Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ricochet

I shoot a lot of cast bullets in .38 and .45acp. Have any studies been done on round nose vs SWC vs full WC chance of ricochet at handgun velocities less than 50yds? Had a few RN come back over the years. Likely hit some wood in the backstop. Your thoughts?

I have shot a lot of bowling pin matches and have easily shot ten thousands rounds at pins and steel targets practicing. Most of what I shoot are 200 grain hard cast semi wadcutters. I have experimented with round nose, bullets, and much heavier bullets. I was trying to figure out what would be more likely to knock the pin off the table, but always came back to the semi wadcutter 200 grain.

I’ve been hit by lead fragments a few times and I have seen a few ricochets. In all my shooting I don’t think I saw a difference in fragments coming back with one versus another. It seems that anytime you hit something that’s a bit elastic there’s a possibility it can come back. Solid surfaces tend to make the bullet splatter or mushroom and drop. The problem with bowling pins, is that the surface of the pin does not direct the bullet downward away from the shooter.

I have personally witnessed two "bouncebacks" from bowling pins, one striking me in the chest. Left a small bruise. This was in November in IL and about 35degrees F. 40 S&W, truncated cone.
We quit shooting pins at temps below sixty degrees as the vinyl skin got too hard.
Saw dirt kicked up to one side or other mainly from glancing hits from roundnose bullets.
I only used sharp shouldered semiwadcutters and had no problems.