Don't shoot into the air with a rifle.............

[martin 332]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2076431/Rachel-Yoder-shot-gun-1-5-miles-away-Amish-girl-15-killed-freak-accident.html

[Millet 4,497]

It sound's a bit fishy to me..i watched a experiment on tv year's ago that was questioning the energy left in a bullet once it was fired into the air..after load's of test's in a desert somewhere it was determined that a bullet that was fired into the air did not have enough energy to kill a human..im thinking the gun that killed the girl was fired at a flat angle into the air which caused that freak accident..rather than at the moon..

P.s..i know where you are coming from with your title though..no gun should be fired unless you are certain where the bullet will end up.

Edited December 21, 2011 by Millet

[AngryHan 4]

Heard of a similar incident near where I live that happened a few years ago. Man was out in the field, discharged a shot from his .22 upwards, probably at a bird in a tree. Missed the bird, the bullet came down and hit a girl in a school playground. Luckily it just gave her a hard knock on the head. Apparently the police took all the guns in a one mile radius around the school for testing and found the guy. He was quite a senior man, and they just took his FAC off him.

 

Millet: there was an article on the beeb a few months ago about shooting into the air:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14616491

Edited December 21, 2011 by AngryHan

[ryhope toma 42]

what about when we all go shooting branches in may ? on our shoot a would say 50 % use rimmies and others air rifles , thought about it every year but still go ahead , luckily the shoot is on an estate middle of know where . atb ryhope toma

[The Duncan 802]

I only ever use an air rifle for brancher day. IMHO any more than 12fpe at that range is way too much gun and unnecessary.

[tegater 789]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebratory_gunfire

[paulus 26]

there was a programe called mythbusters who tested this theory. they calculated that a 308 round shot into the air would fall back to earth with a terminal velociity of 108 mph they made a machine to fire a 308 bullet head at a pigs head at this speed it never even broke the skin

[The Seeker 3,048]

what about when we all go shooting branches in may ? on our shoot a would say 50 % use rimmies and others air rifles , thought about it every year but still go ahead , luckily the shoot is on an estate middle of know where . atb ryhope toma

 

Not good practice, the first thing anyone should ask before they pull th trigger on a rimfire or centre fire is where will the bullet go should I hit or indeed miss the animal, we should never shoot without an adequate back stop. It's questionable I suppose if you are taking a shot with the trunk directly behind it wether that could be deemed a back stop but mistakes could too easily be made. I wouldn't risk it with anything other than an air rifle.

 

 

[paulus 26]

what about when we all go shooting branches in may ? on our shoot a would say 50 % use rimmies and others air rifles , thought about it every year but still go ahead , luckily the shoot is on an estate middle of know where . atb ryhope toma

 

Not good practice, the first thing anyone should ask before they pull th trigger on a rimfire or centre fire is where will the bullet go should I hit or indeed miss the animal, we should never shoot without an adequate back stop. It's questionable I suppose if you are taking a shot with the trunk directly behind it wether that could be deemed a back stop but mistakes could too easily be made. I wouldn't risk it with anything other than an air rifle.

air rifle could takes someones eye out

[mark a l 27]

common sence should tell you not to take a shot unless there is a good back stop

[tegater 789]

Mythbusters actually discovered that was only the case when fired vertical because the bullet destabilized. Anything other than vertical and it still retained enough energy to seriously injure or even kill.

[The Seeker 3,048]

there was a programe called mythbusters who tested this theory. they calculated that a 308 round shot into the air would fall back to earth with a terminal velociity of 108 mph they made a machine to fire a 308 bullet head at a pigs head at this speed it never even broke the skin

 

If it was a 160 grain bullet that converts to 8.92 ft lbs, I bet it would sting a bit though.....

[paulus 26]

there was a programe called mythbusters who tested this theory. they calculated that a 308 round shot into the air would fall back to earth with a terminal velociity of 108 mph they made a machine to fire a 308 bullet head at a pigs head at this speed it never even broke the skin

 

If it was a 160 grain bullet that converts to 8.92 ft lbs, I bet it would sting a bit though.....

would make you go ouch :laugh:

[paulus 26]

Mythbusters actually discovered that was only the case when fired vertical because the bullet destabilized. Anything other than vertical and it still retained enough energy to seriously injure or even kill.

surley as long as it reaches its terminal velocity whotever the angle then its energy upon falling to the ground would be the same ?feather and lead ball and all that

[tegater 789]

Apparently not, but I am no scientist. If you look at the test for lethality with a firearm, it is far less than the 8+ ft lb mentioned in another quote, if I am not wrong.