Concrete Bullet Ricochet
A bullet ricochet is something you need to consider when you’re in an environment with heavy, solid structures or using such as cover from a bad guy in a public space. For the first time in a PDN video, Rob uses concrete blocks instead of steel targets to demonstrate bullet ricochet. In general, the harder and flatter a surface is, the more parallel to that surface a bullet will ricochet off. See what happens when bullets hit concrete and how that affects our defensive tactics.
With all due respect, did anyone see MORE holes in the target after the second shot than after the first? I must have missed them. Anyway, great info in general, and I’ve spoken with folks who have been on the incoming side of fire back up exactly what Rob is discussing. USE COVER as if your life depends on it…because it does.
I fired a .25 caliber pistol at a large block
of concrete, which had a large dished-out place
on it, like a large soup bowl, at about 40 feet;
straight on. The bullet must have hit the bottom
side of the “bowl”, because I almost immediately
heard a piercing whine past my left ear. It circled
up and back out toward the ignoramous who
fired it.
I would like to make another observation; years ago target practicing I had shot repeatedly into a target one hundred yards away. I was using a .30-06 and had shot hundreds of rounds and the rifle could shot sub MOA. What went un-noticed behind the target I had created a parabolic hole into the berm. I was shooting atop my car’s roof and had a very good Redfield Spotting Scope. I discharged a round and was moving up to look through the spotting scope when I felt something burn atop my left shoulder. I found with inspection the bullet had come back at me with a bullet hole in my shirt front and back and the bullet had removed perhaps two inches of my first layer of skin. As I was using a 180 Boat Tail Hollow Point Match King Bullet; you better know how lucky I truly was. BTW I was all alone at a rifle range just out of town. I know what this bullet is capable of – what are the odds that could happen. Since then I have heard this has happened to others.
I noticed he never addressed shooting directly into a hard surface. Years ago rabbit hunting with a 22-250 with 88 grain SPBT Match King Bullets in very turbulent weather and high winds; I attempted a shot at a rabbit sitting about five feet away for a granite bolder [perfect back stop]. The distance was laser sighted to 230 yards away. I watched as the round when under the rabbit’s chest directly behind his front leg and impacted the bolder behind. I then saw the rabbit picked up and thrown toward me about ten feet. Examination of the rabbit found a piece of granite had been blown away from the bolder by the blow up of the round impacting the rabbit’s head.
Thank you; for that great video. Sometime we overlook the simple things like ricochet.
Could that be used as a “bank shot” kinda like playing pool? Seriously though, shooting at hard surfaces is NOT a good idea. Even my pellet rifle has been know to send a ricochet down range when hitting a rock. I can hear it zing off at an odd angle with almost a classic movie type ricochet sound. Be careful.
thanks for the great tip these videos are so great that’s why I joined looking forward to more thanks again