stray bullets - you never know

[Tiburon65]

You never know what's down range even when you think you do. Glad to see he is not suing to get some cash.


Stray bullet strikes man a mile away from target

Army veteran who had never been shot ends streak outside car dealership

Updated: 6:44 p.m. ET Aug 22, 2007
ELK CITY, Okla. - A bullet fired from a police gun range hit a military veteran as he stood outside a car dealership almost a mile away, officials said.
“It felt like someone hit me with a ball bat or like a bird struck me in the side,” said Bill Bolechala, who had served 24 years in the military including a stint in Vietnam without being wounded.
“I was wiping my left side because it kind of hurt, and when I looked down, I had blood all over me,” he said.

Bolechala was treated at a hospital after being shot Tuesday and was released later in the day. He said the doctors left the bullet in his side, between his ribs and hip, but will remove it if the wound becomes infected.
Elk City Police Chief Bill Putnam said the bullet must have ricocheted off a metal frame that holds targets at the gun range. The range has a protective berm, but the bullet must have gone over it, he said.
“It was one of those fluke deals,” Putnam said Wednesday. “I’m glad he wasn’t hurt any worse than he was. We’ve been using that range for at least 30 years and we’ve never had a bullet get out of there and cause any damage.”
He said he plans to replace the metal target frames with wooden ones.
Bolechala, a city councilman from nearby Burns Flat, said he has no ill-will toward the police, who told him they will pay medical bills related to the shooting. He said he has no plans to sue.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20397508/?gt1=10252

[ElJimmyStrappo]

That sucks. It happens I guess.

[cucamelsmd15]

Statistically, theres a very small chance of that happening, but it did.

Im more interested in the physics aspect of the story. Id like to know what caliber the officer was shooting. It doesnt say if its a handgun or rifle, but I would assume rifle. A handgun round wouldnt have enough velocity at that distance to penetrate. But lets assume that it was a rifle for a second... It ricochets off something, which slows it down, then travels 5280 feet, and still has enough energy to penetrate skin?

[retired]

Lawsuit coming.

[RobFMJ]

Originally Posted by cucamelsmd15

Statistically, theres a very small chance of that happening, but it did.

Im more interested in the physics aspect of the story. Id like to know what caliber the officer was shooting. It doesnt say if its a handgun or rifle, but I would assume rifle. A handgun round wouldnt have enough velocity at that distance to penetrate. But lets assume that it was a rifle for a second... It ricochets off something, which slows it down, then travels 5280 feet, and still has enough energy to penetrate skin?

Still trying to figure out that one myself. Ballistics calculator I'm toying with only goes out to 1600 yards, but by then, even a 75 gr. .223 has slowed to 850 fps., and the bullet has traveled less than a third of its supposed mile journey. Oh yeah, and thats assuming it didn't loose any velocity from the ricochet.