handguns, training, targetsWhen shooting a steel popper target with a handgun, there’s always a risk of fragments coming back and hitting the shooter or others. I’ve seen recommendations for being no closer than 15 yards, but I’d like to sometimes shoot closer than that. What can I do to minimize the risk? I’m only interested in handgun rounds, either 9mm or 45ACP. So it’s unlikely I’ll actually crater the steel on the target. Would turning the target slightly off square help?
Assume everyone is wearing proper eye protection, and the shooting area is appropriate for the activity (high berms and backstop, no one else around to the left or right)
In addition to what Bryson stated, here is Action Target's safety protocols:
RULES FOR SHOOTING ON STEEL TARGETS:
- Always wear wrap-around eye protection and proper hearing protection
- Always wear a hat with a brim large enough to protect the front of the head and face
- Long pants and long sleeves are recommended
- Always use high quality steel targets specifically designed for heavy duty use
- Never use steel targets for purposes outside their scope of design
- Never use ammunition that exceeds the target’s scope of design
- Minimum recommended distance with a handgun and standard lead ammunition is 7 yards
- Minimum recommended distance with a rifle is 100 yards unless using our specific rifle targets
- Minimum recommended distance with shotgun slugs is 100 yards
- Maximum ammunition velocity is 1,500 fps for handgun targets and 3,000 fps for rifle targets
- Never use armor-piercing, steel-core, or other hardened ammunition
- Never use steel shot, pellets, BB’s, or other air gun projectiles
- Spectators must also wear proper eye and ear protection and must remain at least 10 yards from the target
- Never shoot on steel targets that have been damaged or deformed in any way
Make sure that the steel you are shooting is rated for the projectile type (rifle, pistol, etc) and velocity. Make doubly sure that the steel targets you are shooting have not been damaged due to neglect or shooting with firearms that the steel target is not rated for. Steel targets that show damage in the form of bends, cracks, deformation or craters should be relegated for long distance shooting.
Two options are using frangible ammo and shooting at an angle.
Frangible ammo will still give you bullet fragmentation because that’s what it’s designed to do, but it fragments into such small pieces that, with proper eye protection, you’re in no danger.
If you don’t want to spend that kind of money on training ammo — frangible can be more expensive than normal FMJ — you can shoot on an angle. Keep your rounds from striking perpendicular to the surface of the steel and instead of the normal crater-and-fragment reaction you should get a more deflect-and-deform reaction.
If you’re shooting the style of popper that swings side to side giving you a self-resetting target the shooting-on-an-angle will make this not work anymore.
You could also use both options together for twice the safety.
Two inch ballistic rubber along with a 8-10 degree down angle will mitigate the back splash of the projectile and will provide a predictable splatter pattern. Any technique should be reviewed using a witness paper to validate splatter pattern. As previously mentioned, ensure the steel is of the appropriate density e.g. AR-500. The target face should be smooth and free of dimples, craters etc. Many shooting organizations and target companies recommend between 7-10 yards as the minimum safe stand off distance.
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