JonB_in_Glencoe
08-03-2013, 12:21 AM
This tale came up in a discussion with my Brother about shooting safety, I thought I'd share this memory with my cast boolits friends too.
I was shooting at a sportmans club many years ago. http://gophercampfire.com/ They have several shooting ranges. I was alone on the Rifle range, there were 3 pistol shooters about 100 yards away in the club's pistol pit, also 2 McLeod County Sheriff deputies were shooting pistols away from everyone else in the trap range.
A car races up to the locked gate and slams on the brakes, they obviously see the Deputies and go right over to them. After a short discussion, the deputies talked to the three pistol shooters...then came over and asked me a few questions. "What caliber was I shooting?" and "what target was I shooting at?" and "exactly what direction?" They also took my name and such. Then the deputies left with the visitor.
Three weeks later, at the next rifle League meeting that I attended, I got the rest of the story. The neighbor (about 3/4 of a mile away as the bullet flies) and his family was outside eating lunch at their picnic table, under a tree near their house. They heard strange noises in the tree, like bullets hitting leaves and branches. Of course, they also heard shooting. The shooting was normal to them, living near a fairly active sportsman club, and I was told that they didn't hate that. They had never had bullets wizzing through their tree, that they knew of, so they didn't really believe that's what it was at first, because the club had rules and backstops and is down below a bluff, they thought it must be something else...until they heard a window break, a bedroom window, the bullet (identified as a 9mm bullet) hit a pillow on the bed. Well, The neighbor came right over to the club to complain. He was excited to see law enforcement officers there. Well, you know the rest of the story, EXCEPT, the only shooters shooting a 9mm just prior to the neighbor coming to complain to the club that day, was the Deputies and the blame was put on a ricochet.
I won't tell the rest of the story here "Online", because it is speculation on the part of the club's board members as the Sheriff didn't/wouldn't go into detail on any more of the investigation. But IMHO, there is only one way for a 9mm Luger LE issue pistol to push a bullet up and over a fairly high bluff (about 150') and then 3/4 mile over a farm field...and ricochet ain't part of that.
I was shooting at a sportmans club many years ago. http://gophercampfire.com/ They have several shooting ranges. I was alone on the Rifle range, there were 3 pistol shooters about 100 yards away in the club's pistol pit, also 2 McLeod County Sheriff deputies were shooting pistols away from everyone else in the trap range.
A car races up to the locked gate and slams on the brakes, they obviously see the Deputies and go right over to them. After a short discussion, the deputies talked to the three pistol shooters...then came over and asked me a few questions. "What caliber was I shooting?" and "what target was I shooting at?" and "exactly what direction?" They also took my name and such. Then the deputies left with the visitor.
Three weeks later, at the next rifle League meeting that I attended, I got the rest of the story. The neighbor (about 3/4 of a mile away as the bullet flies) and his family was outside eating lunch at their picnic table, under a tree near their house. They heard strange noises in the tree, like bullets hitting leaves and branches. Of course, they also heard shooting. The shooting was normal to them, living near a fairly active sportsman club, and I was told that they didn't hate that. They had never had bullets wizzing through their tree, that they knew of, so they didn't really believe that's what it was at first, because the club had rules and backstops and is down below a bluff, they thought it must be something else...until they heard a window break, a bedroom window, the bullet (identified as a 9mm bullet) hit a pillow on the bed. Well, The neighbor came right over to the club to complain. He was excited to see law enforcement officers there. Well, you know the rest of the story, EXCEPT, the only shooters shooting a 9mm just prior to the neighbor coming to complain to the club that day, was the Deputies and the blame was put on a ricochet.
I won't tell the rest of the story here "Online", because it is speculation on the part of the club's board members as the Sheriff didn't/wouldn't go into detail on any more of the investigation. But IMHO, there is only one way for a 9mm Luger LE issue pistol to push a bullet up and over a fairly high bluff (about 150') and then 3/4 mile over a farm field...and ricochet ain't part of that.