in my eye, but came to rest just below my eye. It came over the glasses and fell down between the lenses and my face. There have been many times I have found pieces of jacket or lead fragments on my hat after a match.

[mayonaise]

I shoot lot of steel with pistol. We usually do not shoot closer than 10m (11yrd), but even 7m (8yrd) is reasonably safe. But keep quality eye protection on at all time - pieces of bullet jackets do fly back. Eyes do not grow back.

Yep 10-11yds for pistol, 25 for rifles. At those distances you will take some shrapnel eventually. Dug .556 jacket out of my arm once with a leatherman. Long sleeves and pants are a good idea.

[ST911]

Excellent resources from Action Target (http://www.actiontarget.com/)

Shooting Steel Targets, Pt1
http://www.actiontarget.com/shooting-steel-targets-part-i/

Shooting Steel Targets, Pt2
http://www.actiontarget.com/shooting-steel-targets-part-2/

Shooting Steel Targets, Pt3
http://www.actiontarget.com/shooting-steel-targets-part-3/

Steel Target Resource Guide
http://www.actiontarget.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/pt_Steel_Target_Resource_Guide.pdf

[trackmagic]

Thanks for the tips. I took 2 small fragments to my arms. You learn real quick to never take your eye protection off.

[SurplusShooter]

I often go to then local Cowboy range, and they shoot a lot of steel very close. You learn 1) need a good pair of wrap-around safety glasses, keep on at all-times 2) keep mouth closed when near the firing-line.

[montrala]

Thanks for the tips. I took 2 small fragments to my arms. You learn real quick to never take your eye protection off.

Eyepro should be first thing you put on when arriving on range and last one you take off. Always, no matter what are you going to shoot and at what. Actually I usually put my right by the car and remove them just before sitting back in it (actualy I just replace my Revison Hellfly, that I won over on here on M4C with my Revision Sawfly and then back to Hellfly).

[MichaelVain]

I agree. The only time I forgot to put my eye pro on, a piece of the casing came back from the pistol and lodged into my eye. Luckily, I had a friend who was an eye surgeon and he was able to numb my eye and extract it. I have a minuscule scar where the shrapnel is but luckily it was not in my cornea so I don't see it.

This was over 10 years ago, and to this day, like Montrala said, I put my eye pro on first before I even handle a gun or go anywhere near where anyone is shooting.

[teutonicpolymer]

Eyewear is very important; I am actually looking to invest in a good pair of shooting glasses to encourage myself to not forget to wear them out of discomfort.

I have gotten several shallow facial cuts from bounced jackets and these ranged from 7m to probably 15m. Also had glasses hits before.

[wyld3man]

Definitely all the PPE, I usually do not shoot steel closer than 15ft with pistol. Where you will run into problems is when you are shooting steel that has a bunch of those small dents from shooting over time with rifle cartridges or it is just not AR500 or AR550 steel. They will start to deflect the lead every where. I have a set of steel that I shoot nothing but pistol at to help avoid that problem. I was at a place where they used some heavy and thick low grade steel, It was all chewed up. We were shooting at about 100m with 5.56 and you could here the zing of the lead coming the whole way back. I was about to call a check fire when my buddy caught a piece to the face and started bleeding pretty good. I talked afterwards to the man in charge and gave him some advice to say the least.