Barrel Skip - How Much Deflection Should I Cover

[wsimpso1]

We use plastic barrels as cover and as props between targets. In general, when a barrel is hit, the bullet drills right through, but sometimes they dent the barrel and the dents make me think that they have been deflected from their original trajectory by a pretty fair angle.

So, does anybody know how much angle we should be protecting for? The most common sort of thing that I am thinking about would be a target with a barrel adjacent on the side wall near the front of a shooting pit. A shot striking the barrel that skips could be deflected beyond the 180 plane from the barrel. How much angle from the line of the shot should we be making sure that we have the berm covering? I would think that the shooters angle should be high enough that the deflected shot should not be no more than the 180 plane from the barrel.

Any thoughts on this?

Billski

[Scott R]

Using barrels as vision barriers when hit can allow a bullet to enter, spin around, and come back out of another hole in any direction. I'm sure you have heard the buzzing noise at times when a barrel is shot. Most times the bullet will not escape, but if it does it can still be at a high velocity.

[Crusher]

IMHO Barrels are BAD for use as anything other than vision barriers where there is little to no possibility of being hit by bullets.

I have seen (and shot) stages where barrels are used, and to predict where a bullet strike will re-direct and land is next to impossible. Its much easier (and safer) to use wood, filter fabric, snow fencing mesh (plastic), and a host of other material that will allow bullets to pass through without all the guessing as to where they will go after an impact.

[LPatterson]

I don't think it is possible to determine a deflection angle since there are different parameters to consider like caliber, bullet shape & bullet speed. A 38 Super with a hollow point will react differently than a round nose. A .45ACP has a wider deflection angle between a 230gr round nose than a 200gr SWC. Additionally how do you score a target that you know would have been a miss if it hadn't skipped off a barrel.

[cking]

I know a plastic barrel can turn the bullets 90 degrees. We had some walls next to a barrel and wall upright got shot up and matched the marks on the barrel. So we've tried to stay away from barrels as downrange vision barriers.

[nontactical]

Yikes! All my local club uses is barrels!

I know a plastic barrel can turn the bullets 90 degrees. We had some walls next to a barrel and wall upright got shot up and matched the marks on the barrel. So we've tried to stay away from barrels as downrange vision barriers.