shooting coins

[jaystuw]

They are aways in our pocket, readily available. who of us hasn't given in to temptation and lined up a few coins to test or maybe show off our shooting skills?. Illegal?, of course! Do we do it anyway? well, historically speaking, yes. Since at least the 1850s americans can't seem to resist shooting up small denomination coins. I know this because the evidence is in the coins themselves. the metal detector guys on the treasurenet forum find these relics of past precision shooting still in place; indian head pennies, large cents, V nickels, you name it, if it was low denomination and in circulation they shot it.
now in days with the buying power of small coins low and the knowledge that the affluent simply throw them away. I will admit I am guilty of deeply denting a few coins during a plinking session. Its fun and the likelihood of trouble is small, the jails in my state are filled to the bursting point.and the police always have bigger fish to fry. And yes, I will accept that I'm 55 going on 16 but experience has taught me that is not necessarily a bad thing.
John

[Johnch]

Yep
Been there
Done that

And how about taping a penny to the rail road tracks LOL

John

[Dannix]

Illegal? Really? Is burning your own cash illegal too?

Shooting coins must be fun. I'm not sure if I could see anything smaller than a quarter at 50 years though. And if I wasn't too much of a skinflint to entertain shooting quarters, I would have probably just put that quarter towards shooting a j-word projectile rather than shooting the quarter with a boolit. :mrgreen:

[Bullet Caster]

I wasn't thinking of shooting pennies but the thought of making gas checks out of them did occur to me. After getting it nice and flat with many blows of the hammer against copper, you might be able to get about 5 or so out of a flattened penny. I think 5/.01 would yield 500 for a dollars worth of pennies. I am gonna try that tomorrow and see how many .30 gas checks I can get out of a penny. Curious minds want to know. Will post the results later. BC

[stubshaft]

You know of course that pennies are made primarily of zinc.

[DLCTEX]

Yes, zinc. It's hard to find a copper penny anymore. That's why it's so important to keep them away from small children, as a swallowed penny can do terrible things internally. The same government that makes so many laws to protect us from ourselves has created a hazard, again. Mercury in light bulbs anyone?

[frkelly74]

Yes the newer pennies are not worth what they used to be, I think the change was in 82 when they quit using copper in pennies. Maybe you can flatten out dimes or quarters I think they might still be copper inside.


I have a small collection of shot coins somewhere. found here and there. one is a indian head penny most are more modern.

[Chili]

Morgan and Peace dollar coins are much easier to hit.

[BossHoss]

Morgan and Peace dollar coins are much easier to hit.

+1 on that.

There was actually a course at the local college on how to shoot a silver dollar, there is some degree of science involved. .....to graduate you had to do it at the range.

My sister graduated...lol. Threw a Peace dollar up...POW...right through it. 45 Colt SAA .

[GOPHER SLAYER]

When I was a about thirteen I was in Hart's Woods and of course carrying a .22 rifle. I thought it would be a great idea to shoot quarter that I had in my pocket,so I placed it on a low branch of a thorn tree. When I fired I hit the coin and it came straight back to me, hitting me in the stomach. I thought I had been plugged for sure. I was wearing a coat and the coin simply hit and bounced off. It did no harm but I never tried that trick again. I should say, it was a very rare occasion when I had so much money. By the way, I don't think it is illegle to destroy coins. I think the law states that you cannot alter money with the intent to defraud. The law came about when the "V" nickle was put in circulation. It looked exactly like the five dollar gold piece and it was not stamped ,'five cents'. Of course crooks started gold plating nickles and passing them for five dollar gold pieces. The mints quickly starting stamping five cents on the coins and we got a new law.

[stubshaft]

+1 on that.

There was actually a course at the local college on how to shoot a silver dollar, there is some degree of science involved. .....to graduate you had to do it at the range.

My sister graduated...lol. Threw a Peace dollar up...POW...right through it. 45 Colt SAA .

What type of boolit was she using? I've shot my fair share of Morgans and have only managed to dent the cr@p out of them never got one to puncture it even with a dead center hit.

[clodhopper]

I have picked up a few coins while mining lead, have even straightened quarters up with a hammer and used them for legal tender.
Gosh!, wonder what happened to this one? I said to the chashier.

[DLCTEX]

I would think that a coin was worth face value even when defaced as long as it was obvious what it was. The bills are worth one half face value if you have all of a serial number and the denomination.

[Bullwolf]

Well I have heard folks say that they shot a dime size group, or something along those lines at one point or another in time.

So it was only natural for me to try eventually try something like this.

I while ago, I taped a coin to my target, and then shot it at 100 yards after I had dialed in the scope on my 300 Win Mag. I put the coin in the box along with my 300 Win Mag dies. I still smile whenever I look at it.

While I don't make a habit of shooting at coins, I guess they make an OK keepsake. I am somewhat fond of this one.

I will take my 300 Winchester Magnum souvenir coin, over a boring Disney Land engraved penny any day.


http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_187904ef92a719a203.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=3132)http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_187904ef92a8b8b999.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=3133)


- Bullwolf

[WILCO]

Of course crooks started gold plating nickles and passing them for five dollar gold pieces.

Josh Tatum: http://www.coinsite.com/content/faq/RacketeerNickel.asp

In 1883 the Mint issued a new 5c coin with the head of Liberty and a Roman "V" meaning "5" on the reverse. Many people thought that the coin was an error since in didn't have "cents" anywhere on the coin. The lack of the word cents created an opportunity for the unscrupulous. The coins were gold plated and reeds were cut into the edge by hand (nickels have a plain edge) and they were passed off as $5 gold coins. The most famous criminal case about altered 5 cent coins involved a deaf mute named Josh Tatum. He would go to cigar stands and purchase a 5c cigar and pay with a gold plated, hand reeded nickel. The attendant would assume that it was a $5 gold piece and give Josh $4.95 change. He was acquitted since he never said that the coin was $5, he couldn't. The Mint had learned its lesson and the following year put the word "cents" at the bottom of the reverse.

[WILCO]

Illegal? Really? Is burning your own cash illegal too?

Yep, just read the following:

United States Code
TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I - CRIMES
CHAPTER 17 - COINS AND CURRENCY
§ 333. Mutilation of national bank obligations

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Never shot a coin.
Found some, spent them on gun stuff.
You can make Zinc gas checks.:Fire::Fire:

[jaystuw]

I cheat when i shoot mine. I get close, maybe 30 ft. and only use the pre-82 pennies. they dent instead of shattering like the cheap post 82 zinks. Also my recovery rate is low, they seem to get zinged off to who knows were. I'd like to think that the metal detector guys of the future will have some fun finding those. the ones i do get i give away to my sons friends, they get a kick out of them!

[shovel80]

I only shot at one once..it was a nickel that I stuck in a crack in a fence post of a barbed wire fence And I stood across the road from it...Now this was in the boonies on the indian rez...I was probably about 40 feet back and shot at it with an Old High Standard .22 pistol. As soon as I shot...Like faster than Lightning, a large piece of the lead bullet came right back at me and stuck to my face...about a 1/2 inch below my right eye!...I pulled the piece out and it was bleeding some!...but, it could have been much worse had it been slightly higher!!...I never tried that again...Oh...and I never could find the Nickel Either...;-(..

Terry

[waksupi]

I only shot at one once..it was a nickel that I stuck in a crack in a fence post of a barbed wire fence And I stood across the road from it...Now this was in the boonies on the indian rez...I was probably about 40 feet back and shot at it with an Old High Standard .22 pistol. As soon as I shot...Like faster than Lightning, a large piece of the lead bullet came right back at me and stuck to my face...about a 1/2 inch below my right eye!...I pulled the piece out and it was bleeding some!...but, it could have been much worse had it been slightly higher!!...I never tried that again...Oh...and I never could find the Nickel Either...;-(..

Terry
It wuz them damn Injuns shooting back atcha!

[gmsharps]

I remember when I was in basic training at Ft. Polk in 69 we had arrived at the range after a long march and we stacked arms then we were told to pair off and we were handed a BB gun and a handful of metal disk in sizes starting about a half dollar size and graduating down to the size of a dime. The DI's had us throw up the disk and of course the trick is to shoot when the disk reaches it's peak and hitting them was fairly easy. After hitting the dime size disk regularly we were handed a handful of aspirins and were told to shoot those. That afternoon we took our M14's and shot a course they called snap fire where we would walk a lane and when a head and shoulders silouete would appear we would go from a carry position to make a quick shot at the target. We were told would this skill would come in handy when we arrived to our final destination in South East Asia. And it did.

gmsharps

[Olevern]

Don't shoot no coins around here, all coins at the end of each day go in a big bottle to be cashed in just before Christmas to buy guns and gun stuff....:)

[Cap'n Morgan]

Can't remember shooting at coins, but I do remember a friend putting a .41 mag round through a fully stuffed ceramic piggy bank. - Quite a sight...

[colt 357]

When I was a about thirteen I was in Hart's Woods and of course carrying a .22 rifle. I thought it would be a great idea to shoot quarter that I had in my pocket,so I placed it on a low branch of a thorn tree. When I fired I hit the coin and it came straight back to me, hitting me in the stomach. I thought I had been plugged for sure. I was wearing a coat and the coin simply hit and bounced off. It did no harm but I never tried that trick again. I should say, it was a very rare occasion when I had so much money. By the way, I don't think it is illegle to destroy coins. I think the law states that you cannot alter money with the intent to defraud. The law came about when the "V" nickle was put in circulation. It looked exactly like the five dollar gold piece and it was not stamped ,'five cents'. Of course crooks started gold plating nickles and passing them for five dollar gold pieces. The mints quickly starting stamping five cents on the coins and we got a new law.

A quote from the movie A Christmas Story comes to mind."Careful Ralphie You'll Shoot your eye out. Sorry SORRY I couldn't stop myself

[colt 357]

Well I have heard folks say that they shot a dime size group, or something along those lines at one point or another in time.

So it was only natural for me to try eventually try something like this.

I while ago, I taped a coin to my target, and then shot it at 100 yards after I had dialed in the scope on my 300 Win Mag. I put the coin in the box along with my 300 Win Mag dies. I still smile whenever I look at it.

While I don't make a habit of shooting at coins, I guess they make an OK keepsake. I am somewhat fond of this one.

I will take my 300 Winchester Magnum souvenir coin, over a boring Disney Land engraved penny any day.


http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_187904ef92a719a203.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=3132)http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_187904ef92a8b8b999.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=3133)


- Bullwolf
Found the second gunmen on the grassy knoll.

[troy_mclure]

i remember shooting dimes and pennies as a kid with 22 rifles. they would make a great Buuuuuzzzzzzzzz sound as the whirled away from the target.

[cajun shooter]

GMsharps, What you did at Ft. Polk was called the Quick Kill Training course. It was used for training at Polk for years.
I was there in October 1965 then to Tiger land in North Fort.
The big wonderful town of Leeville was so nice. Ha!! Ha!! We called it disease ville back then as many soldiers had to get the shots for the case of clap they got.

Bullwolf, The coin you chose to put a bullet through the head on the coin is very spooky as I was watching the TV that day in Dallas so many years ago. I don't think I could have pulled the trigger on that one. I have often thought about what would the world be like if he had not been shot. Later David

[GARCIA]

Went through Ft. Polk in 74. Nothing had changed.
One thing that did surprise me was seeing snow there.
Well that was all in another lifetime!

Tom

[Bullwolf]

Bullwolf, The coin you chose to put a bullet through the head on the coin is very spooky as I was watching the TV that day in Dallas so many years ago. I don't think I could have pulled the trigger on that one. I have often thought about what would the world be like if he had not been shot. Later David


Found the second gunmen on the grassy knoll.

It was more of a coincidence than anything else who was on the coin. It just happened to be the largest coin I had in my pocket back at the time. Had it been a few years later, it could have just as easily been one of those annoying Susan B. Anthony dollar coins, that so closely resemble a quarter. Back then it was just a largish coin that I had on my person, that was not made entirely of silver. Had it been an all silver half dollar, I would have held onto it for sure!

Someone had given me the 50 cent piece at work, and it didn't fit very well into the change compartment of my cash drawer. I exchanged 2 quarters for it, and into my pocket it went. I had one of those "what if I did this" moments at the shooting line, stuck the coin onto my target with a little duct tape, and bang.

It didn't even rip the target on the way through, just melted a quick hole through the coin. I could see the hit, and the hole in the coin through my scope, and I pocketed it for a closer examination later on.

It wasn't until I brought it home, and I really looked at the coin closely that I realized who was on it (Kennedy) that the similarity dawned on me. Call it an unfortunate coincidence for Kennedy yet again. In my opinion he was a great individual.

I could probably tell you who is on all of our paper denominations from 1 to 100 dollar bills, but I never really paid close attention to all of the various oddball metal coinage that has been minted over the years.

Heck, our Canadian neighbors commonly use 1 and 2 dollar coins (Loonies and Toonies) but your typical American has little use, and even less experience with the larger coin denominations, other than pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.

They just don't really fit into our system, or our wallets and billfolds, let alone this era's cash machines. Many Americans - myself included, probably squirrel away the rare metal half dollar, and one dollar coins just for the uniqueness factor.

This coin is worth more to me as an interesting souvenir, than its monetary value.

- Bullwolf

[jaystuw]

Wow, what a small world, I am also a alumni of Ft. Polk! My summer of 1975 was spent there in basic and advanced individual training for infantry. Snap shooting and tiger land were gone by then, but the ww2 era open bay barracks were still there. And of course the weather was the same- Hot ,humid with thunder storms that seemingly appear out of no were , rain like crazy then disappear just as quickly. The guys i was with, the infantry soldiers of 1975. The ones that would defend america on the ground at the most violent and dangerous level should war occur, were mostly poor and served because they did not have any other options. It seemed truly like the people that risked sacrificing the most were also the ones that benefitted the least from american citizenship. Just my opinion. John