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There are a few videos on the internet that show long-range firing going almost deadly, when, supposedly, the shooter's own bullet ricochets at the target area, and comes flying back at the shooter.

Is it really possible?

CosmicGiant
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  • most target ranges are designed to prevent that... – ratchet freak Nov 14 '12 at 20:06
  • In that video you cannot really see if it's a bullet. Could be for example rock fragment from the target area. Also clearly it's trajectory a that point is anything but flat. – vartec Nov 14 '12 at 20:29
  • *anecdotal * It can, because I have had that happen while shooting. Luckily, it wasn't precisely back at me so it missed. Close shave though. – Mike Mar 03 '16 at 20:51
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    I suspect that the more likely "real-life" 180-degree ricochet is not straight off a flat surface but rather through a "corner reflector" created by two 45-degree surfaces. – Daniel R Hicks Apr 10 '18 at 18:41

1 Answers1

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Yes. Your own video shows it, and there are several others on YouTube that do. But for the sake of proving this...

Monan Jauhari, the Assistant directory of India's Central Forensic Science Laboratory wrote here about Bullet Ricochet from Metal Plates

When a bullet strikes a target of sufficient solidarity at low angle it may, while maintaining its integrity, be deflected from its original path as a result of impact and travel in a direction quite different from its original one. Such a deflection of a bullet constitutes a true ricochet

When you shoot a solid target, the bullet can deflect. If the target is angled properly, it can deflect back at you.

Edit: Since comments and votes positive/negative keep happening on this, here is a better source. The International Journal of Legal Medicine, A case of “boomerang” bullet ricochet.

Due to the perpendicular impact resulting in a centric and symmetrical deformation, the fragment moved in a direction exactly backwards along the original line of fire.

Cruril
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    additionally Mythbusters has also demonstrated a triple ricochet that can hit a shooter, though they deemed their bullet too slow to kill at that point. – Ryathal Nov 14 '12 at 21:44
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    Can you explain what "angled properly" actually means? Logically, a bullet must strike the plate perpendicularly in order to be deflected back to its starting point. But that is not a low angel and deflection is nearly impossible unless it's a low angle. – Hello World Jul 26 '14 at 15:13
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    Deflection is 100% possible by shooting a flat surface that is perpendicular to you. Perpendicular or close to is what I meant by angled properly. Most shooting ranges that use a metal plate as a stopper have the plates angled down to prevent the bullets from coming back at the shooter. – Cruril Jul 28 '14 at 15:40
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    So how does "at low angle" come into it? – A E Feb 01 '15 at 10:49
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    Consider surfaces that are like the 'cat's eye' reflectors on highways. Wish I could draw a picture, but for simplicity, two metal plates joined at right angles, facing the shooter. Bullet ricochets off one plate at 45 degree angle, hits second plate, and ricochets back the way it came. Now if you're shooting into rocks (common in the hills around here), it's possible to get that arrangement by chance. – jamesqf Feb 01 '15 at 18:59
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    Another one from Mythbusters: The successfully fired a rifle with a 180 turn in the barrel. The bullet came out still lethally fast but tumbling. If it can work in a barrel it should be able to work with a curved surface. – Loren Pechtel Apr 27 '15 at 18:18
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    "Your own video shows it, and there are several others on YouTube that do" means _absolutely nothing whatsoever._ The first linked source does not support the claim that the bullet can ricochet back _at the shooter,_ only that it can ricochet if fired at a low angle. The second source is anecdotal at best. The conclusion is a non sequitur. – Reinstate Monica -- notmaynard Mar 01 '16 at 17:04
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    @Iamnotmaynard, the sources linked do prove it is possible.. The first source did prove it, maybe you didn't understand. The second source is a real news article about it happening. I don't know how that is anecdotal. But in case you still aren't convinced, I added another source that once again says that you can fire a shot and have it come straight back at you. – Cruril Dec 15 '16 at 20:52
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    The Texas article might be FAKE NEWS! Here is an original article from a local station that says he shot himself in the head. https://web.archive.org/web/20120621014426/http://www.krgv.com/news/teen-playing-with-gun-shoots-self-in-little-mexico/. In fact, here is another local source the 'Chron' article is based on, which _also_ states he shot himself in the head! https://web.archive.org/web/20120815172649/http://www.themonitor.com:80/news/shooting-61548-south-accidentally.html A .380 caliber can easily shoot through a butane/propane tank! Just search YouTube. – Chloe Apr 07 '18 at 20:42
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    I'm not sure about "FAKE NEWS", but definitely poor journalism and bad to include on my part since it was incorrect. Since the two sources that are left still prove the same conclusion, I am going to remove the incorrect article without replacing it. – Cruril Apr 09 '18 at 18:03
  • When I was in college, a friend of mine went shooting at Lytle Creek near San Bernardino. He was invited to shoot steel-jacketed rounds from an M1 rifle at a metal plate that had been set up as a target. He pulled the trigger, then felt his leg move. The jacket -- or at least a fragment of it -- had rebounded and bounced back through his calf. Paramedics were called. – jeffronicus Apr 09 '18 at 20:13