Target shooting and wildfires

[kwyeewyk]

We've already had a couple of fires started by target shooting, including one near my house today. I've made sure to clear the backdrop area around my range, but was hoping to set up more targets at variable yardages on the hills around my house and shoot through the summer. Figured I'd do a little reading on what situations cause fires from shooting and found this article from a few years ago that's pretty interesting, sounds like solid copper bullets are a big risk. Stay safe out there!

Researchers study ignition of wildfires by rifle bullets - Wildfire Today

(Click the photo to see a larger version. These photos are from the research paper referenced below.) In research that was published in August, it was found that all types of rifle bullets studied were capable of starting fires in vegetation after being deflected by a steel plate. Fragments of...

wildfiretoday.com

 

[WyoDoug]

When I was a teen on the farm, my dad and uncle had more issues with smokers throwing burning butts out rather than fires caused by fragmentation bullets. But that is a legitimate question to ask. Not sure what the solution is. My uncle lost an entire parcel of wheat thanks to a smoker throwing his cigarette out. My dad saw him do it.

 

[LuketheDog]

Forgive my ignorance of the actual scientific terms, but wouldn't firing a bullet into a steel plate actually create way more heat due to friction than firing a bullet into pile of dirt? Seems like using paper targets and making sure the backstop is soft soil would alleviate most of the concerns.

 

[kwyeewyk]

Forgive my ignorance of the actual scientific terms, but wouldn't firing a bullet into a steel plate actually create way more heat due to friction than firing a bullet into pile of dirt? Seems like using paper targets and making sure the backstop is soft soil would alleviate most of the concerns.

That was my take on it, no metal on targets, remove all the rocks and flammables in the backstop area, my ground is fairly sandy to start with. Thought about trying to build some sand boxes to shoot into, should absorb most of the initial velocity and impact at least if not catch the bullets.

 

[WyoDoug]

This all goes without saying, one of the safety rules: Be aware of what is behind and near your target. That includes target shooting. As others said, that means clearing the area behind your target and picking a place where impact will be absorbed rather than deflected or causing a ricochet. My uncle's old farm still has a homestead that has an outhouse with bullets in it because someone decided to do target shooting on the fence behind it that was downhill from the outhouse.