Stole this from the Southern Institute of Firearms Training’s Facebook page.  I have seen copper jackets and bullets bounce back 25 and more yards, most of the time they are pretty much spent when they reach you, but sometimes the conditions and moons align and blood gets spilled. There is no doubt in my mind that jacket would seriously injure an unprotected eye.

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By Miguel.GFZ

Semi-retired like Vito Corleone before the heart attack. Consiglieri to J.Kb and AWA. I lived in a Gun Control Paradise: It sucked and got people killed. I do believe that Freedom scares the political elites.

10 thoughts on “Why do we use protective gear at the range?”
  1. I just wish the shooting sports eyepro manufacturers made some good options for those of us who wear glasses.

    Any suggestions?

    1. Check with your optical shop. They should offer the choice of having your prescription done with OSHA approved materials for machining work. A bit more expensive and thicker, but worth the price. Do tell them you don’t want the OSHA APPROVED inscription engraved 🙂

      1. Bare minimum you should use for safety glasses Z87+ rating. The Z87+ differs from the Z87 in that the Z87+ is rated for high speed impact of a 0.25 inch diameter steel ball at 150 fps.

        Up from there is the MIL-PRF-31013 which is rated for a 0.15 caliber steel ball at 650 fps.

        High speed impact is very different than high mass impact and any glasses you use while shooting should be rated for high speed impact. There are a number of MIL-PRF-31013 glasses which are very cheap. Edge Eyewear makes several models for about $8 a pop.

        If you need perscription safety glasses, I recommend the website https://www.safetyglassesusa.com/

        They are a US based, veteran owned company, and their prices and selection are fantastic.

    2. Depends on how bad your eyes are. Rudy project has both in frame RX and RX inserts. Some of their inserts tolerate as much as -5.5/+4 sphere and -2/+2 cylinder.

      They ain’t cheap. Best option is to subscribe to their newsletter and wait for a good sale. You can occasionally get 50% and the sale will include prescription inserts or lenses.

      1. Thanks for the pointer!

        Do you know offhand if they do progressives or bifocals? I’m now of that age … sigh.

        1. So am I, but I typically use my computer glasses, not bifocals, for shooting. That applies the theory that you should focus on the front sight: the computer glasses are just right for that distance.

  2. I’ve been hit by a few richocets and bounce backs. The most wtf was a 44 mag lead bullet that bounced basically straight back and hit me in the collar bone at around 20 feet. Felt like less than being shot by a paintball but still had me scratching my head.

  3. Dang. 😮

    I’ve had spent casings hit me at the range but the worse I’ve had was small burns on my neck or cheek.
    That pic is a good reminder to always wear safety glasses anywhere close to someone actively range shooting.

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